Tell us your real names, country of birth, date of birth and childhood experience.
My full name is Natalie Felicia Bergqvist, born in 1994 on November 1st in Sweden.
I grew up in the countryside outside of Stockholm as quite a rebellious little girl. Running away was my favorite thing. My parents weren’t so happy about that.
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Tell us how you start your music career, background, experience and skills.
My real passion for music, writing and singing began for real in my early teens when I moved to Stockholm. I joined a gospel choir and that really taught me a lot about my singing voice and how to use it. I got a guitar from my family when I turned 15 and began playing and writing a lot. Eventually I started playing my own songs at open mics around Stockholm. I started to receive a lovely response and this really inspired me to continue. I met my producer and writer partner Andreas Grube for the first time in the fall of 2011 and we began working on what became the world of Natali Felicia.
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Tell us about your genre, concept and idea behind your music video and the song.
Putting a label on it, I guess what I’m doing is dark-pop. But for me the key word from the beginning, building this whole world, has always been cinematic. As well, I love the idea of sort of inviting the listener to find their own way into it and start reflecting.’ Run Like The River’’ is a song about running for your life in hope of finding a better place – reflecting on the world we are living in today.
With this video, I wanted to try and capture this brave escape while still rooting into a deep calmness and sort of acceptance.
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Tell us everything that we need to know about you as a musician and the ups and downs you have faced in the music business.
Everything you need to know is that I’m someone who puts my heart and soul into my music. I want to do things my way no matter how long it might take. I’m a strong believer in ’’learning by doing’’.
I’ve defiantly faced a lot of ups and downs. Especially in the major label jungle, where I completely lost why I started doing this in the first place: for the LOVE of it. It even came to the point of almost giving it all up (like the drama queen I am haha). But finally I could leave and found people to work with who love what I’m doing and support me 100% in what I believe in. In the end, that’s all that really matters.
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Tell us about other members of your band, crew or music video director and how the music video was shot.
The brilliant director’s name is Joakim Carlsson, a good friend of mine from Sweden now living and working in New York. He really embraced my visions and ideas and turned them into something beautiful and substantial. With quite a small team of 5 people we shot the video in a few days in NYC. Most of it was out on Long Island but also in the city. I had such an amazing and inspiring time working with Joakim and his brilliant team. You will definitely see more videos from us.
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Tell us how long you have been in the music industry, your experience and your future goal.
I would say I’ve been in the music industry since the spring of 2015 when I first released my debut single ’Used To Be’.
But more importantly, I’ve learned a lot about myself really and my music and how I want to develop and do things my way. I’ve got a lot of future goals but trying to focus on what’s in front of me at the moment. Now I’m so happy to finally release my debut album in a month after some years of hard work. Then I’m dying to come out and play live – I love it so much.
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Tell us what inspires you to write, compose and sing.
Traveling, whats going on in the world, everyday life, love, unrequited love… A lot of things really.
And London. London inspires me a lot. I love this city. I recently moved here. I’ve been coming here a lot the past 2 years for writing.
I’ve just completely fallen in love with this city in a sort of love/hate kinda way.
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Tell us the secret behind making a hit song.
I don’t have the secret to that. I don’t think anyone has really…
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Tell us the message you will like to pass to your fans out there.
I’m really really looking forward to sharing my debut album with you soon (out Oct 27th). And I can’t wait to come out at play live for you and meet you whoever/wherever you are. Your support means the world.
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Tell the kind of advice you will give to an upcoming artist.
How cliché it might sound: don’t forget who you are. And why you started doing the music you want to do. Hold on to YOUR personality, it’s the strongest thing you have as an artist. And always surround yourself/work with people who love what you’re doing and supports you 100%.