Ultra Naté

Born in Havre de Grace, Maryland, Ultra Naté established herself by the late 1980s in the wake of American house, with a vocal style nourished by soul, R&B and garage house. She began her career alongside the Basement Boys, recording Blue Notes in the Basement in 1991, followed by One Woman’s Insanity in 1993, two records that established a style blending club energy, gospel singing and more organic house production. After a move from majors to the independent Strictly Rhythm label, Ultra Naté broadened her audience with Situation: Critical in 1998, propelled by the track Free, which has become her most recognizable song, as well as Found a Cure and New Kind of Medicine. Her career thereafter shows a constant movement between club culture and more pop formats, with Stranger Than Fiction in 2001, Grime, Silk, & Thunder in 2007, Hero Worship in 2013, and Black Stereo Faith in 2017 in collaboration with Quentin Harris. Ultra Naté continues a regular parallel career as a guest singer, writer and DJ, alongside producers and artists such as StoneBridge, Chris Willis, Michelle Williams, Tony Moran or Alex Gaudino. In 2022, she released the album Ultra, extended by a deluxe edition in 2023, confirming a trajectory anchored in vocal house, dance and the crossroads between electronic music and contemporary soul.