The Prototype: Young Nate

A busy man he is! Young Nate, The protégé of Sound Bwoy Productions. From show to show, making appearances at exhibitions where people model and buy suits for £18,000! “That’s a madness” Don’t be fooled by his age, he plays like a general in this game!

For the people that don’t know... I have to ask, just who is Young Nate?

Young Nate is R&B’s last ambassador! When I say that, I mean I know I have the passion and the heart for it. With everything that’s going on in media and music at the moment, I can see that R&B has become very mainstream, whereas on a UK, it was very underground. It’s all about passion, the way you carry yourself, the way you deliver and lyrical content, all about expressing myself to the fullest in my genre.

R&B is his established genre, but I had to question him about his gospel track and on his most influential begining...

I would say that Church is where I coincidently discovered I could sing! Seriously, I was 5 years old!

He jokes as he reminisces on his journey...You know when you’re little and they get you to sing in the church choir and stuff! The lead girl was ill one day, and we were only gonna do part of the song, but I just decided to sing it anyway! My notes were on point- it was then I decided to sing! My pastor always said to me, 'if you’re gonna do something, don’t do it half heartedly'. It’s a passion, I won’t ever lose my voice because, it’s my voice. I remember once, ha! I was really shy around girl, and I wouldn’t talk to them, but sing to them, it’s like an emotion, it was so much easier!

From then, how did you work on trying to establish yourself as an up and coming artist?

All I know is, when you work hard, you get a lot of luck. I was fifteen years old when SoundBwoy saw me in Jazz Cafe, I was singing everywhere! Rather than hanging out with my friends, I was singing, that was my calling; I went from singing in Jazz Cafes to recording with SoundBwoy entertainment, and touring all over the UK....

And he hooked you up with Snakey Man as well?
Yup, Snakey Man sent over his track 'Baby' when it was 75% complete because he wanted a vocalist on the chorus. It was a choice between what I had written or what he had done previously, thankfully he chose my version!

Talking of Snakey Man, Arnold Oceng; as well as an artist, he is also an up and coming actor, from Grange Hill to Casualty, are you also trying to establish yourself in another field?

Media has done so much, you know! I think that now it is easier to sell music now, than it was forty years ago. Music is not enough, business interests me, politics interest me, but acting??? I don’t think so!!! But...corporate side definitely, I think that as an artist you have to have more to you than just music!

On the subject of music, I’m gonna flip this question up a bit! Hearing your music, I know if I was to ask you about your influences, you would probably say Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson etc, but nationwide, even though they may be your main competitors, who is your inspiration?

Definitely Craig David as an influence because he had his own take on British R&B. A lot of people came in before him, but it sounded very American, he came , made it his own. As competition, I don’t really see anybody on the R&B level in the UK, I wanna get to Lemar'slevel, but at the same time, I wanna do my thing and be unique. I wanna work with Estellebecause she’s unique! Her swagger is incomparable; she’s bringing freshness to the scene. Her music goes hand in hand with her style in integrity. I would want to work withKaiserchiefs! I have an eclectic taste so I’m all for people who push boundaries likeColdplay and Bob Marley!

What artist have you seen live that you were really impressed with?

Good question!!! Does TV count haha?! I saw Taio Cruiz perform and I think his lyrical content is amazing, he is under rated!But if it was your show, what would you do to push the boundaries?It would be my energy and my passion that would do it. I feel that passion can take you the whole way you and ambition only gets you half way there. Passion will take over the show. With my passion, I can’t afford to flop when people out their time and effort in me! I’m gonna go harder than everyone else! Passion is what I write with.
But you wrote Mixed Messages when you were twelve... what do you know about mixed messages at twelve?
Ha ha, I was an over emotional child! I met this girl and she asked me to pick her up from school and walk her to the bus stop, but the day came and she didn’t come! I was like “I just don’t seem to get it right”, you know! Then I found out she had detention, so it was ok, but I took it hard! I wrote I Wonder about a girl as well...and she still doesn’t know! I think Ne yo is the best songwriter out there at the moment and that Usher is the better singer.

Finally, what’s next on the cards for Young Nate?

My official EP! Coming out in the summer , and my album, THE ONE at the end of the year, working on some collaborations that I’m not gonna let out the bag just yet, but I’m gonna surprise you if I haven’t already! Oh, and supporting Marques Huston at the 02! When these foreign guys come over, I’m gonna show them how the UK does it on our own ground, I can’t flop!

You know Marques Huston will bring out the break dancing, you gonna serve him as well?
Dance? Ha ha, the shirts coming off, it’s WAR! My gym instructor and I are going hard, six pack, eight, ten!! Bring it on!!

© Simone Byer, 2009