Meet Natalie Jane, the Labrinth-influenced alt-pop singer taking over social media
You might be asking, “Who the fuck is Ava?” But we’re more interested in learning about the powerhouse singer behind the popular TikTok sound.
Launching her career while still in highschool, 18-year old Natalie Jane’s artistic endeavors go so much deeper than the 14-second clip of her song, “Ava.” Jane is joining the ranks of other up-and-coming alternative pop singers through social media fame, specifically with her audience on TikTok. With her strong, classically-trained voice and synth beats, Jane has built a fanbase obsessed with her ability to tap into love, betrayal, and all the other primal emotions that go along with someone’s first love.
Her latest single, “Seeing You With Other Girls,” which dropped in late March happens to be a tender reminder that it’s alright to take your time getting over a breakup. As Jane’s first ballad, the song is reminiscent of Billie Eilish’s productions with piano breaks and belting vocals. ”
Jane spoke to AP over Zoom the day before her first Los Angeles show at The Moroccan Loungeabout her long-standing relationship with art, being a theater kid, and female rage.
You went through your first big heartbreak in high school, but how did your time there foster your music career?
I went to a small, private school – my grade was like 40 kids – and it allowed me to get close with my art and choir teachers. I was really into theater and visual art, too. If I took a little too long on a bathroom break, everyone knew they could find me in the art room. I actually got into UC Berkeley to study art, but I decided to pursue music instead.
What kind of visual arts were you doing?
I’m trying to get back into incorporating art into my career. I’m really into painting and did a huge five-foot string mural in high school. I don’t want to completely forget about it, so I try to do the little things that I can. I drew the cover art for “Crazy” with colored pencil, which people might not realize. I’m also putting some live acoustic covers on YouTube, and I’m standing on a tarp that I spray painted.
As a theater kid, would you ever consider doing musical theater professionally?
Yeah, I think it’s really fun. It’s definitely something I would consider in the future, especially since stars like Ariana Grande are able to do Wicked, and stuff like that. My senior year we did Legally Blonde, and I played Elle Woods. But my dream role would be Lydia in Beetlejuice.
You dropped your first single in high school. What was that experience like?
The process was pretty chill because I met John Vincent – the producer – through a mutual friend. I started coming to him with songs I had already written, and then we started working together with other writers. Everyone was pretty supportive about it, but I went to visit my high school this year to catch up with a couple of teachers. One of them asked about college and I let them know I had decided not to go, that I live in LA now. His response was “You should go to college. You need college.” So, I’m hoping to prove him wrong one day.
Most of the singles you have out are about love and betrayal, and I’ve seen you say that you want your songs to be like therapy sessions. Where are you drawing these emotions from?
I feel like I’m a pretty happy person, but all my music comes across super dark. I just like it that way. I want people to have little screaming sessions with my songs. I think today, and the last few years, a lot of women are standing up for themselves, and you can see that a lot more in music. I’m listening to all this music now where women are talking about having the power in a relationship, that men don’t have power over your feelings. Everything was so male dominated for so long, and I feel like a lot of music I listen to today is full of women saying “I’m gonna step on your heart. I’m gonna fuck you up.”
How has your sound and artistic vision evolved throughout the course of the past year and a half?
The new music I’m creating has more experimental electronica vibes, kind of like Labrinth. He’s my biggest inspiration right now. His Euphoria album is phenomenal. I like to believe my sound is a combination of Labrinth and Bishop Briggs. She’s the inspiration behind all of my music. Listening to her music is like listening to a movie soundtrack.
Tell me the story behind “Seeing You With Other Girls.”
I actually get a lot of inspiration from TikTok, especially when I hear them ranting about their problems. I’ve only had one serious relationship. But “Seeing You With Other Girls” is super different from my other stuff. It’s my first ballad, and it’s a really sad one. It still has all the big vocals and production, but it’s a very different tone than my other music. I’m excited to see how people react to it.
You’re exploring so many artistic avenues right now, what should people expect from you this year?
I’m really excited to start working on music videos. I don’t know if my songs can be in a movie just yet, so I want to at least create some visuals around the songs. I know we should be focusing on [“Seeing You With Other Girls”] but the song coming after this is very, very experimental. I have over 100 songs that I have to choose from for a fun little project in the future.
