Nathalie Bonin, a professional musician and composer with great ability, is admired for her wonderful songs and her charming performances. She has a long time experience in making music and has experimented on different types of beats.
For Nathalie Bonin and Simone’s album “Taste of Light” the collaboration is nothing less than magic. Each song takes the listeners on a trip, that blends Nathalie’s inspiring works with Simone’s epic scores to make them experience the movie as if they were there.
A song named “Prestigious Emblem” stands out in the album which has received additional attention for being included in the trailer and marketing campaign for the coming season of the Netflix show BRIDGERTON.
The album has a total of 10 songs on it and each song has a wild feeling to it, I like the fact each song comes with a unique style. The inclusion of the magnificent Dinamika Ensemble, that has been conducted by the Grammy-winning violinist Nathalie Bonin, helps the song create a scenery full of refined and elegant elements of 19th century British way of life.
In this conversation, we’ll listen to Nathalie’s musical story, how she started learning classical pieces as a kid and now is able to experimenting with all kinds of sounds. We will uncover what drives her, how she managed to learn the art, and what her goals for the future are.
Listen to Taste of Light Album below
Follow Nathalie Bonin on
What is your stage name
Nathalie Bonin
Is there a story behind your stage name?
Not much haha!
Where do you find inspiration?
In art, nature, meditation, beauty in general and the pure human nature of emotions.
What was the role of music in the early years of your life?
I started playing the violin when I was 4. My parents are music lovers and so we started every day by listening to Classical music. Music was definitely a large part of my childhood and I became very serious about it at a very young age, participating in National competitions and contests from the age of 8, to becoming a member of a the NY Youth Symphony Orchestra when I was 12 and starting to play professionally in orchestras and recording sessions by the age of 17.
Are you from a musical or artistic family?
I am from a family of music lovers. My dad was a choir director earlier in his life but did not pursue in music. My mother played cello for a few years.
Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry?
Initially my mom, by bringing me to that concert as a young child. Later, my mentors and friends that have believed in me throughout my career and have encouraged me to pursue my dream.
How did you learn to sing/write/to play?
I had private teachers to learn violin, piano and singing and later I went on to study at McGill University in Montreal, Canada where I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance. After about 10 years, I got interested in composition and studied with Berklee Online where I got my Master’s Certificate in Composition for Film/TV
What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform?
The first concert I remember going to actually became the reason why I am playing today. My mother brought me to a violin school end-of-the-year concert and that is where I asked her if I could also play with them. Later, she took me to a concert with the violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin who became somewhat of an idol for many years as I was getting more serious in my music studies.
How could you describe your music?
Rooted in classical yet always exploring new styles from jazz to pop, world and beyond. I am definitely an “Explorer” type and for me the most important is the story and the message I want to convey. I tend to infuse mystery and soul-stirring emotions in my melodies and other times more passionate and fierce bravoura J
Describe your creative process.
I usually start by meditating and stretching in the morning which helps clear my mind. Then, depending if I write to picture or not, I will either get into the mood of the story I need to score by watching it numerous times and improvising to it until I find a thread. If I write a piece for an album, I start by imagining the story I want to tell or the core emotion I want to convey. And then, again, it’s about finding that thread until it just “clicks”.
I feel it in my heart, and I know it’s right. Once I have the thread, it usually goes like a river flowing at least for part of the cue or piece I am writing. The important thing in the process for me is to be taken by the music I write. I need to be moved by it with some emotion. It may be tears, passion or joy but I need to convince myself. If I don’t, I keep searching or just start over. This is my way of knowing that what I write is authentic and I find that it usually resonates most with my audience.
What is your main inspiration?
Nature and Love
What musician do you admire most and why?
This is a tough one! I admire so many musicians and composers, it’s impossible to pick just one, but I’ll say that lately, I’ve really admired the career of Nathan Barr. Not only is he an incredible musician and composer but he is also an innovator, an educator, a creator and quite the entrepreneur having build the incredible Bandrika Studios to house the old Fox Studio Wurlitzer organ he recovered and restored. His passion for music, sound and storytelling is so inspiring!
Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career?
OMG!! Haha!! I feel like I never stop exploring! This has been actually the most interesting side of my career but also the most challenging as people find it sometimes hard to figure out who I am as an artist. I’ve finally come to peace with it by defining myself as an explorer and a creator.
So, I initially started with classical music up to a top professional level, then I went on a journey of exploration through world music performing with a tango ensemble, a Moroccan band and a jazz fusion trio “à la Jean-Luc Ponty/Mahavishnu”, I rocked the stage with Metal bands playing electric violin, performed at the JALC with Wynton Marsalis and Ted Nash, performed, recorded or toured the world with pop stars like Stevie Wonder, Charles Aznavour, YES and Chance the Rapper, composed numerous soundtracks from romantic to horror films and even created my own aerial violin act that I performed for 12 years(!).
How did my style evolve through all that? I think my music today is impregnated by all these flavors of culture and styles and it makes my sound what it is today. The sound of an explorer J
Who do you see as your main competitor?
I have to split this question according to the hats I wear, but on the performance side, I’d say between Lucia Micarelli/Lindsey Stirling/Anne Akiko Mayer while on the composing side, I’d say Rupert Gregson-Williams, Rachel Portman or Alexandre Desplat.
What are your interests outside of music?
I love biking, hiking, good food and going out with friends
If it wasn’t a music career, what would you be doing?
Nothing else! Seriously, I would not be in music if I thought I could do anything else. No plan B as Hans Zimmer says haha!
What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
The fact that musicians are given such a small portion of the pie especially since the advent of streaming while the big corporations actually make billions from the art we create. It is a very unfair and hardly sustainable system.
If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
Give back more to the creatives. They are the soil and seeds of all that blooms in the industry. Without creatives, the corporations would not make money. Also, I believe in the new blockchain technology and its potential to pay artists their royalties and residuals instantly for their plays or synch licenses (not 1-3 years later which is usually the case at the moment)
Why did you choose this as the title of this project?
I think we are all in search for more light in our hearts and our lives. This album will hopefully give the listeners a Taste of Light.
What are your plans for the coming months?
I am working on another project right now with Radhika Vekaria, a wonderful Indian British Singer. This Indian infused cinematic album will be recorded later this summer in Europe.
Do you have any artistic collaboration plans
Yes, Simone Benyacar and I have continued working on new pieces together; I am finishing the album with Radhika and I have other projects for immersive performances in the next year…
What message would you like to give to your fans?
I am very excited to share this new album with you and I hope it resonates in ways that will light up your imagination and stir deep emotions.
