Ultra Naté (born March 20, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ, and promoter who has achieved success on the pop charts with songs such as " Free", " If You Could Read My Mind" (as part of Stars on 54), and "Automatic". Virtually all of her singles have reached the Top 10 of the US

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart. These singles include "Show Me", "Free", "Desire", "Get It Up (the Feeling)", " Love's the Only Drug", and her number-one hits "

Automatic Automatic may refer to: Music Bands * Automatic (Australian band), Australian rock band * Automatic (American band), American rock band * The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band Albums * ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 el ...

", " Give It All You Got" featuring Chris Willis, "Waiting On You", and "Everybody Loves the Night". In December 2016, ''

Billboard magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

'' ranked her as the 12th most successful dance artist of all time.

Biography

Early life

Born in

Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland, United States. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre ...

, United States, Naté displayed her singing talent at an early age. Growing up, she enjoyed a wide variety of music and listened to artists such as

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

and

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...

, who Naté later said helped her become more open to being experimental with her style and music production. She is best known for her 1990s dance crossover track, "Free." The 1998 cover of

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters, ...

's "If You Could Read My Mind," with

Amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

and Jocelyn Enriquez as Stars on 54, was a minor mainstream American hit. It reached #52 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and #3 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Although she has had club success in the United States, she has found the majority of her singles and, especially, album sales success in Europe.

Career

Ultra Naté began her recording career on a major label,

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

, signed through its British offices. Through it, she released her first two albums. Her debut album, '' Blue Notes in the Basement'' (1991), was created along with the Basement Boys, and it featured the singles "It's Over Now", "Deeper Love (Missing You)", "Is It Love", and the gospel-tinged "Rejoicing". In 1993, the

alternative dance Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the United States) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained worldwide exposure ...

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

album '' One Woman's Insanity'' was released. Although it still featured the Basement Boys' production on several tracks, this time Ultra worked with

Nellee Hooper Paul Andrew "Nellee" Hooper (born 15 March 1963) is a British record producer, remixer and songwriter known for his work with many major recording artists beginning in the late 1980s. He also debuted as a motion picture music composer with Scot ...

and

D-Influence D'Influence (also D-Influence and D*Influence) is a British production team and acid jazz band. Formerly of The Echo Label, they founded their own label, Freakstreet Records. Original members include Kwame Kwaten, Sarah-Ann Webb, Ed Baden-Powell ...

. At a time when soulful

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

performers such as

Robin S Robin Jackson Maynard (''née'' Stone; born April 27, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1992 debut single " Show Me Love", which peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as its follow-up, " ...

and

Crystal Waters Crystal Waters (born November 19, 1961) is an American house music, house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits "Gypsy Woman (Crystal Waters song), Gypsy Woman", "100% Pure Love", and 2007's "Destination Cal ...

were scoring crossover Top Ten pop singles, it was believed that Ultra Naté would achieve a similar level of commercial success. However, mainstream sales were not realized, even though "Show Me" received moderate mainstream pop radio airplay. Singles included "How Long", "Show Me" (her first song to reach the top position on the US Dance charts), and "Joy". However, neither release sold well, and she was dropped from the label. In 1995, Ultra Naté contributed the song "Party Girl (Turn Me Loose)" to the soundtrack of the independent film '' Party Girl'' starring Parker Posey. The single was commercially released by the King Street Sounds label. When Warner Bros. attempted to push her in another direction, Ultra Naté left the major label and moved to the independent dance label Strictly Rhythm. It was here that "Free", her biggest mainstream hit, was released in 1997. The song, co-written by Naté, Lem Springsteen, and John Ciafone, with production by both Springsteen and Ciafone, enjoyed heavy airplay throughout the summer, not only in clubs but also on rhythmic and mainstream radio stations in America and Europe. "Free" peaked at number 75 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It became a substantial hit in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, helping its parent album ''Situation: Critical'' reach number seventeen on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. It was also successful in Canada, where it peaked at number ten on the

Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian music charts are a collection of record charts reflecting the music consumption of people in Canada. '' RPM'' and '' Billboard'' are the biggest publications to have published Canada's official charts for decades. However, the first ...

