Natalie Damjanovich-Napoleon (born 3 August 1972), known professionally as Natalie D-Napoleon, is an Australian/American singer-songwriter, poet, and writer of creative non-fiction from

Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

. Through fronting the Perth-based ensemble Flavour of the Month, she was a forerunner in the emergence of

alternative country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...

music within Australia and was the winner of the 2018

Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize The Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize is an annual poetry prize endowed by Australian poet Bruce Dawe in 1999.The Posies from their album ''

Frosting on the Beater ''Frosting on the Beater'' is the third album by American rock band The Posies, released in 1993. It featured a darker sound than the band's prior works, in part due to production duties being handled by Don Fleming. "Dream All Day", "Solar Siste ...

''. Flavour of the Month subsequently supported Ken Stringfellow of The Posies on one of his first solo tours of Australia. The band toured nationally in Australia as well undertaking tours of the United States and Europe. During this period D-Napoleon also contributed backing vocals to several independent recordings including ''Road to Rome'' by DM3, which was one of the first solo albums by

Dom Mariani Domenic Desio Mariani (born 27 July 1958) is an Australian guitarist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter. Mariani has been a member of several bands since the early 1980s, including The Stems, The Someloves, DM3, Datura, The Majestic Kelp and ...

after the hibernation of The Stems, and former Stonemason's frontman, Joe Algeri's, solo debut ''Everything Under The Sun'', along with singing with alternative-country band, The Jayco Brothers, on their release ''Asbestos Fibro''. After the demise of Flavour in the Month in 2005, D-Napoleon started performing solo and in November 2007 released her debut solo recording, a five-track EP titled "After The Flood". In 2009, D-Napoleon undertook two further solo recording. In April 2009 she collaborated with Santa Barbara-based musician and producer Jesse Rhodes on a six-track EP of cover versions. Titled ''Here in California'' the release features three songs from Australian composers and three songs from Americans. The recording features the collective talents of D-Napoleon, Rhodes, Kenny Edwards, Dan Phillips, Phil Parlapiano, and Sally Barr. In May 2009, D-Napoleon started work on her debut solo album. Partly funded by a Western Australia

Department of Culture and the Arts The Department of Culture and the Arts was part of the Government of Western Australia. Preceding authorities The earlier governmental agencies or authorities concerning the arts were advisory boards or councils; it was not until 1986 that the ...

Music Production Grant, the album was recorded at Sound Design Studios in Santa Barbara and produced by

David Piltch David Piltch (born January 29, 1960) is a Canadian bassist and session musician. Biography Piltch grew up in an artistic family. His father Bernie Piltch was a noted studio and stage saxophonist, clarinetist and flutist in Toronto from the ...

. The recording features the collective talents of Kenny Edwards, Dan Phillips,

Aaron Sterling Aaron Sterling (born July 9, 1980) is an American drummer, producer, engineer, and session musician who lives in Los Angeles. The son of professional musicians, Sterling grew up in Texas and Nashville, Tennessee, before moving to L.A. in 2000. K ...

, Greg Leisz, Victoria Williams, Phil Parlapiano, Jesse Rhodes, and Melanie Robinson. D-Napoleon Live

Prior to returning permanently to Australia in 2019, D-Napoleon recorded a new album of material titled ''You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea.'' Produced by James Connolly and featuring Dan Phillips and

Doug Pettibone Doug Pettibone (born in Los Angeles, California) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and studio musician. Career Doug Pettibone started to play the guitar at the age of eight. His first teacher was Andy Summers, formerly of The Police ...

, the album was recorded with a single microphone in a historic chapel nestled in the hills behind Santa Barbara. ''You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea'' was released in Australia on October 1, 2020 and debuted on the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) 100% Independent Chart at No. 5 for the week beginning October 6 and reached No. 1 on November 16. In the live arena, D-Napoleon has performed in a number of different solo configurations. She formed a Santa Barbara-based trio with Dan Phillips on piano and percussion and Kenny Edwards on electric guitar and mandolin in 2007, pairing back to duo with Phillips after Edwards' passing in 2010. In 2014 D-Napoleon expanded the ensemble to a four-piece with the addition of James Connolly on bass and David Cowan on guitar with

taking over on electric guitar and mandolin in 2019. In Australia D-Napoleon originally performed as a trio with Richard Lane on guitar and Cathi Olivieri on viola and recruited established bands, such as The Justin Walshe Folk Machine, to back her on tour. Since returning to Australia in 2019 D-Napoleon has performed as a trio with Olivieri on viola and piano and Michael Lane on banjo and mandolin, a quartet with the addition on Ben Franz on upright bass and pedal steel, and a full band with Dave Brewer on electric guitar and Andy Pearson on drums and percussion.

