Almost every kid who gets into heavy music growing up has a phase where they absolutely detest anything that even remotely sounds or looks like ‘pop’. I should know — I used to be one of them. Pop, for me, represented everything that was ‘wrong’ with the music industry: the commercialisation, the vapidness, and the general disregard for complexity. Metal, punk, hip-hop and everything in between felt fresh, exciting and rebellious; something that was unfettered by convention or the weight of mass appeal. Their emotions of rage and discontent also felt far more congruous with my adolescence than the comparatively saccharine narratives and tropes that pop music at the time was pushing

What edgy 16-year-old me failed to recognise, however, is that while heavier genres certainly gave voice to my angst, the building blocks of my understanding of music came from the pop music I was exposed to growing up. From Elton John to Robby Williams to the Bee Gees to Michael Learns to Rock to the Backstreet Boys to Britney, my formative years pushed me towards music that was able to consistently capture melodic and emotional lightning in a bottle. It taught me about dynamics and the push and pull that has to occur between elements in a mix, the benefits of minimalism over intricacy, and the kinds of electric hooks that make the hair on the back of your arms stand up. 

Cut to 2025 — pop music has, at least to some extent, shed the tired labels and stereotypes it was so often pigeonholeed into, thanks to a tidal wave of artists who have consistently defied the sonic and visual tropes that historically held it back. From Janet Jackson in the early 2000s to Lorde and Lady Gaga in the 2010s to Doechii in the 2020s, we’ve seen countless artists prove that you no longer need to look, sound, write or act in a specific way to be a popstar; that you can be yourself and weave that tapestry of real and relatable experiences into every facet of your artistry. 

Natania Lalwani aka Natania, is an Indian popstar and songwriter who’s breaking new ground for homegrown pop on a global stage. After growing up in Mumbai, she cut her teeth and honed her craft at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, California. After finding success as a songwriter for artists including Skrillex and J Balvin, she signed to Shabz Naqvi and Ty Ty Smith’s label, Desi Trill, and released a spate of successful singles, including the recently released ‘Senti’. She’s primed to break through into mainstream with a starring role on the soundtrack of the upcoming Smurfs movie, on which she appears nine times alongside superstars like Tyla and Cardi B.  

The ‘Smurfs’ series of movies has an iconic legacy. They’re fun, zany, and whimsical, but also have a tremendous amount of heart. It’s also a multi-million dollar endeavour, and to have a homegrown artist take up such a prominent role in shaping its soundtrack is a milestone moment for Indian music. “It has truly been so magical getting to work on something so iconic and putting something so joyful out into the world,” says Natania. “There’s so much happiness and heart in the franchise, and it was such a privilege to be able to contribute musically to that legacy. I also got to make the music with some of my best friends, and we just had so much fun in the studio!”

Smurfs and Natania very much appears to be a match made in heaven. Her music is refreshingly unjaded and focuses on the wonder, whimsy and beauty that exists in the world. Even when she’s lamenting something, it’s still earnest, playful and a far cry from the cynicism that seems to be commonplace across so much contemporary art. In doing so, Natania offers a counterpoint to the brooding allure of dark pop, that’s become much more of a mainstay across the global musical landscape as a whole.

“I think it honestly just comes from the way I live life,” smiles Natania. “I’m usually super optimistic and try to keep the wonder and the wide-eyed inner child in me awake! I also write about my life as it happens in real time, which I think helps me capture that fleeting feeling of euphoria in the moment. That feeling gets to stay forever in a 3-minute song.”

Natania’s ability comes from her attention to detail as a songwriter and a general obsession with pop music. The singer’s early tastes were shaped by her mum’s love for artists like Simon & Garfunkel and Celine Dion, and she later discovered the power of musical storytelling through the legendary songwriting talents of Taylor Swift and Joni Mitchel. She paid extra close attention to the laid-back pop production style of early 2000s pop and amalgamated this with her love for the dramatic, maximalist soundtracks of Bollywood at the time and the way it interspersed traditional, distinctly Indian motifs. In doing so, she realised that the most honest version of herself was one that embraced this hybridity of sounds and worlds. Rather than shying away from one of them over the other, she chose to celebrate them both in equal measure. 

“The early 2000s were such a golden era for both Bollywood and pop globally,” says Natania. “So, when people say my music feels familiar but fresh, that’s the biggest compliment to me. It means I’m tapping into something emotionally timeless, even when I’m experimenting sonically. It feels like I’m creating my own personal language, and it’s very exciting for me.”

What really gives Natania an edge over her contemporaries is the fact that she’s a true student of her craft. She understands that great songwriting lies in the no-man’s land between simplicity, complexity, and poignancy. It can’t be too much or too little. Whether it’s a four-chord bop or an intricate jazz-fusion arrangement, it has to tap into something relatable and almost subliminal. It has to make people feel things, whether it’s joy or sorry or the multitude of emotions that exist in between. 

Natania’s music does all of this in a way that feels weightless. Even in its heavier moments, it has depth without making you feel like you’ve been hit by a train emotionally. It lifts you up rather than pulling you into a slightly self-indulgent pit of melancholy. As a big fan of the self-indulgent pit of melancholy with regards to my music taste, Natania’s approach hits different in the best possible way. 

“I think ‘the song’ is key,” she explains. “If you have the song, everything else falls into place. I think my experience as a songwriter helps me not to put so much pressure on myself as an artist and overthink. I just want to make great music that is authentic to me and share my stories to connect with the world.” 

Natania’s love for songwriting almost meant that we never got to see her as a solo artist. “When I was about to sign my publishing deal with Roc Nation, I met with Ty Ty, who was also starting a new South Asian Label,”  she says. “He asked me if I wanted to be an artist, but I was so in love with writing that I actually said no.” It was eventually a heartfelt call with Ty Ty centred on legacy and culture that eventually changed Natania’s mind, and she was immediately all in “The shoe just fit!” she reflects. “I’ve never been more inspired and excited about music that I’ve made.”

Fundamentally, Natania, as an artist, is tapping into a ‘realness’ that we’ve been starved of for so long as Indian pop music fans. There’s no pretence or illusions or fake niceties. Her music is warm, kind and filled with love because she is unabashedly warm, kind, and full of love. Her artistry is a direct reflection of her own ideals, and there’s an earnestness with which she approaches everything she does that makes you want to root for her. 

“For anyone trying to carve their own path, my biggest piece of advice is to put YOU out into the world,” she says as she signs off. “I think your perspective, your voice, and your background — those are things no one else can replicate. That’s your superpower. I also think it’s super important to find a team and a group of collaborators who have the same vision as you. It takes a village, so find yours!” 

In a world where shallowness, darkness, and self-obsession have become commonplace, Natania’s heart-on-her-sleeve vibrancy is a radical act of artistic subversion. Her aesthetic is bright and brilliant and refuses to be cynical. Her success is an inspiration to artists who don’t necessarily conform to one specific ‘image’ or identity. It’s opening up the doors for a homegrown creative industry that prioritises actual substance over the cookie-cutter clones that were all too prominent just a few years ago. 

And that sounds pretty fucking metal to me. 

The Smurfs soundtrack comes out June 13, 2025. 

You can follow Natania here. 

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