. It was with this album that Ultra Naté achieved her greatest commercial success, particularly in Europe, where singles such as "Found a Cure" (No. 6 in the UK) and "New Kind of Medicine" (No. 14 in the UK) also charted. In 1998, a new single, "Pressure," was released internationally. Taken from the soundtrack to the film ''The 24 Hour Woman'', it contained three club mixes. The original version of the track was found on ''Situation: Critical'', but listed as "Release the Pressure." Her follow-up album '' Stranger Than Fiction'', released in 2001, featured the production work of artists such as Attica Blues,

4 Hero 4hero (sometimes referred to as 4 Hero or 4-Hero) are an electronic music group from Dollis Hill, London, comprising producers Mark "Marc Mac" Clair & Denis "Dego" McFarlane. 4hero are known for being pioneers of breakbeat hardcore, Jungle musi ...

, and Mood II Swing. Four singles were released: "Desire," "Get It Up (The Feeling)," "Twisted," and "I Don't Understand It." Naté contributed the song "Wonderful Place" to the AIDS benefit compilation ''Keep Hope Alive: A Lifebeat Benefit Compilation''. Additionally, in 2004, she released the singles "Feel Love," "Brass in Pocket," "Time of Our Lives" (released as "Ultra Devoted featuring Ultra Naté and Gerry DeVeaux"), and a new version of "Free" that featured twelve new mixes. In 2005, she collaborated with Gaudino and released the single "Bitter Sweet Melody." Later that year, she appeared again on the charts when her featured vocals on the StoneBridge single " Freak On" became a successful dance hit. She also performed on the British show '' Hit Me Baby One More Time''. Having become a mother for the first time in the fall of 2005, Naté released her fifth album '' Grime, Silk, & Thunder'' on her newly created imprint Blufire in partnership with

Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...

. The first single released was " Love's the Only Drug", which became available through the US iTunes Store on August 8, 2006, and reached number two on the American

chart, also making the Top 30 on the

Hot Dance Airplay Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance musi ...

chart. The second single, "

" (a cover version of the Pointer Sisters hit), reached number one on the US

chart (the week ending April 28, 2007). It also received airplay on Rhythmic/Dance radio, where it reached the Top 30 on most playlists in this format. Following "Automatic," Ultra released " Give It All You Got," featuring Chris Willis, in December 2007. The song hit No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Music/Club Play charts the week ending February 23, 2008. In mid-2009, it was announced that US singer

Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to: * Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar * Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child * Michelle Williams (actr ...

, previously of

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...

, had collaborated on a song with Ultra called "I'm Waiting On You," for use on both of their next studio albums. In 2010, Ultra released a Bob Sinclar remix of her hit "Free" on Strictly Rhythm. She also collaborated with Quentin Harris on "Give It 2 U" for his album ''Sacrifice''. Additionally, she released "Destination" in collaboration with Tony Moran, which peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Dance Play chart. "Destination" was the second single off Tony's album, ''Mix Magic Music''. In 2010, she released an EP titled ''Things Happen At Night,'' featuring Ultra's pop and soul melodies and vocals over percussive club beats by Unruly Productions. In January 2011, Ultra's next single, " Turn It Up," was released with a music video directed by Leo Herrera. "Turn It Up" was the first single from her sixth studio album, ''Hero Worship.'' In September 2011, she submitted the song "My Love" to represent

Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 Switzerland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Unbreakable" written by Gabriel Broggini and Ivan Broggini. The song was performed by the duo Sinplus. The Swiss entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan was se ...

, to be held in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

. However, although it was close, the song failed to reach the final. In 2013, she held a residency at Café Olé at Space, Ibiza. Her spirited presence has graced the stages of New York's massive Summer Stage in Central Park, Nile Rodgers' acclaimed FOLD Festival, where she shared the stage with CHIC, Duran Duran, Pharrell, and Beck, as well as Lincoln Center's annual Midnight Summer Swing and numerous Pride events around the world. Ultra's 2017 album collaboration, ''Ultra Naté & Quentin Harris as Black Stereo Faith,'' reached the iTunes Top 10 upon release.

Awards and nominations

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - ! scope="col" , Award ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Category ! scope="col" , Nominee(s) ! scope="col" , Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable", , - ! scope="row" rowspan=3,

Billboard Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...