Writing and poetry

Having had poetry and creative non-fiction work published in journals such as ''Westerly'', '' Meanjin'', '' Southerly'', and ''

Australian Poetry Journal Australian literature is the written or literary work produced in the area or by the people of the Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding colonies. During its early Western history, Australia was a collection of British colonies; as such, ...

'', D-Napoleon was a finalist for the

Penelope Niven Creative Nonfiction Award The Center for Women Writers is a literary arts organization based at Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Center for Women Writers was established in 1996, which coincided with the 225th anniversary of the opening of Salem Academy & ...

in the 2018 and 2017 International Literary Awards through the

Salem College Center for Women Writers The Center for Women Writers is a literary arts organization based at Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Center for Women Writers was established in 1996, which coincided with the 225th anniversary of the opening of Salem Academy & ...

. In 2018 D-Napoleon was awarded the

Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize The Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize is an annual poetry prize endowed by Australian poet Bruce Dawe in 1999.Ginninderra Press Ginninderra Press is an Australian independent publisher. Founded in 1996 in Canberra by Stephen Matthews , it takes its name from an Aboriginal word meaning "throwing out little rays of light" and from its original location in the Australian ...

. The book includes a collection of poems-as-memoir that challenge the preconceptions of girlhood. In her review of the book for Westerly Magazine, Amy Lim said, "D-Napoleon tugs at these constructs with a gentle irony—never bitter, but approximating criticism with a grace that only poetry can achieve." In 2019 D-Napoleon was the International Guest Poet at the 2019 Perth Poetry Festival and won the 2019 Katharine Susannah Prichard Poetry Award for her poem, "If There is a Butterfly That Drinks Tears."

Personal life

Resides in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

and

Discography

Albums

*''

Leaving Me Dry ''Leaving Me Dry'' is the debut solo album by American/Australian singer/songwriter Natalie D-Napoleon. The album was recorded in Santa Barbara, California in 2009 and produced by David Piltch. It was released in Australia, North America, and Europ ...

'' (2012) *'' You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea'' (2020)

EPs

*''After The Flood'' (2007) *''Here in California'' (2009)

Singles

*''Thunder Rumor'' (2020) *''Wildflowers'' (2021) *''You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea'' (2021) *''Gasoline & Liquor'' (2021) *''Mother of Exiles'' (2021)

As Bloom

*''The Cable Thing'' (1997)

As Flavour of the Month

*''Fear of Falling'' (2000)

Compilations

*''Kiss My WAMI'', "Daisygrinding", WAM (2001) *''Zipped Up and Down Under'', "Daisygrinding", Zip Records (2001) *''Pop On Top'', "Sweetness Melting", Zip Records, (2002) *''Dead Fox Compilation'', "Slow Burn", Hooked Up Records (2008) *''HomeGrown Roots 3'', "Slow Burn", Foghorn Records (2008) *''HomeGrown Roots 4'', " To Her Door", Foghorn Records (2008) *''Sounds Like Cafe'', " To Her Door", Foghorn Records (2009) *''Under the Covers'', "

You Shook Me All Night Long "You Shook Me All Night Long" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, from the album ''Back in Black''. The song also reappeared on their later album ''Who Made Who''. It is AC/DC's first single with Brian Johnson as the lead singer, rep ...

", ABC Music (2011)

Other recorded appearances

* ''Everything Under the Sun'' by Joe Algeri (1994) *''Road to Rome'' by DM3 (1996) *''Asbestos Fibro'' by The Jayco Brothers (2007)

References

External links

Natalie D-Napoleon Official WebsiteInterview from X-Press MagazineInterview from Ventura County Star
{{DEFAULTSORT:D-Napoleon, Natalie 1972 births Living people Australian women singer-songwriters Australian singer-songwriters Australian folk singers Folk artists People from Fremantle 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers Australian people of Croatian descent