After spending the last few months establishing her sound, Dutch singer and songwriter Natasha Ghosh has now returned with her beautifully dreamy new single 'Paradise'.
Teaming up with lo-fi artist Kid Kio for the release, 'Paradise' makes for a wonderfully warm and captivating listen. With its smooth and supple hooks, laid-back demeanour, and her own soaring vocals at the helm, she is certainly heading for greatness on this new cut.
So with the new single available now, we sat down with her to find out more about her background and what has inspired her most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
When I was about 11 years old I picked up the guitar. I didn’t like it back then, but when I saw the fingerstyle guitar videos of Sungha Jung at the age of 14 I fell in love with fingerstyle guitar. I spent hours and hours practicing it, harming my sleep schedule, haha. When I was 18, I picked up the ukulele and transferred the skills that I learned on guitar to the uke, and then I fell in love with the ukulele.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Fun fact, when I was a toddler, I didn’t want to eat unless there was music playing. So I remember my mother putting me in front of the television to see the TOP 40 countdown on MTV. Because of that, I learned to count from 40 to 1 before even knowing how to count from 1 to 40! As a teenager, I used to love instrumental music. I am, in fact, a multi-instrumentalist at heart. I listened to piano/guitar renditions from Yiruma and Sungha Jung. After that, I listened to R&B, Pop, Indie Electronic, and Dream Pop and I still do.
What was the first album you remember owning?
The first album I had was called “Monologue” by Sungha Jung. It was released in 2014, I was about 16 years old and I immediately ordered it online. I remember really being happy about the fact that Sungha Jung’s autograph was in there lol.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
West Coast Love - Emotional Oranges.. 100%. That song really captivates the way that I wish to make music one day.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I always make sure that I’m in a clean environment. Cleaning up everything around me gives my own head some (creative) space as well. Usually, when I write on a beat, I export the beat in my DAW, divide it into sections, and write on each one. I start with humming until I find a cool melody and after that, I write the words! I also make sure that I schedule a “time block” into my day to do this. Nobody wants to write songs in a hurry!
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Alina Baraz, FKJ, Emotional Oranges, The Internet, Tom Misch, ZHU.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Alina Baraz, 100%. I think the way she creates melodies and combines dreamy electronic beats with r&b influences really fits my personal style. She is really smooth and a musician that I really look up to.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
I love the process of making new music. It gives me some sort of strength when I finish a song that I’m really proud of. I get so much happiness from creating new music. It’s really rewarding seeing a few of your releases already up there and knowing that there is still so much in the pipeline!
Another great thing about being a musician is when somebody tells you that you made their day or that you increased their mood and/or calmed their senses. The fact that somebody takes the time out of their day to listen to my music is one thing, but having an influence on that person’s day/mood in such a way is really rewarding!
And what is the most frustrating part?
I am an independent musician, so I do everything on my own. I’m my own manager, designer, planner, musician, scheduler, studio host, promotion service, I am everything. It can be a lot, but I’d rather be independent than signing to a major label. I love being in control of my own music, but sometimes it bothers me that many people see music as “a way of earning money” or as “a business tool”. Music = music. That’s all there is.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
That was the following: Always focus on your own journey and never compare yourself to anyone else. If you look at it statistically, every musician is a grain of sand in a desert. In other words, there are a lot of people who make music like you and are passionate like you. The only difference is that they aren’t you. And that is what makes you unique. So it’s not useful to compare yourself to others. It’s okay to get inspired by other people, but it’s best to not be hateful, judging, or jealous of them.
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Natasha Ghosh's new single 'Paradise' is available to stream now. Have a listen to it in the player below.