Nathan Watson is a real talent. He’s young, good-looking and he turned the corner just at the right time. His songs are refreshing and clear and once you’ve heard them you’ll know he’s lived every word. Nathan Watson… a name to watch out for.
A pure slice of soul/funk, “Reach Out (You’ve Got A Friend)” is the first release from the soul hipster. Out on the Strawberry Moon label on September 20th it’s downloadable from Itunes, HMV, Amazon and all good music sites.
Taken from the forthcoming album “Student Of Life” the new single shows exactly why this boy from Stevenage is being hailed as having a great musical future.
But it wasn’t always so. The odds looked pretty well stacked against Nathan succeeding at anything… from falling from three stories as a child, to being hit round the head with a lump of wood, to being involved in a 70mph car crash, he’s lucky to still be around.
Then later, hanging with the wrong crowd, getting into trouble. Saturday Night was indeed alright for fighting….until music came to the rescue.
“Reach Out (You’ve Got A Friend)” features Nathan’s band The Sound and is the result of a collaboration with long time musician/producer Steve Salvari. Nathan would work at Steve’s studio on Saturday mornings and it was, as he says, his salvation. (You can’t make too much music in prison and that’s where Nathan was heading had it not been for the regular Saturday morning input.)
Music had always been in his blood though. He started playing at the age of six – drums, clarinet etc – and even tried the trombone but gave it up as too small. From rapping under the moniker Dragonfly he progressed to soul and was soon writing his own material including “Reach Out (You’ve Got A Friend)”.
Part of the proceeds from the new single will be going to Childline Rocks to help other kids less fortunate than himself. This self-awareness is being put to good use.
Nathan is now something of a role model. In 2009 he was awarded the Cambell-Younge Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community. Like Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, also from Stevenage, Nathan may just be the next big thing in UK music.
He contributed to the recent Help For Heroes charity single alongside Paul McCartney, Ronnie Wood and Michael Bolton and he’s sung for the Princes Trust.
Nathan’s gigged with acclaim at the Jazz Cafe and Dingwalls as well as other venues across London and a tour of the UK is lined up for later this year. In the meantime he can be seen on September 25th and October 23rd at the Forge, Camden.
