In Conversation with Natalie Okri... on what she's doing now in 2024
Having been thrust into the national consciousness as a child star, Natalie Okri walked away from the music industry only to return on her own terms…
The GTown Talents live showcase back in September 2023 was a display of the raw ability that Gravesend is producing across musical genres such as rap and R&B.
However, the hundreds that turned out for the festival would have noticed that one of the headline performers had just that bit more polish about them. Joining London rapper Devlin and a host of the area’s finest artists on the bill, Natalie Okri (@natalieokri_) stood out.
A quick Google and you will know why. In 2009, Natalie shot to fame as a 10-year-old, getting to the latter stages of reality show Britain’s Got Talent in its most infamous year - yeah, the one with Susan Boyle and Diversity. Her performance of Alicia Keys’s No One melted the hearts of the public and that of music industry annihilator Simon Cowell.
The video of her audition still goes viral periodically - so far racking up 129 million views on YouTube - and a call-up to appear on Good Morning last year in a ‘where are they now?’ segment got the streams flowing once again.
Now 25, the Belvedere-based Natalie has just released the afropop-tinged single Touch and is on the cusp of releasing an EP. Appearances on BBC 1Xtra, a return to the studio and a series of live performances including supporting afrobeat star Buju at The O2 Arena have lit the fires of expectation among fans. We got in touch to find out more.
Hey Natalie. There’s a lot to talk about, isn’t there! So let’s start at the beginning.
It all started in the living room! I remember always watching TV and seeing Destiny’s Child and singing along, or I’d do my own rendition of the songs.
When my older sister came back from America having learned how to play piano, I was fascinated. And I started playing piano and writing songs to perform for my family at Christmas.
It was seeing Connie Talbot on Britain’s Got Talent when I was nine years old that inspired me. And I was like, ‘Wow, I want to do that’.
I applied and my mum took me all the way to Manchester to audition.
Is that whole process real?
Yeah. I went through that. It was really cold that day. I remember shivering and standing in the queue. I auditioned in front of judges that were not Simon Cowell. And then after that, I got through to the next round, then it was in front of Simon Cowell.
Obviously, you got to the semi-finals… the fame that came with that, has it been a positive? Do you feel like it opened your eyes to the music industry?
Yes, I think it has. It showed me that the industry is actually very small.
Even since 2009, I guess the music industry has changed so much, hasn’t it?
Drastically. Back then, it wasn’t really about social media. No one really had social media, it was about talent and passion. Whereas now I feel like it’s more about your numbers and if everybody likes you. Just as long as you’ve got a core fan base and everyone likes you, then you’re the one. It’s more about what’s popping rather than the talent and the passion now.
Coming out of BGT and going back to school, what was it like?
It was a whole different ball game. Just before I went on BGT, I was actually meant to go on with a girl group from my class. And it was with one of the people that used to bully me as a kid, but then their parents didn’t let them go. So I ended up going by myself. And when I came back, the same people that bullied me were now saying I’m their best friend. Everyone recognised me just walking on the street after school with my friends.
The whole of my community at the time, when I lived in Deptford, they all supported me. It was very different from then on.
What was your next step?
I was signed to Syco and my days were kind of weird and different because I spent a lot of time doing rehearsals, going into the studio, doing interviews and doing performances. And it was kind of taking me away from my studies. My mum was very concerned and my dad, who is a barrister, got the contract cancelled. I went back into full-time education and I was focusing on school. I then decided to study music. When I was 16, I released my first-ever song and started again. I started taking it more seriously in my third year of university when I was about 19, releasing regularly from there.
Not to be rude… but had people forgotten you by then?
No, people still remember, even to this day. There are so many videos of me that have gone viral on TikTok. I even reposted my BGT video and it got 2.2 million views. People ask ‘What is she doing now? How does she look? What is she up to?’. You would have thought that people would have forgotten, but actually it seems to be one of the most memorable performances on BGT.
On to your career now. What stage are you at?
I’m now independent. And I’ve just released my new single Touch, which is exciting because I produced it myself, wrote it myself… everything by myself. After that we’ll be releasing my EP - it’s going to be about my story, who I am and my heritage. And it’s really just going to show you the more mature Natalie. It’s a different side and it’s a rebrand. So, yeah, that’s what’s happening right now.
We saw you performing live at GTown Talents - do you prefer performing live or in the studio writing?
Performing live because I love singing! When you record tracks, sometimes you have to hold back a little bit, whereas when I get to perform, I can do all my riffs, I can do all my runs, but in the studio I have to control it and do less. And then when I perform, then I can really show out and do more.
Considering you’ve been on national TV in front of millions of people, do you get nervous anymore?
You know what, I still get a bit… people call it nerves, but the symptoms don’t feel like nerves. I don’t know what it is, but my heart races. When I get on stage, if it’s all a bit of a rush and I’m distracted, then I don’t feel the palpitations of my heart. I feel so calm.
But if everything is at a slow pace and they say ‘OK, Natalie, just wait here, you’re going to be up in two minutes’, that two minutes feels so long, then it gives me time to feel my heart beating fast. But once I start singing, then it all goes away.
Are you doing it full-time at the moment, or do you have a side hustle?
I do it full-time, but I sing on cruise ships as well. So I guess that could be like a side hustle.
But that’s still doing what you want, isn’t it!
Yeah, I’m a guest entertainer. I get on to the cruise ship and I travel the world. And I get to sing as well. It’s fun!
I don’t think I could be at sea for days on end. Is it weird?
It’s quite daunting sometimes, especially when there’s a storm. One of the cruises I was on, we were coming back from the Bahamas, and we’re meant to go to Bermuda. And all of a sudden there was a storm and this massive ship was moving side to side. You could hear the waves crashing and I remember I was meant to perform that night. During the soundcheck it was just rocking.
Scary. What have you got on for the rest of the day?
Back into the studio. Work, work!
