Natalie | |
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Birth name | Natalie Nicole Alvarado |
Born | September 2, 1979 |
Origin |
Clear Lake City, Texas, U.S. |
Genres | R&B, hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, dancer |
Years active | 2001-2012 |
Labels | The Universal Motown/Universal Republic Group |
Natalie Nicole Alvarado (born September 2, 1979), better known simply as Natalie, is a former American R&B singer and songwriter.
After her high school years, she chose to study criminal justice. She was previously a cheerleader for the Houston Rockets NBA team and backup dancer for various R&B and rap artists from Houston, Texas. During her stint as a cheerleader, she was also working on her lyrical skills and even added rapping to her dance performances. Charles Chavez, founder of Latium Entertainment and producer of such artists as Baby Bash, Frankie J, and Chamillionaire, believed that she would have potential as a successful musical artist and introduced her to producers Happy Perez and Play N Skillz. Under Latium, she was initially signed as a rapper but later focused on singing, which she had frequently done for hooks on songs.
Natalie made her debut as a singer with her hit 2005 single "Goin' Crazy"; the song reached #13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Her self-titled debut album Natalie was released in May 2005 and reached #16 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart. Her second single from the album, "Energy" (featuring Baby Bash), peaked at #66. The third & final single "Where Are You" (featuring Justin Roman) failed to chart. A fourth track, "Emptiness" managed to chart on Billboard's R&B Singles chart, although it was not released as a single. She also was the opening act of the 2005 Wango Tango music festival in Anaheim, California hosted by Los Angeles, California radio station KIIS and the sold-out 2005 Latium Tour of Baby Bash and Frankie J. Zalia Cosmetics also recruited her as a model. She has also collaborated with Baby Bash on the songs "Bubbalicious" and "Throwed Off" from his 2005 album Super Saucy. She also has appeared on Chamillionaire's The Sound of Revenge in the song "Think I'm Crazy". She also has appeared on Poetic Thug's Da One & Only in the song "My Destiny" and Latino Heat in the song "Down South Playaz".