Singer-Songwriter Ulloa is Ready to Take the World by Storm

Hailing from Queens, New York, Natalie Ulloa started writing and recording her music during quarantine in 2020. During that time, she has dropped numerous singles and an amazing EP titled Double Gemini. With this being the beginning of her career, we talked with the songstress about music, life growing up, and what’s next to expect from her in the future.

Photo by Jailene Marie

How were things growing up?

Ulloa: Growing up, I felt pretty supported overall. My parents are immigrants and they are from a very different generation, so they didn’t necessarily support my specific interests or hobbies, but I knew from a young age that they both worked really hard to give me everything I’ve ever needed. I live a very different life than they did and I really do owe it all to them. I didn’t always feel understood but I did know that I had a family that would always be there for me, which was such a privilege to have from such a young age. It definitely pushed me to take risks and be experimental with my interests and passions later in life.

My parents always encouraged me a lot in school and even outside of school. As long as I was happy, they were too. Neither of my parents are musically inclined, but I have relatives on both sides of my family that are and my parents are both music lovers. There was always music playing in the house. I also spent a lot of time in the car growing up and I bonded with both of my parents over the music we’d hear on the radio. They would tell me stories and memories that they had connected to specific songs or blast songs that they adored but hadn’t heard in years. Music is also a very big part of their relationship. I think it really helped me form a sentimental and emotional relationship with music above anything else.

Growing up, I struggled a lot emotionally and mentally, which has impacted me a lot as well. A lot of my adversity or struggle has been internal. I have struggled with depression and anxiety from a very young age, pretty much for as long as I can remember. Luckily, as I’ve gotten older it’s been something that I have a much better grasp on and can cope with in a much healthier way, but I think my struggle with mental health from a young age had a huge influence on my relationship with music as well. Feeling really lonely or sad enabled me to use music in a very cathartic way. Music was something positive that I put my mind and heart into, even as just a listener. Following musicians and going to see live shows in my teenage years provided me with a very big sense of community at some of my most difficult stages in my life. Music has always made me so...alive, even when I was too young to grasp the magnitude of that feeling, which is why I love it so much. Overall, music has always been a huge part of my life. My home life has really led me to music in a very unexpected way but I’m so grateful for it.

What are your musical inspirations?

Ulloa: My musical inspirations vary so widely, which I think reflects in my music and my approach to making music as well. I think lyrically, I pull a lot of inspiration from singer-songwriters like Daughter, Ben Howard, The Paper Kites, and even musicians like Frank Ocean who are such beautiful writers. Sonically and vocally, I connect with a lot of alternative artists like Clairo, Beabadoobee, Phoebe Bridgers, Arlo Parks, Snail Mail, etc. I feel like my music could be more closely compared to them and I love that they are all young women in the industry paving the way for that genre. Spanish/Latin music has really inspired me when it comes to melodies and overall messages or tones that can be found in songs. Bachata and Salsa are such romantic and heart felt genres of music because of the way love is talked/sung about. I absolutely love the feelings that those songs give me. I also really love ballads and rock music in spanish. Some of my favorite bands are Mana, Los Mesoneros, and The Marias.

When it comes to music and my career specifically, I always keep live shows in mind. One of my favorite performers was Catfish and the Bottlemen. They put on such an amazing show every single time I’ve ever seen them and I hope to capture at least a fraction of their energy any time I step onto a stage. I always really love Rosalia and I think she is a living legend. Her live vocals and stage presence is quite literally unmatched. She’s insane!

What made you want to take music more seriously?

Ulloa: As I got older and closer to graduating college, I started to become very aware of the fact that I can do anything I put my mind to. On top of that, I can do it really well. I realized that if I really wanted to, I could get any job I worked towards. However, I never got the feeling from a job that music has given me. Music is such a huge part of my life so it really only made sense to take it seriously and pursue it as a career, pretty much since I started making it. I was solely a consumer of music for most of my life and by the time I started to actually create music, I knew that that’s what was meant to happen all along. I did a lot of creative work in college, just for fun, which also gave me more reassurance that music is something I should be pursuing and taking seriously. It was my favorite thing to create and I had so much experience in other fields by that time, so I was able to be really sure in my decision to apply myself and pursue it professionally. It was like I did a process of elimination when it came to potential jobs or creative work that I could have possibly taken on.

What was the process like making “Sour Patch Kids” and your project, Double Gemini?

Ulloa: “Sour Patch Kids” was the genesis of Double Gemini and I knew from the minute I finished writing it that I wanted to create and share my story around the experience the song talks about. The song gave me something to talk about, elaborate on. “Sour Patch Kids” was the third song I had ever written and it introduced one of the two main subjects that is explored throughout Double Gemini. It was always really special to me because it showed me that music is something that I am talented in and can actually pursue.

I started writing “Sour Patch Kids” in my bedroom in December of 2020. I was really inspired at this time and just wanted to write music that was similar to what I was loving at that point in my life. It took two full days for me to finish writing and recording a demo on my voice memo app on my phone. Shortly after, I wrote my song, “Emily”. Originally, I thought I would release “Sour Patch Kids” and “Emily” as a pack, almost like an A and a B-side of a record. The two songs are really connected and I view them as two sides of the same coin. I knew they were both really good though, so I wanted to wait until I could get myself into a studio or working with a producer to actually flesh out the ideas completely. They ended up becoming the two singles for the project!

For the first half of 2021, I continued writing other songs for the project such as “Where Do I Go?” and “August 1st”. In August of 2021, I started working with Connor Anderson and James Kurz, the two co-producers of Double Gemini. Connor and James are both in Archie Divine, a music collective originally from South Jersey, who were living in Philadelphia. I met Archie Divine through my friend Buki, who I became best friends with in college during our time at Temple University. He introduced me to his friends Connor and James, who I went on to create Double Gemini with. The rest is pretty much history. We wrote and produced the rest of the songs together and they helped me produce all of the songs I had originally produced on my own as well. They helped me bring my vision to life and it was such a life changing experience. I was working full time as a bartender/waitress throughout the week and then traveling from NYC to Philadelphia every single weekend for about 9 months. It was intense and I definitely burnt myself out for quite some time, even after the project dropped but I was so obsessed with the journey of it all. Album mode...if you know, you know.

Overall, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m so proud of that project and I am so excited to continue working on new stuff because it really was only the beginning for me and hopefully this time around I won’t spread myself so thin!

Who would be the person (dead or alive) that you would want to meet and have a conversation with?

Ulloa: This is such a difficult question but I am going to have to go with Amy Winehouse. She is such a huge inspiration for me, musically. She was such a one of a kind talent, I mean, c’mon - you only hear that voice once in a lifetime. I really feel for her and connect with her story a lot. I think she was greatly misunderstood and wronged by the public. She was a hurting person who needed a lot more empathy than she ever got during her time on Earth. I would love to smoke with her and just listen to music. I know she would definitely geek out over her favorite artists and songs, so she would be such an amazing person to just chop it up with and deep dive into music!

What top 5 songs have you been recently obsessed with?

Ulloa: In no particular order:

1. Ceilings by Lizzy McAlpine

2. Boys a Liar Pt. 2 by pinkpantheress & Ice Spice

3. Roadkill by Searows

4. Feigning by Gunna

5. This is Why by Paramore

Where do you want to see yourself by the end of 2023?

Ulloa: By the end of this year, I would like to put out at least one song and I’d also really love to put out my first ever music video. I want to continue traveling and writing a lot, hopefully even traveling because of my music and writing. I hope to come up with a more refined concept for my next project/debut full length album. I really want to continue performing and putting myself and my music out there in the world. I love connecting with audiences, it’s the best part of the job. Finally, my main goal for this year is to get a manager and sign a deal with a major label or connect with a major investor/sponsor for my music. I really believe in my music and my vision overall. I know that a bigger budget and more accessibility to specific networks and resources is all I really need, so I’m working to make that happen for myself this year.

Check out Ulloa’s project Double Gemini on all streaming platforms.