Meet NATHANIE: The Malaysian Pop Artist Blending Sultry Sounds and Global Influences

Written by: Stephanie Cherng

Sultry, smooth, and soft are the adjectives that best describe the music of NATHANIE. A producer, singer-songwriter, and creative director from Malaysia, NATHANIE creates music that falls under the growing genre of Malaysian pop.

I first discovered NATHANIE on TikTok, where she was promoting her song Sunscreen. She was inspired to write the track after she accidentally forgot to put on sunscreen one day. Ever since I heard it, I was instantly hooked.

I had the pleasure of interviewing NATHANIE while she was visiting Europe. We discussed the state of Malaysian pop, the influence of Black music, and the universal experience of loneliness.

Next Wave:  I first discovered you from TikTok. You were promoting your song Sunscreen and I immediately fell in love with the song and became addicted. I still replay that song all the time too. I know you wrote that song because you forgot to wear sunscreen one day, but describe to us the process of making that song. 

NATHANIE: That was like 2020, I believe. Or 2021. It was like COVID. I remember I had just moved back to Arizona because I used to live there. I went to school there. So I went on a bike ride with my friend in Tucson, Arizona, and I got burnt. I was crisped up and had no sunscreen. My face was burning red. I just came up with a melody. It was kind of like a meme. I used to write without experiencing a lot of life. I was very innocent and naive. I'm from a village in Malaysia. I wrote a love song, I thought it was silly. And I finished it when I was visiting my hometown in East Malaysia. And I had to quarantine for two weeks because it was COVID then. And so I was in a hotel room for two weeks, I couldn't see anybody. And so I finished the song there and I finished writing everything. Yeah, that's kind of the process.

Next Wave: Where are you from in Malaysia?

NATHANIE: I'm from East Malaysia. Kuching is my hometown. It’s a beautiful, peaceful place, I think everyone should try to visit there once in their lifetime.

Next Wave: I searched you up on Spotify and I got addicted to your song “Who Do I Call?” I used to play it all the time, but it's still one of my all-time favorites. What was your inspiration behind this song? 

NATHANIE: That song is like one of the first songs where I wrote truthfully about my own life. I think in the beginning of my writing. I was always writing from the perspective of someone else's life. I always was trying to empathize because I was really lonely. To be so for real, I was in America alone. So I would just sit and empathize with other people and try to feel like I'm connected to them, and that's what I would write about a lot. “Who Do I Call” is one of the first songs that I wrote from my own perspective about grieving a loved one who had passed away. I couldn't go and see him because there was a lockdown and travel restrictions. It was like a process of grieving for me. I didn't know what else to do with myself in a way because I was also alone in Arizona when everything was happening. And so it was also the first song that I put out that I produced myself. That song is super near and dear to my heart. Even if the sound is different from what I'm doing now. 

Next Wave: Who inspired, like what or who inspired to become a singer songwriter?

NATHANIE:  Honestly, I never thought this was something I would ever like to do in my life because I come from a small town. People in my town become doctors, lawyers, and engineers but not- this. That's like typically the pipeline you see for someone from my hometown. It was just something that I had in my life. I think I just really loved performing. Like I used to do public speaking and singing. I'm sure you know, it's like the discussions about representation and how we’re taught not to dream. Dreaming is  reserved for people who like natural talent or like people who have the space to always make art. But it's just something I always kept around myself because it's the way I like to process things that are happening in my life. It's more like an accident in a way of how everything came to be. Yeah. But I would say things in life inspire me, like processing life, metabolizing reality is kind of the inspiration for creating.

Next Wave: So when you told your family that you wanted to pursue music? What was their reaction? Were they supportive?

NATHANIE: My parents are like chill as fuck. Like very rare. I'm very grateful, but they always told me since I was young, "Do whatever you want as long as it doesn't harm yourself or people.” So they didn't understand a lot of how things work. And I don't think they still do, but they're super supportive. They just stream my songs. They tell me how many streams I'm at. They're really sweet. I don't even check that shit. They’ll be like, “Hey, this song is doing well.” And I'm like, “Thanks, Mom.” It’s really cute.

Next Wave: Who are your musical influences?

NATHANIE: Sade is one of the musical artists I’ve consistently listened to. I think she's just beautiful in her writing, the way she sings. I’m inspired by Aaliyah and the Isley Brothers. I definitely have a lot of inspiration in Black music. I just think that's what like when I was starting to make music. It was the type of music I listened to the most as well. So I think that carried a lot of influences.

Next Wave: Why were you so drawn to like Black music as an influence?

NATHANIE:  It's actually because of a family friend that would come to Malaysia. He's from Oakland. He played the saxophone. He dropped out of college. He got a full ride scholarship to Stanford to study math and he dropped out to play saxophone. He was in the era when like Michael Jackson was popping. He was  a musician and he knew me since I was like five years old. But when I was older, I saw him in California and I was showing him like some of the music I was making. He would be like telling me how I had to listen to specific musicians. So he was the one who really put me on to a lot of Black artists and they were like I would say the cornerstone in terms of the sound that I'm drawn towards. It's because of him. Uncle Gary. Shout out to him. 

