Kat Harlton
Lead Photo: Liam Maxwell
North London born Natalie Shay writes indie-pop for people who feel everything. A multi-award-winning BRIT School grad and lyrical storyteller, she’s been playing guitar and writing since childhood — soundtracking love, self-discovery and the realities of life in your twenties, blending heartfelt honesty with bright, feel-good energy.
Natalie’s new EP, ATMOSPHERE, explores the emotional pull of love, self-awareness and the messy space in between. She describes it as a sonic diary capturing the electric obsession of new love, often tangled up in the chaos of trauma bonds. The title track, “atmosphere,” was written with long-time collaborator and close friend Kaity Rae (Remember Monday, The Shires), circling the question of whether the connection keeping you hooked is real love or simply something in the air. Each song reflects a different chapter, tracing the experiences and lessons that have shaped Natalie’s life since her last release.
The EP highlights “sorry for u,” a standout track capturing the frustration of being let down by someone who had her love and trust. Crafted with RNDMBEATS (Wes Nelson) and Call Me Loop (Pussycat Dolls), it’s a defiant indie-pop anthem.
With 20M+ streams and collaborations with dance heavyweights including Grum, Giuseppe Ottaviani and Kryder, Natalie has earned support from BBC Radio 1 Future Pop, BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Introducing, plus features in Rolling Stone, Billboard, CLASH, NOTION, Wonderland and The Line of Best Fit.
Shay has sold out Omeara, supported Shania Twain at BST Hyde Park, toured with Gavin DeGraw and played festivals including SXSW, Latitude, Reading and Isle of Wight. She’s also performed live on CBBC several times and had music featured on Love Island UK.
I had the opportunity to chat with Natalie about her new EP, what she hope fans connect with and what’s next.
Kat: ATMOSPHERE feels deeply personal, what made this the right moment in your life to capture these experiences in a project?
Natalie: I think I got to the point where I had so many songs that narrated a certain error of my life I had to book and that body of work or it may never have fully been able to be represented as a point in time. I never really know when the right time to put an EP out is Usually based off of when I feel like my life is transitioning.
Kat: You’ve described the EP as a “sonic diary”, was there a particular song that was hardest for you to write or revisit emotionally?
Natalie: I think problems was the most emotional track on this EP. The other ones are sort of about moments in time and ways I was feeling where his problems is a general sort of summary of me. I think that one’s the most telling about where my mind has been out whilst writing the rest of these songs.
Kat: The title track “atmosphere” is about whether a connection is real or just a feeling, what inspired that idea?
Natalie: It was inspired by a connection that I wasn’t sure if it was love or just a magical moment in time (it was the latter)
Kat: You’ve been writing since childhood, how has your approach to songwriting evolved as you’ve moved through your twenties?
Natalie: I’ve honestly really generally had the same approach. I started co writing around 17 years old and since then I’ve generally had the same approach to writing. I’m either writing in sessions with other writers oh I’m writing on my own in my bedroom at 4 am. It’s always from the heart. It’s always lyric focused and the ones that come out of the ones that I feel represent me best.
Kat: “sorry for u” has a really defiant energy, was that song a turning point for you emotionally or creatively?
Natalie: I think this one is definitely the most pop or commercial song on the EP. I think I’ve never really put out anything with any sass in that way and that was my first Sassy break up song.
Kat: You worked with collaborators like Kaity Rae and producers like RNDMBEATS, how do you balance collaboration with maintaining such a personal voice in your music?
Natalie: I think I’m very picky on lyrics and who I let write lyrics with me. With certain people it’s very much a collaborative lyric process like writing with Kaity and with other people the lyric is more my thing and I think the lyric is my ‘voice’ ultimately.
Kat: You’ve said performing live is your therapy, how do these new songs translate on stage compared to your previous work?
Natalie: I’m currently enjoying playing these songs because they’re closest to what I’ve most recently been through and they’re the way that I would speak and the way that I would think right now I feel like I detach from my songs a little as I get older and I change the way I’d say things and feel about things and understand things however some songs have stayed in my set for years because They managed to transcend the evolution of my brain and time
Kat: Having performed at festivals like SXSW and Isle of Wight Festival, how have those experiences shaped your confidence as a performer?
Natalie: With every show I do I learn something new when I get a little more confident. It’s been the same for years and I enjoy every memory. I try to stay so present for every show and in the moment.
Kat: Your music blends emotional vulnerability with bright, feel-good indie-pop, how do you strike that balance sonically?
Natalie: I’m not too sure I think as long as the cord stay emotional and the songs translate well to acoustic guitar then that balance stays prominent
Kat: With your biggest headline show yet at Oslo, London, and more dates ahead, what do you hope fans take away from experiencing ATMOSPHERE live?
Natalie: I hope they realise that these songs come from the heart and that they really are just how I’m thinking when I’m writing them and if anyone can relate to that I’m feeling engaged then I’ve done my job as a songwriter
Connect With Natalie:
https://www.instagram.com/natalieshaymusic