Born to a French/Vietnamese mother and a German father, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Nathalie King‘s music is noted for its cinematic electro-pop and trip hop style, while her sound expresses deeply rooted themes like mental health and emotional life experiences. She is known for her sultry smooth low voice, reminiscent of the true artists of the vintage jazz era.
King is now releasing her new six track EP, PTSD, which is a healing journey throughout her childhood trauma. “I’ve been writing songs as a therapeutic means to overcome childhood trauma and depression throughout my life,” says King. “Working in the studio together in Toronto, PTSD has a more electronic and UK sound to it, thanks to the contributions of Bristol-born producer Joseph Snook.”
PTSD‘s lead single, “Within a Dream,” brings back dark memories but also lets King see how far she has come with self-work. “Within a Dream” is about the many nights I spent in my bed as a child, sweating and being scared and feeling a ton of anxiety because my parents were fighting or I just got a beating and got screamed at for nothing important in particular. This song revisits the tremendous anxiety I felt in my stomach and sorrow as I cried myself to sleep countless times. It’s about the dark memories of my childhood that stored the trauma in my cells and the beginning of generational trauma. – Nathalie King
King has released one studio album, Odyssey (2013), followed by a series of singles, notably “Break Away” which landed a placement in a S’well water bottle commercial, and “Ghost Rider” which was featured in an episode of ABC’s The Fosters. Recent sync placements include her song “Beautiful Soul” in Howard Hall’s underwater documentary Soul of the Ocean. Awards include being a semi-finalist at the 2016 International Songwriting Competition and reaching the semi-finals at that same year’s IndieWeek.
She also produced and hand animated her own music video for 2019’s “Suckr for Love,” which was officially screened at international film festivals including the Berlin Music Video Awards and the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival in 2019 and won Best Music Video at Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival in Toronto that same year.
What can you share with readers about your new project?
PTSD is an experimental dive into dark electro pop, trip hop and includes space sound from one of our planets, lots of synth sound, poetry, and an intimate track of vocals on piano only.
It’s literally my life’s work and I’m really proud of my debut EP ‘PTSD’. I usually write songs about my emotions, especially when I’m going through a tough and sad time. Writing and singing has such a cathartic effect and is part of my personal healing journey so it was about time I write about my childhood trauma of physical and verbal abuse, bullying and more. I always felt ashamed of talking about it to anyone, not even my best friends. But I’ve come a long way learning tools, going to therapy, meditation and all the good things so I finally braved the step of creating songs about my childhood, how it affects my adult life and the light at the end of the tunnel, knowing you’re not stuck in unhealthy patterns when you learn new tools to rewire your brain, nervous system and healthy behaviours.
How does this release compare with your other projects you had in the past?
In the past I released mostly singles. With PTSD I wanted to tell my life’s story. I believe others with similar stories will be able to relate and maybe take something positive from it like realizing that they’re not alone in their struggles and that they are not doomed to be stuck in negative behaviours because we can learn and grow and overcome anything with the right tools, time, and practice. And I wanted to explore new sounds and push the boundaries of my previous work as well as typical pop song structures.
What about this single makes you most proud?
The fact that together with my producer we managed to create some new and interesting sounds and that the cohesiveness of the story comes across when you sit down and listen to the entire album front to back. And that I stepped out of my comfort zone to write about and share something that is very vulnerable and personal to me, which feels very freeing.
Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?
I write with no goal in mind. Writing music is an outlet for my thoughts and emotions. I guess you could say my goal was to share my story and create awareness about trauma and healing.
What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?
Life inspires me to create. I have always been a visual and audio person and I’ve always used my hands as instruments to create visual art and my voice to create music. What keeps me going is the need to create which has always been part of my life. Sometimes it’s a need to find an outlet for all sorts of emotions and sometimes I just get visual epiphanies and then create based on that.
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? If it’s an indie/DIY artist, please include a link so readers can check them out.
One of the greatest jazz singers, Nat King Cole or Dean Martin. I grew up in Germany listening to their music and dreaming of vintage times.
What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?
High Hopes by Pink Floyd. I have too many favourites. I’ve been listening a lot to Burial and I love Hope Sandoval and Massive Attack as well as Zero7. I currently really like Ghostly Kisses from Montreal.
Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?
My website, which has all the updates and socials on there. Instagram is my go to, so I’m mostly active on there.
I really appreciate your time. Is there anything you’d like to share before we sign off?
To everyone: You’re stronger than you know, you’re important and unique, and we have to learn how to live in symbiotic relationships with one another and our planet.
