By Sorrel Hoskin

Natalia Scott is the gutsy woman who blagged her way into one of Britain's hippest, toughest dance scenes, taking on a male only music genre. Since then she's toured the world several times, put out her first album Lyric on my Lip and is well on the way to being New Zealand's next big international music star. So how did a little white girl from rural Taranaki end up blazin phat beats on stage in London?

From small beginnings

Rewind the clock and Natalia Scott is a dark haired diminutive girl with attitude, striding around in big gumboots helping out on her parent's dairy farm at Awatuna in  South Taranaki, learning classical piano, singing and writing poetry that she put to music.

"It was a very beautiful childhood, lots of things to do and explore, lots of moments to be imaginative and inspired," she types in an e-mail from London. "I have early musical memories of listening to my sister's tapes (stolen from her bedroom!)… dancing around the lounge at loud house parties my parents used to throw for all their friends…falling asleep against the speakers… singing louder than all the other kids at school choir…"

It was Natalia's music teacher Julie Cudby who influenced her early music talent. She took the young musician under her wing and really nurtured her talent. "She gave me confidence in my abilities."

Natalia listened to Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, artists that changed people's perceptions, people who were "poets on a different level, politics and inner angst were being explored and that to me was something new."

This is the girl who changed her name from Natalie to Natalia when she was a teenager.

"I did it becasue I wanted to create an identity for myself that was based on my own decisions. Natalie was a nice enough name ... but I always felt it should belong to someone else." Some of her mother's friends called the teenager Natalia as a pet name. "I preferred that instead ... to me it sounded more dramatic, more gutsy ... more me, the performer underneath trying to get out." So in her typical gutsy way she did something about it. When she was old enough Natalie became Natalia.

Hiphop was the catalyst that saw a change in the teenager's perception of music. "Instead of seeing music as just something fun that you could sing along to and dance to, I saw something that could be influential in people's day-to-day thinking, rap music especially, and the way people used it as a platform to be heard, raise issues and express themselves was a powerful thing and something I wanted to be part of."

The power of words

At home she developed her love of music, but it was at school that Natalia learnt the power of words, standing up to bullies by firing back with a clever line rather than fists. "Putting someone down with a smart retort was more powerful than using your fists and that was the best way to gain respect (although it didn't stop some boys trying to use their fists out of sheer embarrassment!)."

She went to Opunake High School before finishing her seventh form year at New Plymouth Girl's High School.

Music to touch the soul

After a stint studying at university in Wellington Natalia was accepted into the performing arts school in Christchurch in 1996. New mates introduced her to the Christchurch music scene. They went to genre raves, drum 'n' bass. One night she stayed at a rave until 4am. "The DJ dropped Krust's remix of Maintain, which is an amazing tune. It absolutely blew my mind and completely changed my attitude.

For the first time in my life I felt like I was listening to a genre of music that really touched me and really made me feel like I'd found somewhere I belonged," she reflects. The music suited her soft sugary vocals and tough, choppy lyrics.

"I guess Dn'B appeals to the rebel in me" It was one of many "moments" that the young woman was to experience in the coming years.

But it was actually an appearance playing acoustic music on the popular Showcase television series that gave Natalia the inspiration to pursue a musical career.

She was confused over what career path to take: dance, music or acting. "So I thought 'If I do well on showcase, I should take that as a push that I should go with the musical side of things.'" Earning a place in the finals clinched her career path.

Somehow the student found time in her busy schedule to team up with drum 'n' base promotions company Scientific, where she was resident MC, help run a drum 'n' bass radio show and bring international gigs to New Zealand.

"There were moments in my life when it felt so hectic and so fast-paced that the only music I could write was drum 'n' base tunes," she says. "It wasn't hard leaving New Zealand in the end, I'd broken up with my boyfriend and wanted to get away from the messiness of it all." She moved to Melbourne in 2001 and spent the next six months establishing herself in the scene.

Courage with a capital C

What happened next should be chiselled into the stones of music history.

In 2001 Natalia went to a gig by drum and bass legend Roni Size, managed to get ticket to the VIP area and mustered up the courage to approach the man himself.

"I can't remember 100 per cent what I said – but it was something along the lines of 'I think I've got what your label needs." Then she busted a rhyme to show her stuff.
"He was like, 'No way! No way! Whaat?! You need to go and get on the mic."
By the end of the evening she was up on stage with him, and had decided to move to England. Just like that.

Three months later she was in London, working as a teacher to make her way in her music career. But the scene did her head in. "People are just clambering over each other to get somewhere and it's really depressing." So when Roni said "Move to Bristol' she did, turning up on the drum 'n' bass king's doorstep with three notebooks of tunes. Roni invited her to join Full Cycle and move to Bristol permanently to be a fully fledged member.

