Natural was an American

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...

that formed in 1999 and broke up in 2004 consisting of

Ben Bledsoe Benjamin Frederick Bledsoe (born May 11, 1982) is an American pop singer, formerly of the band Natural. He is currently an actor, voice actor, and solo singer living in Los Angeles, California. Early life and education Bledsoe was a child mode ...

Marc Terenzi Marc Eric Terenzi (born June 27, 1978) is an American pop singer and reality show participant. He was a member of the boy band Natural and was married to German pop/soul singer Sarah Connor from 2005 to 2008. They have a son named Tyler and a ...

, Michael 'J' Horn, Michael Johnson, and Patrick King. They were best known for their debut single and

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

" Put Your Arms Around Me". They were successful in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, releasing two albums and nine singles.

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

History

Formation

The original band was formed in 1999 when future members

and

met at a party. Terenzi and Bledsoe met future bandmates Patrick King and Michael Johnson at an industry party. The four got together and after subsequent members joined and left (at one point they had 6 or 7 members total), settled on fifth member Michael Horn who Bledsoe had found through his vocal coach. The five young men tried to get signed to record label on their own but ended up being turned down by most of the major labels. The originally worked with manager Veit Renn and recorded several songs. However the band eventually frustrated turned to

Lou Pearlman Louis Jay Pearlman (June 19, 1954 – August 19, 2016) was an American record producer. He was the person behind many successful 1990s boy bands, having formed and funded the Backstreet Boys. After their massive success, he then developed NSYNC. ...

, who had had success with some of the biggest boy bands in the world. Renn was not pleased with this and sued. The outcome of the case is unknown though the band did eventually stay with Pearlman. The band was signed under

Transcontinental Records Louis Jay Pearlman (June 19, 1954 – August 19, 2016) was an American record producer. He was the person behind many successful 1990s boy bands, having formed and funded the Backstreet Boys. After their massive success, he then developed NSYNC. ...

and released albums under that label in the U.S. and

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

abroad. Unlike most boy bands who are vocal groups, the members of Natural all played instruments. Renn claims he was the one who insisted they learn instruments, spending $75,000 on their training. However certain members such as Horn and Terenzi had been playing since childhood. Bledsoe played bass and was one of the lead vocals, Terenzi played

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

as well as being one of the lead vocals. Horn became J Horn, to avoid confusion. He played

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and was the final lead vocal (though in subsequent years as he withdrew from the band he was featured less), while Patrick King also played guitar, and Johnson played the

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

. The band realized that they could not promote themselves easily without having to bring their instruments with them everywhere they went, so they started performing

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

versions of their music. This method was successful as their first show at the

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

was completely sold out. Soon after, they kept building by Bledsoe learning how to

beat box Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

and do vocal bass lines with the band in the a cappella setting. Then, after realizing that both Johnson and King had extensive training in dance, the band added a few up tempo

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

style dance songs to their set. These were only seen on their tours, as it was a way to keep the show changing and more interesting. They would also switch instruments to allow one singer to have more front time for a specific song, such as "What If" and "Why it Hurts" where Terenzi would play bass and allow Bledsoe to take the front of the stage.

2000: Debut and U.S. attempt

In the summer of 2000, Pearlman hired

Steve Kipner Stephen Alan Kipner (born 1950) is an American-born Australian songwriter and record producer, with hits spanning a 40-year period, including chart-topping songs such as Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words", an ...

to write Natural's first single, " Put Your Arms Around Me". He also struck a deal with teenage accessories store

Claire's Claire's (formerly known as Claire's Boutiques, Claire's Boutique and Claire's Accessories) is an American retailer of accessories, jewelry, and toys primarily aimed toward tween and teen girls. It was founded in 1961 and is based in Hoffman E ...

. The store sold the single as an extra with a $12 or more purchase. A joint tour with

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

in conjunction with Claire's followed. However the single never actually charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single became No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Single Sales Chart yet that had little impact on the general public. Natural attempted promotions in the U.S. several times in the next few years, though sporadically. Such promotions included several interviews and features in POPstar Magazine, performing in the

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...

2001, performing medley tribute to the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...

as part of

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's 'Disco Ball' in 2003, and at one point a mall tour with

Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue (originally Saks & Company; Colloquialism, colloquially Saks) is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in New York City and founded by Andrew Saks. The original store opened in the F Street and ...

