Few artists in dance music have managed to evolve with the culture while still remaining completely true to themselves quite like Ultra Naté. A voice that helped define the golden era of house music with timeless anthems like “Free,” “New Kind of Medicine,” and “Love’s The Only Drug,” Ultra Naté continues to bridge generations through music rooted in soul, liberation, community and fearless reinvention.
Now, as classic releases find new life in the digital age and a new album begins to take shape, Ultra Naté stands at a powerful creative crossroads. Reintroducing iconic tracks to younger audiences through expanded remix packages and rediscovered underground mixes, she is also embracing fresh collaborations — including the shimmering French disco-inspired single “Starlight” with European producer the Avener. At the same time, she remains deeply immersed in today’s dance culture, constantly exploring new sounds, new spaces and new ways to connect through music.
Beyond the studio, Ultra Naté’s world is busier and more inspired than ever. From international tours and Ibiza performances to her celebrated Deep Sugar events, SiriusXM residency, and an upcoming role as Composer in Residence for the Baltimore Museum of Art, she continues to expand her legacy while building new chapters in real time.
In this exclusive conversation with Get Out magazine, Ultra Naté opens up about artistic evolution, independence, spirituality, house music culture and why empowerment will always remain at the heart of everything she creates.
INTERVIEW >>>
You’ve been revisiting iconic tracks like “New Kind of Medicine” and “Love’s The Only Drug”. What inspired you to re-release these classics now, and how do they resonate differently in today’s world?
It is really exciting to be able to redo these packages. These particular songs, with the Internet and social media now…It was not so prevalent back then. It was not the case during the time that these were originally released. So it is great now because there are new generations and new kids and new people learning and finding about music in spaces that you never had access to before. I am also completely independent since those days. I have a lot more control over certain aspects of my career and my catalog. There are a lot of remixes and additions to the packages that may have been missed. The main drivers were what was happening with radio and what people saw on the charts. But there were DJ mixes and tools and different aspects of those releases that people may not have gotten in its totality. So it is exciting that in this world of digital, we can pull all of these threads together. The original mixes, some underground mixes that people may have missed, as well as possibly new remixes in the package by putting these records out again. Because at the end of the day, it’s about the song and the song is going to stand the test of time and is going to have another day in the sun.
Your upcoming single, “Starlight”, with the Avener marks another exciting collaboration. What drew you to this project, and how does it reflect your current musical evolution?
It is a collaboration. It kind of came out of the blue. The Avener is the name of the producer. He is French. He is very popular and very well known. Really making waves and doing well, especially in Europe. He is much more well-known in Europe than the US. His folks reached out to me arbitrarily to ask if I would consider doing this record. I was working on some stuff with Cerone and the guy who pieced us together was from Cerone’s camp. Somehow in the mix of my communication and my writing with Cerone, we came together. Maybe a year or two ago. Cerone is also a legend in his own right. But he was also working with the Avener. They sent me the track and said, “He would really like to work with you. This is the song that he has in mind, and if you’re interested, would you consider doing a collaboration?” I was listening to the track and I thought, “This is really, really cool. I really like it.” It’s a whole different take. Kind of like French disco. Who doesn’t like French disco? I’m a disco baby. I feel like I missed the boat to grow up in a generation with disco. So, I feel like I get to engage a little bit in that space. It’s a really cool French disco sound. Very danceable. It’s going to be great for summer. Summer days and early nights and romance.
Do you speak French?
No, a lot of people think I do when I am there, which is the funniest part. I have a level of understanding, so I am able to respond appropriately. So people misconstrue that as if I actually speak the language. The more I am there, the more I will use the language. The same thing being in Spain. The longer I am there, the more I am absorbed into the culture.
With a new album in the works, how would you describe the overall sound and message of this project compared to your earlier releases?
I think it is just that I care. I care about all of it. I care about who is listening to dance music. What are they doing in that space. I’m curious. I try to stay experimental. I go out. I went out Wednesday night to a Disclosure set at Echostage to just be in the culture. See what the kids are listening to. It helps me to continue to have a perspective beyond the moment that I came out and started making records over three decades ago. It is very important to stay in connection to the culture at different levels and spaces and different crowds. So I care about what our music is doing. What our culture is doing. And all of the levels and various incarnations of it. I’ve never been afraid to dive into different spaces and try different things. Somewhere within that, always being true to myself and to my own voice and who I am and how I think about things. But always working to integrate things that are moving forward and shifting and involving and staying completely open and present to what the universe brings me.
How it tells me to create and unfold my art. A lot of artists kind of get stuck in a lane that becomes their comfort zone where they peaked. And they can only translate through that one identity. I try not to do that. My legacy is what it is. People strongly attach me to the ‘90s to a specific point in time. Because there was great music and great things going on, and I love that. It is always important to look at the totality of what I do. As an artist, singer, and songwriter, I continually dive into other genres.
With a new album in the works, how would you describe the overall sound and message of this project compared to your earlier releases?
