Unleashing Your Creative Potential: Step Into the Fear
Raise Your Voice
“Imagine a tree that is too afraid to grow. How would that effect its ecosystem? Our gifts are meant to be shared. Sharing our creativity is contagious and life-giving.” - Natále
Natále
Natále would not be who she is today without stepping into the fear around creative expression! See how she has transformed this fear into energy and inspiration, leading her to Mexico City to record her latest single, Moreno. Several unique video resources offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into the dreams and collaboration it took to make this song and music video.
https://natalemusic.com/

Date

March 15, 2022

Grades

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Music/Music Composition, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Dance/Movement, English Language Arts (ELA), Film/Mixed Media, Geography, Spanish, Theater Arts

Overview

Natále’s latest music video Moreno features vibrant, colorful visuals, capturing the essence of the Caribbean and its natural elements. Filmed in the open markets, beaches, and streets of Mexico, the video intends to share sunshine, warmth, and uplifting vibes while encouraging people from all cultures to dance in celebration of life. Explore several unique video resources that dive into the inception, collaboration, and recording process of Moreno, offering students multiple perspectives of the work and spirit of its creation. 

In her lesson plan, “Unleashing Your Creative Potential: Step into the Fear,” students learn how Natále transforms fears and insecurities into creative energy. For example, Natále has taken many risks by sharing songs about her personal life, reaching out to other artists to explore collaborations, and moving abroad to follow opportunities! Students will reflect on and learn how to turn fears into creative expression while learning that fear is a universal, human experience. They will develop strategies for stepping into fears and using them to energize creative risk-taking and exploration. 

Video 1: Moreno (official music video) 

Natále’s latest genre-bending song, Moreno featuring legendary Latin-reggae artist Fidel Nadal, emits the experience of a spirited multicultural love affair. Originally written in Spanish as an acoustic ballad for her muse – an Afro-Latino painter and percussionist from Cuba – Moreno has now grown wings and transformed into a poetic dance song, with the help of Fidel Nadal “The Rasta who revolutionized Latin Rock” – according to Rolling Stone Magazine. Drawing influences from cumbia and flamenco while adding traditional reggae rhythms, Moreno preserves the intimacy and romance in its lyrics, while expanding to many listeners, encouraging them to dance to the feel-good beat. Moreno shares beauty and inspiration, driving people to move their bodies and use their voices as methods to lift our collective spirits and embrace the authentic vibrations of the Latino culture. 

Video 2: Artist Talk  

Natále sits down with Alex Patri, the Argentinian mastering engineer of Moreno, to discuss the song-writing process and origins. Serendipitously, Natále met her song collaborator, Fidel Nadal, at a FirstWorks digital music festival. Together, they revived and reimagined this song, which she had shelved for years. Her collaboration with Fidel throughout the COVID-19 pandemic brought her all the way to Mexico City. Natále shares how Mexico City is not only an international magnet for creatives, inspiring artists to feed off one another’s’ energy, but also radiates a friendly, neighborly vibe, thanks to its people! 

Video 3: Behind the Scenes  

View a fun montage of scenes during the recording of Moreno at Grammy-award winning Camilo Lara’s Soy Sauce Studios in Mexico City. Behind the Scenes moments are edited over the final recorded product, creating what is arguably another music video of this world-reggae inspired song in and of itself! 

Video 4: Meet The Band 

In addition to Natále and Fidel Nadal, Moreno, would not exist without a cast of talented musicians, native to Mexico. In this ~6 minute mini-documentary, hear from bandmembers including Alex Gonzalez on trumpet, Salvador Hernandez Mucel on guitar, Moises Tlaxcaltecatl Hernandez on keys, Raymundo Tlaxcaltecatl Hernandez as percussionist, Marco Tulio Tlaxcaltecatl on trombone, and Alex González Villaseñor on bass and mixed/engineered by Diego Aguirre Cruzaley. The artists discuss the significance of what it means to be a musician in Mexico—and how this song celebrates their of love of being moreno, their native Mexico, and gratitude for the beautiful nuances of Mexican culture, in general. Several musicians discuss music as a life-giving force, and how Moreno helped heal the pandemic blues during its making in quarantine. 

The Meet The Band video also allows students to listen to instruments in isolation, as the song is unlayered and exposed—and develop a new appreciation of the amount of instruments that are embedded into the final recording of Moreno, especially percussion! 

Artist Bio

Natále is a genre-defying singer-songwriter whose homes include Philadelphia, Tel Aviv, and New England. Having grown up immersed in diverse music, her style is an eclectic mix of soul, folk-rock, and Middle Eastern vibes. Natále began her professional career in Providence, where her music video, Day to Night, was inspired by vibrant, creative community. Since the pandemic, she has relocated to a different creative community in Mexico City, where, among recording many singles, she has directed and produced her new music video, Moreno.  

Check out her latest music video’s debut with FirstWorks, here.

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