. Yet they still never charted or had successful radio play outside of

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

2001: German album debut and success

Pearlman decided to wait on the U.S. release and the band went back to Germany where their first album '' Keep It Natural'' was released. The album exploded onto the top of the charts in many territories across the world, and debuted at No. 2 in

. This was only the beginning. The band continued with 8 top 10 singles and multiple Number 1's. The tours grew from Club-sized venues to Arena Tours. The single and the album did quite well, and tours followed around Germany. The band also experienced success in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

as well as the

. These were the Asian countries where they had the most success, winning several awards (see awards section). The band began performing at

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

events in 2001. They sang at the launch of the Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'' at the start of its 16th flight. They also performed "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

" for the crew of the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' before it launched. They were planning to co-write a space-themed song with astronaut

William C. McCool William Cameron "Willie" McCool (September 23, 1961 – February 1, 2003) ( Cmdr, USN) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut, who was the pilot of Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' mission S ...

before his death in the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster.

2003: New direction and disagreements

The days of pop

s had long passed even in

, and the members were adamant about trying out their own new sound. With each of their poppier singles progressively dropping on the charts (for instance "Put Your Arms Around Me" reached No. 12, while the fourth single, "Runaway", only reached #40) the guys felt it was time to change. The style they wished to change to was a more mature, acoustic pop/rock with harmonies similar to the style of Lifehouse and The Calling. The band tried to release "Paradise" as a single, but Pearlman was hesitant about the new sound. Some form of a compromise was reached when Paradise was released as a radio-only single. Rumors of a planned US release followed, however (minus local

airplay in the summer of 2003) nothing ever became of it. For their next single, Pearlman initially tried to launch "Left 2 Right" on Radio Disney in the summer of 2004, 2 years after the release of '' Keep It Natural''. Instead, Pearlman gave in and made another compromise: the release of the guitar ballad "What If?". Unlike the rest of the songs on the album, however, "What If?" featured no writing credits from the band members. Again, talk of an American release occurred and actually did happen, but the single failed to chart. In Germany, it reached a little higher than "Runaway" by hitting No. 34. Feeling encouraged, their second album '' It's Only Natural'' went ahead as planned, with all songs but "What If?" written by at least one member of the band.

and

shared the most writing credits, while Patrick King and Michael 'J' Horn only participated in writing one song on the release. The vocal contributions of each member changed on this album as well. The verses on '' Keep It Natural'' mostly rotated through Marc, J, and Ben. The new album featured mainly either Ben Bledsoe or Marc Terenzi on the vocals, with the other one taking harmonies or a verse. Patrick only appeared in one song, and J didn't even have a solo, likely due to his desire to move on from the band. However, Michael's role had drastically changed, with him sharing harmonies and occasionally lead vocals (unlike the ''Keep It Natural'' era when he was only featured on a bonus track). For instance, on "Cabdriver", he shared lead vocal duties with Ben. An uptempo single in their new, rock-oriented sound was released, entitled "Let Me Just Fly". In Germany, this single charted higher than the previous two, reaching No. 23. With the renewed success of the band, a string of other singles, such as "Cabdriver", were planned for release; however, the band's breakup disrupted these ambitions.

2002–2003: Split

Rumors were rife with why the band was splitting. Marc Terenzi had met German pop star Sarah Connor in the summer of 2002 and against Pearlman's wishes had kept dating her. In June 2003 it was announced that Sarah Connor was pregnant and the couple was engaged. Pearlman didn't like this and wanted Terenzi replaced. Terenzi was a founding member, and the other members were not about to fall for it, so they decided to split – except for Patrick King.

Summer 2004: The end of the original

With the split of the original lineup imminent, the members quickly released a duet with Sarah Connor called "

Just One Last Dance "Just One Last Dance" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor from her third studio album, ''Key to My Soul'' (2003), featuring guest vocals by Connor's then-husband Marc Terenzi's former band, Natural. The song, written and produced ...

". It was more of a '

Marc Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...

and

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

' duet due to the fact his vocals were the only ones featured from the band. The single was wildly successful, becoming Natural's only No. 1 and Sarah's 3rd. The band announced they would go on a final tour in support of their album for the summer of 2004. However, Michael 'J' Horn had previous commitments and decided not to join. Mike Castonguay, the band's musical director and producer, replaced him for the tour. Before the split had been decided, "3 Miles" and "Cabdriver" (which only appeared on the Japanese release) had been planned as possible singles. A video was even shot for "Cabdriver" (with a 30s theme), though it was never released. The final single officially released was "Why It Hurts" (also a Japanese bonus track). The song had moderate success, and the band finished its tour thus ending the original Natural.