, 1997 , rowspan=2, Top Hot Dance Club Play Single , " Free" , , , - , rowspan=2, 1998 , " Found a Cure" , , rowspan=2, , - , Top Hot Dance Club Play Artist , Herself , , - ! scope="row" rowspan=5, International Dance Music Awards , rowspan=3, 1998 , Best Dance Solo Artist , Herself , , rowspan=3, , - , Best House/Garage 12" , rowspan=2, " Free" , , - , Best Pop 12" Dance Record , , - , 2008 , Best Dance Solo Artist , Herself , , , - , 2011 , Best House/Garage Dance Track , "Give It 2 U" , , , - !scope="row", Music Week Awards , 2023 , Music & Brand Partnership , Becky Hill x Stefflon Don x Ultra Naté x Pepsi MAX – UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Final Show , ,

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

* '' Blue Notes in the Basement'' (1991) * '' One Woman's Insanity'' (1993) * '' Situation: Critical'' (1998) * '' Stranger Than Fiction'' (2001) * '' Grime, Silk, & Thunder'' (2007) * ''Hero Worship'' (2013) * ''Black Stereo Faith'' (2017) * ''Ultra'' (2022) * ''Every Emotion'' (2024)

Compilation albums

*'' The Best Remixes, Vol. 1'' (1997) *'' Best Remixes, Vol. 2'' (1999) *''Alchemy - G.S.T. Reloaded'' (2008)

Extended plays

*''Things Happen at Night'' (2010)

Singles

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" , - ! rowspan="2", Year ! rowspan="2" style="width:300px;", Title ! colspan="5", Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2", Certifications
( sales thresholds) ! rowspan="2", Album , - style="width:4em;font-size:85%;" ! style="width:30px;", US ! style="width:30px;", US Dance ! style="width:30px;", AUS
Peaks in Australia: * "Free" and "If You Could Read My Mind": * "Freak On" and "Time of Our Lives": N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. ! style="width:30px;", CAN ! style="width:30px;", UK
, - , 1989 , align="left", "It's Over Now" , — , — , — , — , 62 , , rowspan="3", '' Blue Notes in the Basement'' , - , 1991 , align="left", "Is It Love?" , — , 45 , — , — , 71 , , - , 1992 , align="left", "Rejoicing (I'll Never Forget)" , — , 7 , — , — , — , , - , 1993 , align="left", "Joy" , — , 2 , — , — , 77 , , rowspan="3", '' One Woman's Insanity'' , - , rowspan="2", 1994 , align="left", "Show Me" , — , 1 , — , — , 62 , , - , align="left", "How Long" , — , 2 , — , — , — , , - , 1997 , align="left", " Free" , 75 , 1 , 31 , 10 , 4 , * BPI: Platinum , rowspan="5", '' Situation: Critical'' , - , rowspan="5", 1998 , align="left", "Free (Remix)" , — , — , — , — , 33 , , - , align="left", " Found a Cure" , — , 1 , 127 , — , 6 , , - , align="left", " New Kind of Medicine" , — , 28 , — , — , 14 , , - , align="left", "Release the Pressure" , — , 3 , — , — , — , , - , align="left", " If You Could Read My Mind"
(Stars on 54: Ultra Naté,

, Jocelyn Enriquez) , 52 , 3 , 3 , 7 , 23 , *

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

: Gold , '' 54 soundtrack'' , - , 2000 , align="left", "Desire" , — , 1 , — , — , 40 , , rowspan="4", '' Stranger Than Fiction'' , - , 2001 , align="left", "Get It Up (The Feeling)" , — , 1 , — , — , 51 , , - , rowspan="2", 2002 , align="left", "I Don't Understand It" , — , 25 , — , — , — , , - , align="left", "Twisted" , — , — , — , — , — , , - , 2003 , align="left", "

Brass in Pocket "Brass in Pocket", also known as "Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)", is a song by English rock band the Pretenders, released in 1979 as the third single from their self-titled debut album. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scot ...

