Most pop artists talk about their "journey" or their "sound" or some vague creative awakening they had in Ibiza. Natanya talks about wrestling. And somehow, that's the most refreshing thing you'll hear all year.
The 23-year-old north-west London singer, songwriter and producer sat down with Dazed on Hampstead Heath - because of course she did, it's always Hampstead Heath - and handed out a pep talk that should probably be printed on motivational posters in every music school in the country: "Sing like a pop star, perform like a movie star, and train like a wrestler."
Wait, wrestling?
Yes, actual WWE-style wrestling. And before you dismiss this as a quirky PR soundbite, hear her out - because the logic is genuinely airtight.
According to Natanya, musicians and wrestlers are basically doing the same job. First, you build the brand. Then you win the crowd. Then you keep them coming back for more. The only difference is that one of them does it in a leotard under pyrotechnics and the other one... actually, that's also sometimes pop music.
The wrestling analogy isn't just a gimmick (no pun intended). It speaks to something the music industry often gets squeamish about - the sheer athletic, almost gladiatorial discipline it takes to hold a stage. A great pop performance isn't passive. It's a physical and psychological act of dominance. You have to take the room.
Why this actually matters
Pop is having a bit of an identity crisis right now. It's either hyperpersonal bedroom confessional or maximalist chaos, and very few artists are talking about the craft of performance as something you can study, train for, and improve at deliberately.
Natanya's approach - treat the stage like a ring, treat your persona like a character, treat your body like an instrument that needs conditioning - is refreshingly no-nonsense. It's the kind of thinking that produces artists who are genuinely magnetic live, rather than ones who just look good in a press shot.
She's already picked up the SZA co-sign, which in 2024 is basically the pop equivalent of getting a championship belt handed to you by the reigning champ.
Keep an eye on this one. She's clearly already keeping an eye on all of us.
