Nathalie Makoma
| Nathalie Makoma | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nathalie Makoma |
| Born | February 24, 1982 |
| Origin | Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Genres | Afropop, R&B, Pop, Rumba Congolaise |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, Piano, Guitar, Drum |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Sony BMG (2007 - 2011), NM HOUSE MUSIC (2014) |
| Associated acts | Makoma, Papa Wemba, Werrason |
| Website | Official Site |
Nathalie Makoma (born February 24, 1982), is a Congolese Dutch singer-songwriter. She was the lead singer for the group Makoma and she later embarked on a solo musical career on her own.
She took part in the Dutch Idols singing competition in its fourth season reaching the final and finishing as runner-up to Nikki Kerkhof. As a result, she was signed to Sony BMG. She also took part in Dutch Dancing With the Stars coming second (2009), in De Mattheus Masterclass.
In Nouveau Testament / Makoma
Nathalie Makoma started singing with her family group in 1993 when the band was known as "Nouveau Testament". The group was renamed Makoma and was made up of seven members (three brothers, three sisters and one non-family, whom is also one of her sister's boyfriend). They were very successful singing in Lingala language and in English and French as well.
When Nathalie was fourteen, she moved back to the Netherlands with her family and started studying Onstage Performance at the Rockacademie in Tilburg. At the same time the Makoma band kept on performing becoming more successful and travelling around the whole world. Due to the success of the band, Nathalie had to quit her education.
In 2002, the group won the Best African Music Group, at Kora South African Music Awards. and they had worldwide success in gospel music.
Initial solo career
Being the main vocalist, Nathalie also tried to develop a solo music career starting 2002 with her initial album On Faith (2002). The album was rereleased as GoGospel Edition (2003) with additional tracks. In 2004, she left Makoma to get established in England and later in Ireland. In 2005, she released a second solo album called I Saw the Light.
Idols
In 2007-2008, she returned to the Netherlands to take part in season 4 of Dutch Idols and finished runner-up to the eventual winner Nikki Kerkhof. The jury called her the "new Tina Turner" and "a real dancing queen". During the competition, her family group Makoma made a guest appearance on the competition final with Nathalie singing "Ola Olé" in English with her. After Idols, Nathalie signed a record deal with Sony BMG and toured the Netherlands, performing in more than 150 shows in one year.
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