When you watch Natalie Di Luccio’s, ‘Nella Fantasia’ (In my fantasy), an Ennio Morricone classic, that she renders as a fusion with Sawan Khan Manganiyar, Rajasthani folk artist, the effect is surreal. Shot along the ramparts and the interior of the majestic Meharangarh Fort in Jodhpur, the video indeed transports you to a magic land. Dressed in a flaming red Indian attire, the high pitched notes of the soprano blend with the raw, rustic appeal of the folk voice and the result is mesmerising as is the setting. This was her first international release and won rave reviews.
The Italian-Canadian opera singer from Toronto first came to Mumbai when she was 19. By 28, this multilingual classically trained singer has performed for MTV Coke Studio and the New Talent Awards and has worked with Italian music producers Mauro Malavasi, Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti on recordings.
As she prepares to perform next week in Delhi with The Magnets, Natalie talks about her Indian connection, the love for Indian classical music and the challenges of singing in languages other than her own.
Excerpts:
You’ve had an Indian connection for last few years. What is it that attracts you to the music scene here?
My introduction to India happened through a musical collaboration while I was in Canada. After I came to India, I felt a really strong connection with the country and the people and it soon became my second home. I was blown away by the richness of Indian music and culture. There is so much to learn and explore and I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. The music industry is also very spontaneous. I love the fact that I may get a call for a performance in Delhi one day and for a recording in a few hours in Bandra, Mumbai. Nothing is planned here. The industry lives in the moment! Some people might not like it, but I personally love it most of the time.
Trained in western classical music, what made you choose opera?
Even as a child I had an operatic voice so naturally my teachers trained me in western classical music. I was introduced to opera from a young age and it was something that I discovered and really loved.
How do you see Indian classical music?
Indian music is an entirely different school of music and I find it really fascinating. There are a lot of spiritual elements connected to Indian classical music and I think that’s what makes it all the more magical.
What kind of changes has the western classical music seen in the last few years?
We can say that the entire music scene has changed in the last few years. Honestly, it makes me a little sad. Gone are the magic days of spending a year in the studio for recording an album and really developing your sound as an artiste. With Internet today and the amount of content we are being saturated with, artists are almost expected to release music every month which is why everyone has resorted to covers these days.
When were you first exposed to Indian music?
There is an interesting story. I received a message in Toronto from a music producer working on Sonu Nigam’s album way back in 2009. He requested me to record some western chants in Canada for the album. I didn’t know whose album it was as the producer was very secretive about it. Coincidentally, my aunt is Indian (she is from Agra). So when I received the album in the mail, I asked her about Sonu Nigam and she was awestruck when she got to know that I had sung for his album. Until then, I didn’t know who Sonuji was. Once I found out, I listened to all his songs. The first one I heard was “Kal Ho Naa Ho” and the melody and his voice just blew me away. That was my first introduction to Indian music and I got hooked.
You’ve sung quite a few Hindi film songs, which has been your favourite Bollywood number?
The songs I sing during my live concerts are actually my favourite Hindi songs more than the ones I’ve recorded. I’m a fan of the old Hindi retro numbers. Songs like “Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo”, “Hawa Hawaii”, “Ek Do Teen”. They have such strong melodies, are very theatrical and fun to perform!
Other than Hindi, my favourite song to date would actually be an Arabic piece called “The Sea Miracle” which I sung for A R Rahman for the Majid Majidi’s Muhammad . Another interesting recording I did was an Italian operatic rendition of a Tamil song which was in the film score of Mani Ratnam’s Kadal .
You’ve sung in Gujarati and Tamil as well. What kind of challenges did you have to face while singing in these languages?
Tamil and Arabic were definitely more challenging for their own reasons. Tamil is like no language I’ve ever heard before. It is extremely difficult for a non-Tamil speaker to pronounce phrases correctly especially with all the fast hidden ‘r’s” and “l’s”. When friends would write the Tamil lyrics for me in Roman script I found it really funny that it looked nothing like what they were saying. So they’d have to speak it slowly and I’d re-spell it in a way I understood.
I absolutely love the challenge though, it makes things fun! Arabic was also quite difficult since is it a guttural language. I have to use the back of my throat a lot to get certain sounds which is new for me. I also find it challenging as a singer since there is some pressure being put on the throat while singing, although I’m sure with practice in Arabic it becomes much easier.
What sort of collaborations are you looking at in future?
I have my next single releasing next week which is an English song. Following this, I’m shooting my next video in October. My objective is to open people’s minds and break down stereotypes by combining different cultures through music in locations across the world, starting with India.
Tell us about your upcoming Indian projects…
I’ve just finished a musical travel show with Discovery Channel India called Nexa Journeys on the AH1 . We actually drove all the way from Delhi to Bangkok via Myanmar. I got the chance to learn so much especially about North East India which was a place I was so eager to travel to and explore its music and culture.
It was just incredible. I have also sung for two upcoming Hindi films, but can’t reveal the names until they get released.