" , — , 8 , — , — , — , , Non-album single , - , 2004 , align="left", "Free" (Remixes)
(Oscar G, Brick City, Corbett & Troia remix) , — , 22 , — , — , — , , ''Free (Remixes)'' , - , style="text-align:center;", 2005 , align="left", " Freak On"
(Ultra Naté vs Stonebridge) , — , — , — , — , 37 , , rowspan="4", '' Grime, Silk, & Thunder'' , - , 2006 , align="left", " Love's the Only Drug" , — , 2 , — , — , — , , - , rowspan="2", 2007 , align="left", "

" , — , 1 , — , — , — , , - , align="left", " Give It All You Got"
(with

Chris Willis Christopher Kevin Willis (born February 26, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Although initially a gospel music, gospel singer, he later received international attention for his collaborations with French house music ...

) , — , 1 , — , — , — , , - , 2008 , align="left", "Twisted (Got Me Goin' Round)" , — , 3 , — , — , — , , ''GST: Grime Silk & Thunder Reloaded'' , - , rowspan="2", 2009 , align="left", "Faster Faster Pussycat (Let’s Go!)" , — , — , — , — , — , , rowspan="2", ''Things Happen at Night'' , - , align="left", "Hey DJ" , — , — , — , — , — , , - , rowspan="3", 2011 , align="left", " Turn It Up" , — , 4 , — , — , — , , rowspan="5", ''Hero Worship'' , - , align="left", "My Love" , — , — , — , — , — , , - , align="left", " Waiting on You"
(with

) , — , 11 , — , — , — , , - , 2013 , align="left", "Everybody Loves the Night" , — , 29 , — , — , — , , - , rowspan="2", 2014 , align="left", "Unconditional" , — , 2 , — , — , — , , - , align="left", "So Glamorous"
(with Samuele Sartini) , — , — , — , — , — , , rowspan="3", Non-album singles , - , 2015 , align="left", "Take Care of My Heart"
(with Eddie Amador) , — , 21 , — , — , — , , - , 2016 , align="left", "Alive" , — , — , — , — , — , , - , 2017 , align="left", "I'm Too Sexy (Touch This Skin)" , — , 7 , — , — , — , , ''Black Stereo Faith'' , - , 2017 , align="left", "Fake"
(S-Man & Ultra Naté) , — , — , — , — , — , , Non-album single

As featured artist

{, class="wikitable" , - ! rowspan="2", Year ! rowspan="2" style="width:300px;", Single ! colspan="3", Peak chart positions , - style="width:4em;font-size:85%;" ! style="text-align:center; width:30px;", US Dance ! style="text-align:center; width:30px;", AUS
! style="text-align:center; width:30px;", UK
, - , style="text-align:center;", 1992 , align="left", "Altitude"
(777 featuring Ultra Naté) , style="text-align:center;", 44 , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2", 1995 , align="left", "Party Girl (Turn Me Loose)" , style="text-align:center;", 6 , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left", "10,000 Screaming Faggots"
(The Moonwalkers feat. Ultra Naté) , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:center;", 1997 , align="left", "Partay Feeling"
( B-Crew featuring

Barbara Tucker Barbara Tucker (born March 19, 1967), is an American house and soul singer, songwriter and choreographer born in Brooklyn, New York, US. Tucker had six No. 1 hits on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the 1990s and into the 2000s, and severa ...

, Dajae, Ultra Naté and Moné) , style="text-align:center;", 22 , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", 45 , - , style="text-align:center;", 2004 , align="left", "Time of Our Lives"
(Ultra Devoted) , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", 59 , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2", 2005 , align="left", "Bittersweet Melody"
( Gaudino feat. Ultra Naté) , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left", "Wonderful Place"
( U.D.A.U.F.L.) , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2", 2010 , align="left", "No Wasted Hearts"
(Nicola Fasano feat. Ultra Naté) , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left", "Destination"
( Tony Moran feat. Ultra Naté) , style="text-align:center;", 10 , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , 2018 , "Feeling Mighty"
(David Harness, Ultra Naté) , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", —

References

External links

Ultra Naté
— official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Nate, Ultra 1968 births Living people People from Havre de Grace, Maryland African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters American garage house musicians American house musicians American contemporary R&B singers Warner Records artists Tommy Boy Records artists AM PM Records artists American dance musicians Singer-songwriters from Maryland Deep house musicians American women in electronic music 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers