Today's Feature
University Student To Tour With International Artiste Koffee
By: Zasha-Kae Dennis
Let us imagine for a moment that you are 8 years old.
You follow your parents to church every
Saturday to sing in the choir.
You dance happily with friends at school on warm weekdays
unaffected by the world’s challenges.
You hear the melodies, you feel the beat reverberating
through your body, and immediately
there is a sense of belonging nesting in your heart.
Knowing that somewhere in the universe an older,
a more accomplished version of yourself remembers
these moments as the turning point in your artistic journey.
Natascia “Natty B” Bryan knew then she was destined for
greatness and is now set to tour
with Grammy award-winning artist Koffee.
Very few young children can say they knew what their passion in life was at a very tender age,
but that is no issue for the ambitious Natascia Bryan who had a clear plan of her aspirations at
the age of 8 years old. She recalls her young years in Ocho Rios to be full of adventure,
beautiful scenery, and talent.
Growing up in Ocho Rios in a family driven by art and music she was surrounded by
people with an eye for creativity and an ear for good music.
The support of her family has been steadfast as far back as she could remember they created spaces
where her talent could be expressed.
“At a very young age at about 8 years old, I remember going with my parents to church choir practice.
They always carried me and never left me out of anything. I always payed attention so after hearing
and being at rehearsals every week I developed the talent to the point where at that age
I was teaching people how to harmonize.”
She reminisced on her experience with music even outside of the religious space due to her family's
extensive musical background.
“I’m from musical family background, especially on my father's side, they play quite a few instruments.
The most prominent being the keyboard and my mother sings alto in church, at concerts along with
singing with different groups.”
Her love for music translated into so much more and she found herself thrust into the world of dancing
in her preparatory school days “I was in cheerleading and I did ballet dancing. I was active in school
and my mother is also a choreographer so she assisted with the cheerleading choreography.
I always took part in those things and I really enjoyed it so it never felt like a chore.”
She fondly remembers moments in her life where dancing and music has been her therapist, confidant,
and friend. Easing her mental strain and making her feel at ease with the stresses of life she has to
encounter as she grew up. “Music and dancing really keeps me going.”
This translated into her drive to share her talents with the world. She saw how her gifts helped her
through the tough times and she was eager to share with the world to see how she could help others.
This was her reasoning behind pursuing various competitions such as the Jamaica
Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) festivals for her singing and dancing where
her team took home the win in 2013 for the best gospel.
This zeal to continue doing what she loves progressed to high school. Bryan attended St. Hilda’s High
School for girls where she took part in more JCDC festivals and honed her talents even more.
There was never a period where she didn’t believe in herself or put a pause on achieving her goals.
“I always kept trying, I always believed in my talents.”
In university, she remained focused. She had now been doing this for the majority of her life and as
she stepped into adulthood she now completely knew how deeply rooted her love for the creative
industry ran.
The productions Bryan worked on got bigger until she challenged herself to start choreographing to
be more of an asset to her team. “There was one particular concert I did that really challenged the
boundaries of what I could do. I was dancing and choreographing and honestly, it was a great experience.
I really enjoyed every moment of it all.”
When COVID-19 struck Jamaica in 2020 this was a turning point for Bryan.
This was the only moment she really feared for her creativity. Many activities that seemed easy to
participate in before became out of reach due to the stringent protocols put in place for public safety.
However, Bryan was not deterred for long she used this opportunity to tap into the virtual space and
put herself out there in a different way.
“I started breaking a lot of mental barriers for myself by posting online. I think it is completely normal
to be a bit nervous at first but people enjoyed it so I continued. I was told by so many people that seeing
me singing and dancing lifts their spirits and makes them happy. I have to say I prefer dancing a bit more
though, I specialize in dancing to Afro-beats and my moves are influenced by African culture
however I can do anything I set my mind to so it’s not like that’s the only thing I can do but that is my
favorite.”
Bryan is eager to let the world know that there is much more to expect from her because she has not yet
figured it all out creatively “As I get older and discover new things, listening to different genres it has
helped me get better at music and dance. There are so many different styles to try, I still have to test the
boundaries of my vocal ability to see what is best for me, you know, things like trying new instruments
and how the mesh with my sound has yet to be done. There is still so much out there for me to learn.”
Bryan has made such an impact on her surrounding that she now has achieved something she classifies
to be her biggest accomplishment to date that left her completely at a loss for words.
“I was contacted by the team of the grammy award-winning artists Koffee to be a part of her
upcoming tour where I will be singing and dancing with the team. Rehearsals are in March in Paris
and the Netherlands and I could not be happier with the way things have turned out for me.
When sending my application to be a part of the team I did not know if I was going to get in but I just
put myself out there anyway because why not? I had no expectations though so when I was contacted it
was one of the most memorable and happiest moments in my life.”This moment has been a revelation for Bryan and a true testimony that hard work pays off. She pulls on
memories of her younger years constantly to keep why she is in active pursuit of her dreams at the
forefront of her mind. “If I could speak to my younger self I would let her know that no choir rehearsal,
talent show or competition was in vain. Because when I got the message I was in such disbelief I honestly
cried because I didn’t expect it, not that I doubted myself or anything but this is a big deal.
This is a totally new experience for me.”The question that weighs heavily on her at this stage in her career is...
“What will the future for Nastacia Bryan hold?” Well, as she embarks on this new chapter she already
has goals she hopes can come to fruition. “ I aspire to be one of the best content creators the world has
ever seen to help bring visions to life. I know this tour will open doors for me with my career more than
I expect. If I see that I can do this for a living I definitely will. I aim to continue to growing my social
media content and audience while seeing the world and experiencing new things. My main aspiration
though is to be happy. I want to add brightness to the world with singing and dancing and make the
crazy world we live in a better place.”
this is soooo major!! talk about passion and focus👏🏾 I love this for you girl!
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