Natalie Chapman

An independent spirit, all-rounder, musician and actor, Natalie Chapman has achieved more in her relatively short time on our planet than most people do in a lifetime. Her beauty and vivacious approach to life is only matched by her breath-taking talent. When listening to her vocals, you might get the feeling that you have discovered a delightful sonic recipe: Take a little bit of Melissa Etheridge, mix in a blend of Sheryl Crow and Adele, add a dollop of Nina Simone and sprinkle with a dash of Joni Mitchell. And voila! You are close to recreating her distinctive voice. Natalie has always been an entertainer. Growing up, she was exposed to the likes of Kenny Rogers, Pink Floyd, Simon and Garfunkel, The Doors, Tracy Chapman, Pavarotti and Eric Clapton. Her love for an eclectic range of artists bolstered Natalie’s interest in music and ignited her talents. She took an active interest in theatre, music and dance and spent her childhood honing her skills in all three arenas racking up a performance CV longer than most veterans could ever dream of, all before she even finished high school. Natalie is a proud graduate of the Waterfront Theatre School where she qualified with an LTCL and completed her performance diplomas in ballet, jazz, tap, singing and drama. Natalie proceeded to work continuously on stage – as a triple threat. But, being the consummate artist she is, an adventurous streak is par for the course and her wanderlust started calling. She jetted off to London and ended up living there for four years, where she continued developing her song writing skills, and worked in various jobs from independent filmmaking to public busking in between her extensive travels through Europe. While in London, Natalie completed the much acclaimed Raindance Scriptwriters Course and began writing film scripts and plays. Filmmaking had become a passion for her and would be a big part of her life for many years. After leaving London she embarked on an epic back packing trip through Africa making her way down to South Africa and finally home to The Mother City where she reintroduced herself to the local entertainment world. Over the next few years Natalie produced and directed various short films and documentaries. Being an intrepid entrepreneur, she also worked in Production on local and international television commercials to earn the money that supported the financing of her debut album. During this time, she started doing live gigs with her five-piece band in and around Cape Town and performed at Opium Club, Independent Armchair Theatre, V&A Waterfront, Obz Café, Acoustic Café, Kennedy’s and many more. She performed with a variety of local musicians include Steve Newman, the legendary Tina Schouw and Ezra of Pop Idols fame. Three years of fundraising and hard work paid off and Natalie received great response to her original blend of Acoustic, Folk /Pop/ Rock sound. Her hit single "Are You Coming Home?" broke all expectations by industry standards, when reaching No. 2 on OFM's Top 20 hit list. The response from the public was immediate and her fan base began to grow around the country. She was placed on high frequency play lists on top radio stations like Highveld, Jacaranda and Algoa FM. Riding high on the success of her single, and with her debut album launch approaching, Natalie decided to head for the bright lights of Jozi in April, 2006. Her long awaited debut album, Between the Lines was released in October 2007 and Natalie wrote 80 % of the material on the album herself. Three of the tracks on the album were play-listed in the UK and Dubai and Natalie endeared herself to a throng of fans. In 2008, Natalie returned to stage, as leading lady in the musical The Full Monty. She also completed a one year contract on Scandal (ETV) as detective inspector, Janine Meyer, before taking part in the Award winning play ‘Rivonia Trial’, which won the cast three Naledi Awards in 2012. Natalie is also a very successful voice over artist working for a multitude of major brands and hosts her own Radio Show The Local Element on Radio Today, which has a strong focus on local talent. She has lectured at Damelin and COPA and is currently running Music Business workshops around the country. She has also produced The Eric Clapton “Slowhand” Tribute Show which showcases the life and music of the Legend: Eric Clapton, which has had sell out performances at theatres across the country. Chapman is also an avid promoter of South African Music and Blues in particular. She is the Marketing and PR person for The South African Blues Society. Natalie has shared the same stage with industry greats such as Arno Carstens, Dan Patlansky, Josie Field, Albert Frost, Southern Gypsey Queen, Piet Botha, Heinz Winckler, Tony Cox, Jason Glover, Gerald Clark, Boulevard Blues Band and Ezra and has performed at Oppikoppi, Vodacom Summer Festival, Kirstenbosch Gardens, STRAB, White Mountain Folk Festival and Splashy Fen Music Festival. Having been seasoned with wisdom and enriched by years of live performance, Natalie returned to independence. After trial and error with her record label, she has now produced her 2nd album “Truth Sessions”. Although this was a more difficult route, the album features Top SA Musicians Karen Zoid, Dan Patlansky, Graeme Currie, Albert Frost, Henry Steel, Raoul Roux, Johnny Late, Emile Swiegers, Andy Maritz, Wynand Davel, Sean V, Stephen Aiken and more... A blend of Modern Country/Blues/Rock this is Natalie Chapman at her best! Through an unusual online chain of events she was approached by Stephen Wrench (18 year manager to Lynyrd Skynyrd) who heard something in her music and voice that motivated him to contact her. The outcome of the connection was a visit to Florida in November where she was filmed by MRDTV for 2 of their upcoming shows “Do I have a Hit Song” and a show which does 1 hour specials on artists from around the world who they believe the public would love if only they were exposed to them. While in Florida for a week Eric Charlton and Natalie wrote and recorded the Theme song for “Do I have a Hit Song”. She will return to the US in 2015. Back on home soil from 30th January 2014 – 29 April 2014 in association with the incredible organisation Epic Foundation Natalie embarked on a journey of epic proportions. Performing 90 gigs in 90 Days in 90 Towns across South Africa in an effort to give a voice to Victims of Violent and Sexual Crimes by raising awareness and funding. The idea came to her after a terrible migraine and she committed to putting her voice to good use by reaching South Africans through music. One woman's Epic Mission! She was awarded the Prestigious Lead SA Hero of the Month in May 2014 for her work on #90Days. Natalie Chapman is a remarkable talent and a remarkable woman. Her fortitude and entrepreneurial independence are the perfect complement to an all round rock and roll package. Her sizzling looks, powerful presence and rocking tunes are the ideal tools to make her shine – like the world-class star that she is. Natalie Chapman’s Online Links: www.nataliechapman.com www.facebook.com/nataliechapmanfanpage www.twitter.com/chapmannatalie www.reverbnation.com/nataliechapman www.myspace.com/musicnataliechapman BOOKINGS, PRESS AND ENQUIRIES The Local Element +27 (0)72 355 7009 thelocalelementsa@gmail.com Sponsors: TBY Jeans The Sunglass Show Kia Motors South Africa The Best of KZN and Beyond Marshall Music Woodmead Line 6 Singer/Songwriter, Activist, Film PM, Event Manager, Online Marketer, Radio DJ, Actress