Next Wave: So I remember commenting on your TikTok about being excited about you being a Malaysian singer-songwriter because my family's from here. It's super refreshing to have someone from the family neck of the woods make amazing music and make interesting videos. How has being from Malaysia influenced your artistry? And what is the landscape of the Malaysian indie scene looking like now?

NATHANIE: So I was away from home from 2017 up to last year. I was mainly in the United States. A lot of my time was abroad because I was in school. I was studying finance. So I was away doing that for a while. I left New York City, moved back home for like seven months. And that's when I learned more about the scene that is bubbling in Malaysia. And it's incredible. Like the people coming out of there, they're so, so talented. And I'm so happy that they're building a community there.

Artists like Lang, Zeke, Annie, F.E. are popping there. 

They're like independent artists and they always make stuff together. And I feel like there's something really unique about having that community make music together. It reminds me of early Odd Future, like that type of vibe. Really, really cool. But Malaysians, different races, different religions. It's super sick.

And I think being from Malaysia, it's a very niche experience. Malaysia is very multicultural. I wouldn't say I integrate that into my music. I feel like I'm moved by the nature in my hometown more so than the sound. I would like to hear more of that. 

Next Wave: So I have watched all of your music videos and I'm so awed by the level of creative direction in your music videos. The production value is quality work. What is the process like when it comes to making music videos and where do you draw inspiration?

NATHANIE: The first few videos I made, I made with a team in Malaysia, also a family friend in my hometown. And it was very DIY. The set design was by my friends who had no experience in set design. They were down to help. I was like 20, they were 19. The team  usually did documentaries, but they were willing to give it a shot. So that process was pretty serendipitous,  it was me wanting a certain idea to come to life, like a certain color, a certain feeling. And they were so good at executing it for those projects.

But a lot of these music videos, they just come from like an image loop stuck in my head. And I'm like, this needs to be physical, like tangible to the public. And that's kind of how it comes about usually.

Next Wave:  Speaking of color, I have a question about color. I've noticed that each song and music video has a specific color palette: Paper is a red color. Emma is like a greenish blue. Yellow is yellow. Day One's, I would say, is maybe like a neutral gray color. How has color been a useful tool to showcase symbolism in your art? And how do you use it to portray a mood?

NATHANIE:  I'm not gonna lie, like that project, the reason why they're all so color specific was because I named the beats colors, like different colors [we both laugh]. Paper was red and Emma was blue when I was making the music. They were those colors. So if you look at my beat files, they're literally those colors.That's literally the only reason why I wouldn't even say it was like mood or anything. 

But I would say now though, I'm thinking more and more about that. The new music that I'm making feels like a royal blue. So I look at the color every day. I'm like, okay, what do you sound like? And then that's kind of how I've been approaching the newer music. So that's cool that you asked that. I didn't even notice.

Next Wave: Can you see color when you make music? 

NATHANIE: No, I'm not that bitch. Like shout out to them. I feel like they live interesting lives though. 

Next Wave: So what is your favorite music video that you have made so far?

NATHANIE:  Probably Learn to Love, the short film. So I wrote it in like March and then the rest of the year was me living that EP. And so the short film kind of captures that whole process of infatuation and falling in love. I worked with all my besties, like all my close friends on that. So it's really special to me.

Next Wave: What can we expect from you in the future in terms of music, performing? 

NATHANIE: I think right now my personal goal is to become a very good live performer. So I would love to keep practicing. I feel like I'm at a stage where I'm really overthinking a lot. So it's kind of hard to think about putting things out in a way. So I've just been trying to become better, like practicing my pen, practicing my production, practicing my performance. So say maybe just like glimpses of me practicing, becoming hopefully better.

Next Wave: What advice would you give to your younger self? And what advice would you give to up and coming singers or artists? 

NATHANIE: I would ask my younger self to think a little bit more. I'd like to be a bit more picky, I would say. Up and coming, I think I'm an up and coming artist, so I don't know if I could give any advice. So just be free to express yourself. That’s the result of where life comes from. Don’t follow a trend but make art that expresses what you’re going through during your life.  I think that could help people in a way and it's a powerful tool. 

Next Wave: How do you feel about the concept of representation in the music scene? Do you feel like it boxes you in?

NATHANIE: That’s like a dance that I feel like any artist of color has to do because unfortunately you get stereotyped all the time based on race. As Asian people we’re going to be folk, we're going to be like every other person from every part of the world who can make folk music, R&B, and pop music, because music is so globalized. 

Next Wave:  Do you feel like it makes you a better artist and you have that global view? 

NATHANIE: What I've noticed from being in Europe and being in the United States that low key, American music is everywhere. When I go back to Malaysia, American music is there like I never left the United States. And I feel like Malaysia is better at keeping up with the latest music.  When I was in Portugal, they were listening to early 2000s pop. Very niche. In Italy, they listen to electronic music from the early 2000s as well. 

American music is global. However, I want to explore more localized music. I think that's where I'm at right now  thinking about instruments. Everyone makes music with the same five instruments. You know, the key is guitar, bass, drums. No one that I know tries to branch out to use other instruments. I want to try maybe a harp or a saxophone. Sometimes I wonder if there’s other instruments I can use? Like that's something that's been on my mind. Like what if I made an instrument? It’ll be cool to  just completely change the sound of what people hear daily to be more reflective of reality.