First lady of D'n'B

The "little white chick" set about stomping her mark on the male dominated world of drum and bass – earning the "first lady" tag. But sexism hasn't been a big issue – even surrounded by guys. "I've never noticed it too deep because I have rolled with a crew from the start who are highly respected and who bigged me up a lot." The occasional green eyes of professional jealously have been the only problems she's had "people who can't handle that maybe I have better skills than them start saying silly things like 'oh it's only cause she's a girl and must have done this or this…'" 

But any girls thinking the trail-blazing Tali making it in the scene would open doors for them were in for a shock. "As soon as the door was opened to let me in it was shut as quickly behind me. Sad but true."

But for those who do want to follow in her footsteps the advice is "BE YOURSELF! Develop your own style and stick to it, be humble and learn your craft and have an open mind."

Lyric

Several world tours and an album later, Natalia had arrived.

She hit the studios and came up with Lyric on my lip, produced by Size and his Full Crew, earning the nicknamed One-Take Tali for her ability to freestyle straight onto record.

"The whole thing with the album was that I wanted to create a story, a journey that took me from being born on the west of the North Island to being here in England," says Natalia.

Natalia Scott - MC Tali. Photo: New Zealand Music Magazine.

The album starts with Blazin, which Natalia explains is an obvious introduction to her, "all the moments after that are like defining moments: leaving Christchurch, moving to Melbourne, falling in love, leaving Melbourne, coming back to Bristol, finding my feet, falling in love again… I really wanted to concentrate on the journey and illustrate that I'm a very unique person from an amazing, unique country on the other side of the world. I'm very proud to be from New Zealand, but I'm also not afraid to make my mark on another country."

Lyric received critical acclaim, and great reviews. "Tali's staunch attitude, nippy and tuneful delivery make her a fine cheerleader for the genre on the bulk of these mostly Size-produced tracks," wrote a reviewer for The New Zealand Herald.

But in New Zealand the album didn't take off. "I dunno why New Zealander's haven't caught on to my music. Maybe it's because I'm not making a generic sound that everyone understands. New Zealand needs to be kept up to date with everything I'm doing, and I need to be in their faces a lot more. I feel I haven't really had a chance out there."

Inspiration calls

To put together an album you need music, and Natalia has plenty of that.

"Inspiration is everywhere, passionate talented, driven people who know what they want and where they're going inspire me. Every day life, I like to see beauty in everything, from a homeless drunk on the street corner to a thunderous stormy sky."
Lyrics may appear in her head while she's on the train and she'll have to scribble them down… beats she likes… inspirational lyrics from hiphop… "Anything really, as long as it's not forced."

So what happens now?

Natalia has upped sticks and moved to London – something she said she'd never do. But it's part of what comes with progress - being closer to her management, agency, publisher, producers - and her new boyfriend.

Natalia relaxing at her parents home in Oakura in 2004. Photo: The Daily News

"I always felt being in Bristol would keep my feet on the ground, but you cannot stop progress." But it's definitely not all glitz and glamour. London is an expensive city to live in and a lot more hectic. "So it means being on top of things a lot more … no slacking in London!"

A new album is on the cards – more down tempo hiphop/soul and funk styles than drum and bass. The new genre allows Natalia to really express herself lyrically. "I grew up listening to hiphop and feel my crossover from hiphop/soul to D'n'B and back is a natural progression that will avoid me being pigeonholed. I've been able to express myself in a way that I think best represents me more than ever before."

Full Cycle, who produced Natalia's first album, has released her contract and she's searching for a record label to pick up this new project.

She's busy song writing and recording tunes for other artists, aiming for people like the Sugarbabes, Rachel Stevens and Jamelia. "I feel that ultimately that is where I want my future to head. I love performing but writing and recording is where I'm most comfortable and what I regard myself as being best at." And the talented teacher is also having a go at vocal producing, an in-studio job coaching singers.

For Natalia the future is huge. Back home in Oakura her parents Ian and Margaret Scott are immensely proud and supportive of their daughter.

"Life hasn't been that easy or smooth over the last three years but I always seem to come out on top because  I have good values and work hard at what I do. I've always strived to make my parents proud…  I love them very much even though they do drive me crazy sometimes!" 

Life has come a long way for the little girl from Awatuna. "I started out my career with a mixture of excitement and curiosity partly because I never knew where it would go or what would happen, I've achieved a lot of what I set out to, but trust me, I ain't done yet!"