Artist Feature: Natasha Khan (Bat For Lashes)
Indie Rock Star, Mercury Prize Nominee, ASCAP Award Winner
Natasha Khan is an independent rock, synthpop singer and musician from London, England. Going by her stage name Bat For Lashes, she has two critically acclaimed records to her name, 2006’s debut Fur And Gold and 2009’s Two Suns, along with two live EPs (Live Session and iTunes Live: London Festival ’09), released in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
Natasha Khan: Growing Up
Born October 25, 1979, Khan was raised by her parents in Wembley, England along with two siblings, sister Suraya and brother Tariq. Her father Rahmat, a Pakistan native, played squash in the 1970s but sacrificed his successful career to coach arguably the best squash player of all-time, her uncle Jahangir Khan. Traveling the world to watch him play was an inspiration for her future entertainment ventures.
By the time Natasha Khan was 11 years old, her father had left the family and mother Josie was left to be a single mother of three children. It was during this time that Natasha turned to the piano (and later, guitar), which she trained herself to play and express her emotions. As a mixed race child – her mother was a secular English woman and father a Pakistani Muslim – she also experienced racism in her teens, at one point being called a bleeping “Paki” by students based on her looks, according to the Daily Telegraph.
After finishing high school in England, she traveled the world and lived in Mexico, San Francisco and New York before moving back to her home country at age 21 to earn a degree in music and visual arts at the University of Brighton.
Birth Of Bat For Lashes
Khan started writing songs while at the university but didn’t put songs under the name Bat For Lashes until 2004. After graduating, she spent weekdays as a nursery school teacher and other days honing her songwriting craft. But like Sting before her, Khan left the teaching profession to concentrate on music for good. In September 2006, Echo Records released her debut album Fur and Gold.
Featuring four singles including “The Wizard,” “Prescilla” and the dark harpsichord-propelled breakup song “What’s a Girl To Do?,” it drew critical acclaim from the likes of The Guardian, Filter Magazine and All Music Guide. Comparisons to British legends Kate Bush, Siouxsie Sioux, as well as Tori Amos, among others, followed. Khan also won over famous fans including Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Devendra Banhart, M.I.A., Ringo Starr and Bjork.
In 2007, Khan signed to a bigger label, Parlophone Records, which re-released Fur and Gold with a soaring cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” as a bonus track. The album earned a Mercury Prize nomination and two Brits Awards nods that same year, during which Khan also won the ASCAP Vanguard Award.
Two Suns
Released in April 2009 to critical praise from NME and Rolling Stone among others, Two Suns is a concept album, part-fantasy and part-document of her past relationship with New York musician William Lemon, whom she broke up with at the end of 2008. Its diverse and densely layered tracks are told through the eyes of fictional blonde character, Pearl.
Living in New York again also led to inspiration from local acts like TV On The Radio, Gang Gang Dance and synthpop stars MGMT. The synth-heavy sounds on Two Suns reflect some of this inspiration, as TV On The Radio-ish vocals can be found on songs like “Pearl’s Dream.” Hit single “Daniel” has romantic synths and gothic electronics that echo of ‘80s-era The Cure.
Two Suns also earned Bat For Lashes another Mercury Prize nomination and a “Breakthrough Video” nod at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
Live At SXSW, Glastonbury And Around The World
On stage, Khan plays piano, bass, autoharp and other instruments, in addition to singing. She also designs her own costumes and is known for wearing an Indian headdress. Her touring band currently includes Ben Christophers on keys/harp, multi-instrumentalist/backup vocalist Charlotte Hatherley, who previously played guitar in Irish alternative rock band Ash (1997-2006), and drummer/backup vocalist Sarah Jones, who also plays for English new rave group New Young Pony Club.
Natasha Khan has increased her public profile with each album’s release. In 2007, Bat For Lashes played the Glastonbury Festival in England and the ASCAP showcase at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. In 2008, her group opened for Radiohead. This year, it performed for radio stations KCRW and BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, and on Late Show with David Letterman, and Last Call with Carson Daly, among other prominent talk shows.
Natasha Khan will surely gain even more exposure in 2010, as she and her Bat For Lashes troupe will tour Latin America early next year opening for Coldplay.
References
For more information on this artist, please visit batforlashes.com.
Natasha Khan, Bowery Ballroom, September 2007
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