's passion for music was nurtured from a young age by her involvement in theater, gospel music, creative writing and local session work as a vocalist and writer. Upon deciding to pursue a professional music career, she moved to California and was selected to sing with internationally acclaimed Gospel recording artist Ron Kenoly during his "Welcome Home" tour in 1996. She toured around the USA and upon returning to California, Natalie studied with world-renowned vocal instructors Seth Riggs (Stevie Wonder, Tevin Campbell, Deborah Cox) and Dave Stroud (Terry Ellis of En Vogue, Rosie Gaines). " was enthusiastically welcomed by fans and industry personnel alike. She painted an interesting tapestry of sound on an album that included carefree, upbeat tracks, mid-tempo chillout songs and sweet soulful ballads. ", a 10 song Cool R&B/Pop influenced collection of Holiday favorites. The album included the beloved "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", the soaring chime of "Silver Bells" and the quietly understated "I'll Be Home For Christmas". Natalie pulled Ray Charles' "Christmas Time" out of the archives and gave it a light, airy spin that served the tune well. Up-tempo numbers included a Swing infused "Let It Snow" and a contemporary pairing of "Winter Wonderland" and "Sleigh Ride". A mellow-groove rendition of "Give Love on Christmas Day" rounded out the sure-to-please Holiday offering. ' and '' were made available on Natalie's official site. The songs garnered tremendous attention and In July 2004, 'Queen of Me' was released by Avex, Inc. Japan on the "Soul Essentials 7" series with songs by Rahsaan Patterson, Earth, Wind & Fire and others. ". The album features a selection of songs with varying themes (Natalie's Random Thoughts) that range from the inspiring "Hold Your Head Up High", the girl power anthem "Queen of Me" and the uplifting "It's A Beautiful Day", to the thought provoking "What's Going on Next Door?", the unity rallying call of "Come Closer", the sultry "How I Love 2 Love U", the soulful "You're Mysterious" and signature love ballad "I Knew You Were The One", and more. and accross the globe. A partial listing of domestic placements can be found . ( 2008 ) ( 2000 )