A new single release from Nat Allison brings on an impactful and anthemic rock feel that comes with a killer attitude and a powerful pop undertone that blends with hard rock guitars and gives everything a colorful but edgy soundscape worthy of putting your fists in the air and singing along.
"We Are the Heroes" is an instant classic as it takes some great crew vocals and chants in the background as the main vocals hit you like a sucker punch to the gut with a bright and freeing feel.
Nat Allison has this amazingly robust voice, and it works with her brand of pop rock all too well at times. It takes elements of this rowdy rebellious undertone and makes them work for her in this charming way.
Her songs are youthful and hit that alternative rock sweet spot but are performed with a graceful gusto that you just don't hear anymore.
She has that classic rock n' roll frontwoman power and presence and I miss that a lot. The Joan Jett, Lita Ford factor. Allison wears that badass style well.
She's got pure rock n' roll in her blood and it shows.
With the release of "We Are the Heroes" we wanted to have a chat with Nat Allison to find out where this came from and what may be next for her as an artist.
Here's what happened.
RAG: Okay so let's start with "We Are the Heroes". This single has a real rock powerhouse feel to it! Where did this song come from? I wrote this song during 2020 lockdown and I was conscious of the fact that every single person across the globe was forced to make enormous sacrifices during this time. I felt strongly that I needed to write something uplifting and inspiring. I wanted the song to sound powerful & anthemic, I started with the title as inspiration. I was also mindful that one day the pandemic would be behind us, which meant I needed to make sure that We Are The Heroes was a song that was going to be relatable for years to come and not just be a pandemic song. RAG: So how did this all begin for you? When did you fall in love with music really? I fell in love with music since I could crawl/walk basically. At the same time I was also infatuated by the ELECTRIC GUITAR. The sounds a guitar could make and the way a person looked while playing one, was so appealing to me. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a guitar player! After years of begging my Dad for an electric guitar and amp, he finally gave in. I was 8 years of age when I started taking guitar lessons and my career in music continued to evolve naturally from there. RAG: Who are you listening to right now? To be honest, I play so many live gigs that I often crave silence but I have my go too’s like Fleetwood Mac and Bowie for example. I can’t go past the classics but I also love listening to more contemporary artists like Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Muse and The Killers. Like most people, the choice of genre depends on my mood. RAG: What inspires you to write a song? I LOVE all facets of the songwriting and recording process. From the humble beginnings of an idea that I’ll quickly record as a voice memo, right through to the final production. I am very hands on. I write all of the parts from drums, bass, guitars, vocals and most keyboard parts too. Every detail must be right. There’s nothing more rewarding than listening back to your final production and thinking, wow, I created this. I write to connect with others. Evoking a multitude of emotions and watching people sing along at one of my live shows is why I do it. A career in music is a hard slog but my loyal supporters is what motivates and inspires me to continue to write songs. RAG: I'm hearing some great styles on this song. Who are some of your biggest musical influences? Artists that inspired my guitar playing and a love for playing and writing rock music early on would be Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Faith No More, AC/DC etc but it’s always changing and evolving. For this song however, I was listening to The Killers and Imagine Dragons for inspiration around mixing big synth sounds in with a wall of guitars. RAG: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music? I love to exercise, hike, travel & explore, eat healthy, I enjoy cooking but I also have a particular love for fine dining and excellent wines. It’s also very important to me to have quiet through my week when living such a noisy life. RAG: Would you say live performances are a big part of what you do? A big YES, I play 4 - 6 gigs per week. The live work keeps me engaged with my audience and helps me to maintain my playing, singing and performance skills. Doing this many gigs per week is the reason why I can be a full-time musician. RAG: This single feels like a big undertaking, is there any advice you'd give to other up and coming artists out there? It sure was! Doing it alone as I did, is tough and overwhelming. My advice would be, try and find the right person or team of people, that are on the same page as you. A team to help you with some or all of the things involved along the journey of releasing music. The amount of work I put in at the songwriting and pre-production stages alone was a big undertaking. Then at the other end of it all, is release time. I sent out hundreds of emails to radio, TV etc to get the song out to a wider audience, with only a few replies. There’s also a huge financial outlay, the costs involved in recording, mastering, artwork, promo etc equates to thousands of dollars. RAG: What can your fans expect from you in the near future? I recently went through my old demos and a couple of songs really stood out to me. I have tried them out at my live shows and they have gone over really well. My calendar is already full for the rest of 2022 but I plan to re-record these tracks along with some new songs and release an EP sometime next year. In the meantime though I will be releasing another single in September called Killing Time. I’ll keep you posted. RAG: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music? I would like to say, wow, I am honored and so grateful to have made music that connects with you. As I mentioned earlier in this interview, you guys are the reason I keep doing what I do. Thank you for giving me your time and your ears! And please feel free to contact me, I’d love to get to know you.