Splitting her time between Australia and Jamaica, since relocating to the home of reggae in mid-2014, the energetic and engaging Nattali Rize of Blue King Brown has found a splendid balance between touring and creating, and just two of her many proclaimed homes.
“My whole spirit and energy is drawn to music. Jamaica is the home of one of my favourite kinds of music, such musicianship and such a musical community. On the other side, I love that in Australia people come out and really support live music. It’s such a special and vital part of human survival. Part of what we’re supposed to do is come together, to celebrate life, to connect on that level, and experience reality in that dimension that musicians and audiences create together.”
Kingston in Jamaica, the dynamic musician’s home base, has been a source of energy and musical influence, her voice lighting up when she talks about the Caribbean island.
“Jamaica is wicked. As you can imagine, it’s such a musical, creative, place, with such high quality output of amazing sounds. And also really conscious music, coming from the younger generations and the older generations too, who are the awesome foundation from that amazing genre that we love: reggae.”
Blue King Brown’s third album, Born Free, was partially recorded in Kingston, at Bob Marley’s studio, Tuff Gong. Earlier this year, Rize made her way back there, collaborating with the legend’s son, Julian Marley, on track ‘Natty Rides Again’, a process she says was effortless, and came together organically.
“To work with him in his father’s studio in Kingston Jamaica, was so epic,” she says.
“Julian’s one of the few reggae artists that comes to Australia every other year. So there’s a couple of times that Blue King Brown have done some shows with him, so we already had a connection. Then when I was spending extended time in Jamaica we had time to link up.
“I played him a couple of riddims, and he picked the one that became ‘Natty Rides Again’, so we went to Tuff Gong, and we put it in the speakers. We wrote and recorded it all within one and a half hours, just then and there. That’s another thing I love about Jamaica, everything happens so fast, the creativity is flowing.”
Blue King Brown will be bringing their roots sound back to Melbourne for the inaugural The Pleasure Garden festival this December, alongside the likes of The Cat Empire, Mista Savona, and Tash Sultana. The festival is billed as an immersive music and sensory experience, fueled by creativity and love for the arts.
“Combining the visual aspect to give imagery to some of the lyrical content especially, and the rhythm, can be really powerful, and that’s something we love to do. We love creating a visual show to go along with the set, and if you have a great lighting engineer, you’d be surprised how much of a difference it makes.
“We’re looking forward to connecting and reconnecting with our Melbourne crew, it’s been way too long. Lots of energy, lots of love, lots of positive reggae vibrations, and audience involvement. It’s not a one way thing, it’s an energy exchange.”
Connecting with listeners and social justice is as important to Rize as music. She’s as well known for her thought provoking and engaging musical talent as for her unwavering commitment to using her platform to empower and uplift her listeners to fight the proverbial power.
“Different songs deal with different issues, but there is the underlying thread, that music is a pathway to higher consciousness. What we like to see is people taking their power back, people taking control of their own minds.
“When it comes down to it, what music is to me, in the simplest way I can say it, is full freedom. Freedom from mental slavery, monetary slavery, all kinds of slavery, and the freedom to express, and to be, and to grow, and evolve, and be a light that we all are.”
Written by Claire Varley
When & Where: The Pleasure Garden Festival, St Kilda – December 10
