Ultra Naté facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ultra Naté
Ultra Naté in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Ultra Naté
Born	(1968-03-20) March 20, 1968 (age 57) Havre de Grace, Maryland, United States
Genres	Dance garage house R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer promoter DJ
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Warner Bros. Records Strictly Rhythm Records Silver Label/Tommy Boy Entertainment Blufire/Peacebisquit Grand Groove Records
Associated acts	Deee-lite Crystal Waters Basement Boys Quentin Harris Alex Gaudino Stonebridge Michelle Williams Chris Willis

Ultra Naté (born March 20, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, and DJ. She is famous for her dance music hits like "Free" and "Automatic". Many of her songs have been very popular on dance music charts.

Almost all of Ultra Naté's singles have reached the top 10 on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. Some of her number-one hits include "Automatic" and "Give it All You Got". In 2016, Billboard magazine named her the 12th most successful dance artist of all time.

About Ultra Naté

Her Early Life

Ultra Naté was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA. She showed her singing talent when she was very young. Growing up, she loved many types of music. She enjoyed listening to artists like Marvin Gaye and Boy George. Naté later said they helped her be more creative with her music style.

She is best known in America for her 1990s dance song, "Free". She also teamed up with Amber and Jocelyn Enriquez as Stars on 54. They covered Gordon Lightfoot's song "If You Could Read My Mind" in 1998. This song was a small hit in America. It reached number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. While she had success in American clubs, most of her album sales were in Europe.

Her Music Career

Ultra Naté started her music career with a big record company, Warner Bros. Records. She released her first two albums with them. Her first album, Blue Notes in the Basement (1991), included songs like "It's Over Now" and "Rejoicing".

In 1993, she released One Woman's Insanity. For this album, she worked with the Basement Boys again. She also worked with new producers like Nellee Hooper. Even though her songs like "Show Me" were played on the radio, her albums did not sell very well. Because of this, she left the record company.

In 1995, Ultra Naté sang "Party Girl (Turn Me Loose)" for the movie Party Girl.

After leaving Warner Bros., Ultra Naté joined an independent dance music company called Strictly Rhythm. This is where she released "Free" in 1997. This song became her biggest hit. It was played a lot in clubs and on the radio in America and Europe. "Free" reached number 75 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was a huge hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart. Her album Situation: Critical also did well, reaching number seventeen in the UK.

This album brought Ultra Naté her biggest success, especially in Europe. Other songs from the album like "Found a Cure" (No. 6 in the UK) and "New Kind of Medicine" (No. 14 UK) were also popular.

In 1998, a new song called "Pressure" was released. It was from the movie The 24 Hour Woman.

Her next album, Stranger Than Fiction, came out in 2001. It featured work from artists like Attica Blues and 4 Hero. Four singles were released from this album: "Desire", "Get It Up (The Feeling)", "Twisted", and "I Don't Understand It".

In 2004, she released new versions of "Free" with new mixes. In 2005, she worked with Gaudino on the song "Bitter Sweet Melody". Later that year, her song "Freak On" with Stonebridge became a successful dance hit.

After becoming a mother in 2005, Naté released her fifth album, Grime, Silk, & Thunder. She released it on her own new record label, Blufire. The first song from the album, "Love's the Only ...", reached number two on the American Hot Dance Club Play chart. The second song, "Automatic", reached number one on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart in 2007. After "Automatic", Ultra released "Give It All You Got" with Chris Willis in December 2007. This song also hit No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play charts.

In 2009, it was announced that Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child worked with Ultra on a song called "I'm Waiting On You". In 2010, Ultra released a new remix of "Free". She also worked with Quentin Harris on "Give It 2 U". Her song "Destination" with Tony Moran reached No. 10 on the Billboard Dance Play chart.

In 2010, she released an EP (a shorter album) called "Things Happen At Night". In 2011, her next single "Turn It Up" was released. This was the first song from her sixth album, Hero Worship.

In 2011, she submitted the song "My Love" to try and represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. However, the song did not make it to the final competition.

In 2013, she had a regular performance spot at Cafe Ole in Ibiza, Spain. She has performed at many big events around the world.

Ultra's 2017 album, Ultra Naté & Quentin Harris as Black Stereo Faith, reached the top 10 on iTunes when it was released.

Awards and Nominations

Ultra Naté has won and been nominated for several awards for her music.

Discography Highlights

Ultra Naté has released many albums and singles throughout her career. Here are some of her main albums and popular singles.

Studio Albums

• Blue Notes in the Basement (1991)
• One Woman's Insanity (1993)
• Situation: Critical (1998)
• Stranger than Fiction (2001)
• Grime, Silk, & Thunder (2007)
• Hero Worship (2013)
• Ultra Naté & Quentin Harris as Black Stereo Faith (2017)
• Ultra (2022)

Popular Singles

• "It's Over Now" (1989)
• "Rejoicing (I'll Never Forget)" (1992)
• "Joy" (1993)
• "Show Me" (1994)
• "Free" (1997) - A very big hit!
• "Found a Cure" (1998)
• "If You Could Read My Mind" (1998) - As part of Stars on 54
• "Desire" (2000)
• "Get It Up (The Feeling)" (2001)
• "Brass in Pocket" (2003)
• "Love's the Only ..." (2006)
• "Automatic" (2007)
• "Give It All You Got" (2007) - with Chris Willis
• "Turn It Up" (2011)
• "Waiting on You" (2011) - with Michelle Williams
• "Everybody Loves the Night" (2013)
• "Unconditional" (2014)
• "I'm Too ... (Touch This Skin)" (2017)

See also

In Spanish: Ultra Naté para niños

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart