INTERVIEW: Brazilian Beauty & PopStar Natalia Damini - Exclusive First American Interview for First Album "Beautiful" Includes Song with Nicki Manaj and Paul Walker Tribute

"Gracias! Gracias!” exclaimed the young Natalia Damini as she ran out of her local video store, clutching her very own copy of  Dirty Dancing. “No one else but you rents it, and you’ve rented it so often, you can just have it,” the store owner said. "That movie was my inspiration,” stated Natalia. “I love the dancing and the music. I would practice the choreography, and of course, I wanted to marry Patrick Swayze.”  Flash forward a decade or so and Natalia is doing her own dirty dancing, up on stage to her own songs, performing over 80 concerts a year.  She is about to release her first album, Beautiful in January 2014. A recognized music artist in Brazil  she’s teamed up for a single on the album with one of America’ hottest artists,  #Nicki Manaj entitled Hot Fire. Other collaborations include those with Gucci Mane and Shop Boys. It’s also got a song on it, Letter on a Bullet Train, dedicated to actor #Paul Walker (video below). Her latest EP release from the album, Bad Girl, debuted at #32 on the Itunes Pop Music
Chart.  Beautiful is a 17 track compilation of previously released and new songs.  Natalia’s first single was Feeling the Love in 2010. In April 2011 came Your Lies, then in August came It’s Over. After that Can’t Be Without U was released. This was her most universal project and her first entry into the pop market. Her songs range multiple genres from , EDM, pop, Latin, rap to R and B.

I asked Natalie about her new album, growing up in Brazil, and what she hopes the future has in store for her.

Suzee: Why did you name the album Beautiful?

ND: All of the songs have a beautiful message. It’s not about the beauty on the outside, it’s about how beautiful people are on the inside. There’s so much beauty in a person and the way they do things.

Suzee:  You do a collaboration with the amazing Nicki Manaj on this album. Did you record in studio with her?

ND:  No, I recorded here in Brazil. My manager, my team, made this dream happen for me. I’m living a dream. I'm so lucky.

Suzee: You did a tribute to recently deceased actor Paul Walker, from The Fast and Furious fame, who I loved the most as a young actor in She’s All That -  great 90’s flick. Tell me why.

ND: I admired him as an actor, but when I saw what he did to help people - people all over the world, with projects all over the world, it showed me how beautiful he was on the inside. The song I did for him on the album is the most beautiful - the most special – song on the album. It’s very emotional and melodic, and I dedicated it him.

Suzee: When do you recall you wanted to be a singer?

ND: As far back as I can remember I liked to sing. I would sing for my grandpa as a little girl. He was a musician and it made him so happy to hear me. But I would only sing for him and myself.  After he died (at age 8), I told my dad one day that, “I think I can sing.” I remember the first time I sang for him. I was trembling. He was so happy to hear me sing, because I was the only one in my family that was musical like my grandpa was. I told him, “Daddy, I want everyone to listen to my music.” At that point in time, we didn’t have a lot of money, but he paid for whatever lessons he could find for me. He told me “Someday, the right day will come”.

I took dancing and singing and acting lessons. I watched and listened to Britney Spears and Michael Jackson as a child.  I wanted to dance and sing like them and I copied their choreography.

Suzee: So when did things start to happen for you?

ND: I had a friend that knew a producer and DJ (Alahin Feitosa). He asked me if I can sing electronic music. They wrote me Feeling the Love and it got played all over the city and in clubs all over Brazil.

Suzee: What is the difference between music in Brazil and in America?

ND: The difference is huge. It’s like fire and water. In Brazil we have our own sounds and rhythms, Samba, Bossa Nova, and we don’t sing in English, we sing in Portuguese. It’s just the beginning of Pop in Brazil, we focus on our own sounds and rhythms.

Suzee: Your songs cover a lot of styles. What do you like best?

ND: I love all music. I love pop, I love rap. It depends on what I feel like listening to. If I want to dance I’ll put on dance music. I like to sing pop and hip hop.

Suzee: When did you learn English?

ND: I learned it by myself. When I was about 8 or 10 I wanted to know what Britney Spears was singing about! So I set out to learn it. If you want to learn a language the best thing is to hear it and practice it, it’s not about classes in school. I watched a lot of American movies. Dirty Dancing was my favorite.

Suzee: Who do you admire the most now?

ND: Michael Jackson, Selena, Beyonce and Lady Gaga are some of my favorites.

Suzee: What are your favorite American shows?

ND:  I like #Glee and The X Factor. Love Gillian Anderson (Readers: Watch Gillian in NBC’s new show after the Olympics, #Crisis.)

Suzee: Now tell me, what is beautiful in your life?

ND: Making my dream come true, fighting for my dream is beautiful. I had struggles starting out and had to leave where  my friends and family were to fight for the dream. But that is beautiful, fighting for it and seeing it come true.I love being on stage and performing.

Suzee: Thanks for the interview Natalia, it's been a pleasure. Can’t wait for your new album and  I’ve got Can’t Be Without U on my dance play list now. Let me know when you make it to the states!

Just the Facts 

Album Release: January 2014

Beautiful Tour Dates:

February/14 Guadalajara

February/15 and 16 Mexico city
February/19 and 20 Cancún

Awards: Nominated for Best National Single 2012, DJ Sound Awards (Latin America)

              Nominated for Best Pop Artist, DJ Sound Awards (Latin America)

              Winner, 2011 Omega Hitz Awards, Revelcaodo Ano

              Winner, 2012, Videoclip Nacional

To connect with Natalia follow her on Twitter @NataliaDamini or Facebook. Collaborations and music inquiries should be addressed to the management team CONCORE ENT.concoreuniversal@gmail.com.For media inquiries call Lashaun @ (951) 665-8365 or emailUrbanStarzMedia@gmail.com.