Natania Wrote Her way Into the World's Biggest Rooms

The first time Natania wrote a song, she was 15 and heartbroken. “The rest is history,” she says now with a smile. Growing up in Mumbai, music wasn’t just in the background, it was part of the air. Her mother loved to sing around the house. There were always songs playing, whether it was Celine Dion, The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel or old Bollywood gems written by Gulzar. “I had my headphones on all the time,” she says. But even then, she probably couldn’t have imagined that one day, her voice would echo alongside Cardi B and DJ Khaled on a Smurfs movie soundtrack. 

She remembers one specific moment when the obsession quietly shifted into something more serious. “That first heartbreak at 15? It was intense. And the only way I could process it was by writing about it,” she says. “I wrote a song and that was it. I didn’t stop after that.” 

The quiet rise of a global voice: Today, Natania lives in Los Angeles and is making a name for herself as one of the most interesting Indian voices in global pop, not just as a singer but as a writer, producer, songwriter and collaborator. Her latest feature, “Higher Love,” appears on the upcoming Smurfs movie soundtrack. The track is a fresh take on Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is a Place on Earth,” reimagined with vocals from Natania, Subhi (who sings in Punjabi), and verses from American hip-hop heavyweights. “When I first heard Cardi’s voice going into my chorus, I just cried,” she says. “It was surreal. It felt like all the little pieces of me growing up finally came together at that moment.” She credits Ty Ty Smith, co-founder of her label Desi Trill, for championing the song from the start. “He saw the vision before any of us did.” But what made it unforgettable? “Getting to make music with my best friends for something this big, and bringing our culture to the world—there’s nothing like it.” That trust—from her label, collaborators, and listeners—has shaped how she shows up in music. Her two recent singles, Nautanki and Gulzar, capture that evolution. The former leans into her more dramatic, playful side, while the latter is softer, filled with longing and love for the lyricist whose words raised her. Both songs hit home with fans because they felt honest. “That stretch, that emotional range—that’s what keeps me going.”

Writing without a filter: But songwriting is more than just a personal outlet—it’s become her passport. In a 2024 Rolling Stone India Spotlight interview, she spoke about how signing with Roc Nation and Desi Trill helped her step into rooms she once dreamed of. She penned songs that have landed on Netflix soundtracks, global campaigns, and records by artists like Nick Jonas, J Balvin, and Armaan Malik. “Writing gave me everything,” she says. “It’s how I survived the pandemic. It’s how I found my voice.” That same period taught her to stop chasing perfect conditions and start trusting herself. It also made her more vocal about being a South Asian woman in music. “There’s so much we carry,” she says. “But we’re seeing change. More women are writing, producing, leading. That’s powerful.” And in all of it, her songs remain her anchor. “If I can put a moment into music, it can live forever.”

Doing it her way: Her creative process shifts depending on where she is and who she’s working with, but one rule remains: start with the chorus. “It sets the heart of the song,” she says. “Once that’s there, I follow the feeling. I will try to chase the goosebumps.”Her collaborations with fellow artist Subhi reflect that same trust and emotional clarity. “We’ve been working together a lot and there’s this magic when we’re in the room,” she says. “There’s no overthinking. We just let the song find us.” While Natania leads with instinct and emotion, Subhi brings in texture and depth. It’s less about roles and more about rhythm of trusting each other, finishing each other’s thoughts, and letting the song unfold like a conversation between friends. 

The future sounds like us: Instead of chasing what’s loud or viral, Natania is leaning into what feels true by taking her time, staying honest, and letting the music speak before the numbers do.“If one person connects with what I wrote, that’s enough,” she says. “I don’t want to be viral. I want to be remembered.” Still, that doesn’t mean she’s slowing down. With new collaborations, an upcoming global release with Awich, A$AP Ferg and RZA, and more music on the way, she’s ready for a year that feels, in her own words, “expansive.” The track has this bold, unexpected energy pulling from hip-hop and pop, but also carrying her signature touch underneath. “It’s unlike anything I’ve done before,” she says. “And that’s what makes it exciting.” And when she talks about the future of music, she says “The future of music is us,”. “It’s South Asian artists finally taking up space, telling our stories, and doing it our way. We’re not just being let in anymore. We’re building the stage.”