I think every album has its own story and its own vibe. It is always representative of where music is at that moment. Both on the inside and the outside in terms of being a completely independent artist. I have to move with what is happening now. On how you even put an album together. How you presented to the world. How you sell it. How you promoted it. As well as the creative space of what it should even sound like. It’s always different because this industry is always evolving and changing. The listener is always evolving and changing. For me, it’s a matter of “How do I express who I am as a person in this moment to meet where we are as an industry?” I don’t know what that is all going to sound like until it’s done. I tried to also let the music dictate to me where we should go. I start with broad strokes that I would like to see, but as it starts to evolve and come together, it starts to change and other things crystallize. It starts to tell its own story.
You’ve always blended soul, house and empowerment in your music. How important is it for you to keep that message alive in today’s cultural and political climate?
It is always the most prevalent thing. It is always drop one. It will always be the foundation from which everything springs. There has to be an anchor. What are you talking about? Who are you as a person? What is it you want to convey? What is it you want the listener to walk away with? What do you want the kid that stumbles across this record 10 years from now to take away from it? To feel. Those anchors in house, in empowerment, in community, spirituality–all of those things are always going to be at the crux of what I do. Because that is who I am as a person.
Looking ahead, what excites you most right now – new music, live performances or the continued rediscovery of your legacy catalog?
All of it. Because I have so many great things around. It is really interesting how
tricky the world is right now in so many aspects. But then, the other side of the coin, for me personally, I feel like the art is really feeding my soul. There are times it could be a bit of a roller coaster. You have your ebb and flow when you feel really inspired about what you’re doing. But I feel really super inspired about what I’m doing right now. Because the universe has brought it back to me. The things that I’ve put out into the world, those seeds have come back to me to fortify me for the next part of my journey. I have a really great show coming up.
I’m preparing for a live show with my band. I don’t get the opportunity to perform with my band very often because it’s really super expensive. So I don’t get to do that all the time. It’s a five-piece band with background singers and dancers. So that’s really exciting that I am able to work on that right now. That is for a really big festival that happens every year in Baltimore here. African American Music Festival. It is one of the biggest festivals in the city every summer. I am performing as one of the hometown representatives. That is a great honor for my city to acknowledge me in that way. I have some great International gigs coming. A big Australian tour. Some dates in Ibiza, Switzerland, Sweden, Amsterdam, Malta and Detroit for Movement Festival. My Deep Sugar party is doing great. My Deep Sugar Afterhours party–consistently, people are showing up. They are taking the deep dive. They’re dancing. They’re being in community with each other. My rooftop series is starting later this month. People look forward to that. To dance together in the daytime and into the night on a rooftop, it’s a very beautiful, mystical kind of setting up there. I’ve got a lot of things going on in a lot of places that are very near and dear to me. A lot of things that I’ve built from scratch are now being platformed in a really amazing way. It’s not an official announcement yet–it will come out on June 16th–but I am now a composer and resident for the Baltimore Museum of Art. That is a very esteemed honor to have. On Friday, August 28th, my event will happen, supported by the BMA. My city reflecting back to me the work that I’ve put in all of this time representing the city is coming back to me in such amazing ways. I also have a show on Sirius XM on Utopia channel called Soundlab Ultra. It airs every last Friday of the month. That has been really great to have Sirius bring me in as a resident performer on their platform and give me my own show. Every show has a theme and a story. It is a lot of fun, so I also invite people to join me there.
You’ll be performing at the Ice Palace in Fire Island on June 20 with Bill Coleman, Inaya Day…That will be an awesome show. And then in August, you will be performing with an icon list of singers including Deborah Cox, Robin S., Cece Peniston, Amuka, and the list goes on for KTU’s Beatstock in New Jersey on 8/15 & Jones Beach on 8/16, What makes these summer dance crowds so electric for you?
I think summer always presents a rebirth for dance audiences and for people in general. People are moving around more, they are getting more sun, and more activities outdoors. The daylight lasts longer, making the nighttime more special. There’s just a change in frequency during the summer that really activates for the dance community when we get together!
KTU events have become legendary for bringing together generations of dance music fans. What does it mean to still be part of that culture?
It is the most amazing gift that keeps on giving! It’s truly an honor to be so actively a part of a scene that I’ve known and loved my entire adult life. I love what I do and I love that people still appreciate what I’ve presented to the world over the years – and what I still have yet to present.
You also have an amazing hit new single out now.
Movin’ To The Sun · HUGEL · Imael Angel · Ultra Naté
What inspired this release, and does it capture the energy of your live shows this summer?
This new single is very exciting, it was HUGEL‘s project for his new album dropping in June, and I’m totally loving that he asked me to be a part of it. The track is really resonating with people around the world in a big way, and I think it’s because it has a very distinct personality. It really grabs your attention at first listen and becomes a serious ear worm! It’s been an amazing addition to my show, and I can’t wait to perform it this summer. Since it was just released, I’ve only had a couple of opportunities to do it live, but it was electric for those audiences. As it grows in popularity and awareness through the summer season, it’s only going to amplify more and more for the live set.