Aftermath in the name

In November 2004 it was announced that

was going to keep on with the 'Natural idea' at least in name. Instead of boy banding them he had original member Patrick King and four new members who now were going to be doing rock music instead of pop. This did not sit well with many fans of the original band. A year and a half passed, and the 'New Natural' had failed to even match the poor success of the later original Natural years. In early 2006 Pearlman's band renamed themselves "Well Worn Zero", and the name "Natural" was retired for the moment. However once "Well Worn Zero" was dropped by Transcon, Pearlman decided he wasn't done with the "Natural" name. In the July/August 2006 issue of ''Orlando Style'' magazine, the 2am girls made the following statement about Pearlman's bands quote: "...and some super cute members of the British boys who are new additions to the rock group, Natural." But nothing further developed with the band and, in early 2007, Pearlman was indicted on several fraud charges. Pearlman was convicted of creating a Ponzi scheme defrauding investors of $300 million and died in prison 2016 with Natural not reuniting during the remainder of his life.

Legacy

Original members' subsequent projects

started a solo career in 2005 and released his own indie solo CD ''Insomniac's Guide to a Lonely Heart'', for which he wrote much of the music and lyrics. He toured the US and Germany in support of it. He has also acted in several television shows and films. *

married Sarah Connor in March 2004 shortly after the birth of their son Tyler. The family starred in their own reality show ''

Sarah and Marc in Love ''Sarah & Marc in Love'' was a German reality show following German pop singer Sarah Connor and her American former boy band member husband Marc Terenzi as they tried to set up their wedding ceremony. Background Sarah Connor and Marc Terenzi ...

'' that summer, and shortly after he released his own CD ''Awesome'' which was again mostly written by himself. The singles "Heat Between the Sheets" and "Love to Be Loved by You" both did well on the German chart, reaching the top 10. In 2006, he became a father for the second time with the birth of his daughter Summer, but in 2008 Connor and Terenzi separated. Terenzi formed a new band ("Terenzi") and is preparing new material. * Michael 'J' Horn married his girlfriend Olivia, and both reside in Winter Park,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Horn currently teaches music, and is still acting and musically directing several plays in the Orlando area. * Patrick King was last known to still be in the 2nd version of Natural. In 2006 after a year and a half keeping the name "Natural" the band finally renamed itself "Well Worn Zero". In April 2006 they were dropped by

. Last news was they would be going 'indie'; however that idea seems to have been dropped and the group has disbanded. King is currently pursuing acting in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He had a small role in the movie '' It's Complicated''. * Michael Johnson teamed up with former Natural producer Mike Castonguay and created a punk blues band called Lukewarm Freeda. He also plays with other acts such as In For The Kill, Lover's Revolt, Jake Coco, Capra and New Beat Fund in the Los Angeles area.

In popular culture

* Three members of Natural provided voices for the 2001 ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' episode, "

New Kids on the Blecch "New Kids on the Blecch" is the fourteenth episode of the twelfth season of the American television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 25, 2001. In the episode, a music producer selects ...

for

Ralph Wiggum Ralph Wiggum is a recurring character on the animated series, ''The Simpsons.'' He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Ralph, The son of Police Chief Wiggum, is a classmate of Lisa Simpson and is noted for his frequent non-sequiturs and humorous beh ...

for

Nelson Muntz Nelson Mandela Muntz is a fictional character and the lead school bully from the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', where he is best known for his signature mocking laugh "Ha-ha!". He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Nelson was first intro ...

and Michael 'J' Horn for

Milhouse Van Houten Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at ...

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Track listings

The following singles do not have individual pages. * Will It Ever # "Will It Ever" # "Will It Ever" (old school mix) # "Will It Ever" (club mix) # "Will It Ever" (instrumental version) # "Blue" * Runaway # "Runaway" # "Runaway" (live video version) # "Runaway" (instrumental version) # "Still Gotta Live With Myself" * Paradise CD1 # "Paradise" # "Let Me Count The Ways" (acoustic version) CD2 # "Paradise" # "I'll Be Back For More" # "Paradise" (video) * What If # "What If" (Eric Nova radio mix) # "What If" (radio edit) # "What If" (acoustic version) * Let Me Just Fly # "Let Me Just Fly" (original) # "3 Miles" # "Let Me Just Fly" (acoustic live version) # "Let Me Just Fly" (video) * Just One Last Dance # "Just One Last Dance" (radio edit) # "Just One Last Dance" (college radio version) # "Just One Last Dance" (Kaybor dance mix) # "Just One Last Dance" (video version) # "Work It Right (Tonight)" # "Just One Last Dance" (video) * Why It Hurts # "Why It Hurts" # "Cabdriver" # "Why It Hurts" (video)

Awards

* MTV Asia "Artist of the Month" * German Silver Otto Award * 2002 MTV Philippines Debut Artist of the Year * Popcorn Magazine's "Artist of the Year" award

References

External links

Archived Transcontinental Page
* Allmusic entry
Ben Bledsoe's Official Website

Marc Terenzi's Official Website
(in German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Natural American boy bands Musical groups from Orlando, Florida American pop music groups Vocal quintets Sony BMG artists