Natasja Saad

Natasja Saad (31 October 1974 – 24 June 2007), also known as Dou T, Little T and Natasja, was a Danish singer and rapper. While already relatively successful in her native Denmark, her vocals on a popular reggae fusion remix of "Calabria" gained her worldwide fame and a number one spot on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart six months after her death in a car accident in Jamaica.[1]

Natasja Saad
Natasja Saad
Background information
Also known as
  • Natasja
  • Li'l T
  • Dou T
Born(1974-10-31)31 October 1974
Copenhagen, Denmark
Died24 June 2007(2007-06-24) (aged 32)
Spanish Town, Jamaica
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • rapper
Years active1987–2007

Early life and career

Natasja Saad was born on 31 October 1974 in Copenhagen, Denmark to a Danish mother, Kirstine Saad, who is a photographer, and a Sudanese father, Ahmed Saad, who was a big supporter of her career. Her father moved to Denmark to study. He learned the Danish language quickly and became a Danish citizen. Saad's parents soon divorced, and her father moved back to Sudan. She also had three half-siblings: Sarah, Nadir and Saad. It is uncertain that her family members are still alive. She and her siblings grew up in Islands Brygge, a district area in Copenhagen. As a child, she had a love for nature and for horses, which led her to become a professional jockey as a young adult. At age 7, she went to Sudan with her father to get in touch with her family on her father's side. At age 13, Saad first started her music career in Copenhagen, where she performed live with her long-time friend, Danish singer Karen Mukupa and McEmzee under the name No Name Requested. The band broke up in 1996. Saad was also inspired by Jamaican culture and music. During that period, she performed along with Queen Latifah and gained popularity in Jamaica. In 1998 at age 24, while in training to become a professional jockey, she fell off her horse, slowing her career.

Saad later became the first female jockey to win a horse race in Sudan. In 2006, she won the reggae/Irie FM Big Break Contest in Jamaica, which gave her a new start and a big boost in her music career. [2]

The four LP box set Legacy (1974–2007) was posthumously released 29 June 2018 on Playground Music to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Saad's death.[3] In addition to her previously released albums Release, I Danmark Er Jeg Født, and Shooting Star, Legacy (1974–2007) includes a new compilation album featuring songs from Saad's entire career.

Death

Saad died on 24 June 2007 in a car accident in Spanish Town, Jamaica. Two other passengers were critically injured, but Saad's friend, Mukupa, suffered only minor injuries during the accident.[4] She and the other injured persons were rushed to the Spanish Town Hospital where the singer was pronounced dead.

The accident was perceived as a particularly big loss for Denmark's music and entertainment world,[5] because she still stood before a career that, despite earlier setbacks, appeared more than ever on the rise.[6]

Saad is buried at Assistens Cemetery, Copenhagen's cemetery for artistic and pioneering personalities, which, in addition to hosting Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kierkegaard and Niels Bohr, is also gradually becoming a resting place for more recent stars of the 21st century.[7]

Natasja Saad's Gravestone at Assistens Kirkegård in Copenhagen, Denmark

The four LP box set Legacy (1974–2007) was posthumously released 29 June 2018 on Playground Music to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Saad's death.[8] In addition to her previously released albums Release, I Danmark Er Jeg Født, and Shooting Star, Legacy (1974–2007) includes a new compilation album featuring songs from Saad's entire career.

Discography

Albums
  • 2005: Release Album (Playground Music)
  • 2007: I Danmark er jeg Født (Playground Music)
  • 2008: Shooting Star (Playground Music) (released posthumously)
  • 2013: Gi os Christiania tilbage (released posthumously)
  • 2018: Legacy (1974–2007) (Playground Music) (released posthumously)

Singles
  • 2003: "Colors of My Mind" 12" (Mega Records)
  • 2003: "Real Sponsor" 12" (Food Palace Music)
  • 2004: "Summer Cute" 7" (Food Palace Music)
  • 2004: "My Dogg /45 Questions" (Tuff Gong Distr.)
  • 2005: "Op med Hovedet" ("Keep Your head up") CD single (Copenhagen Records)
  • 2005: "Købmanden" ("The Grocer") (BMG)
  • 2006: "Mon De Reggae"
  • 2007: "Calabria 2007" (with Enur)
  • 2007: "Long Time" 7" (Sly & Robbie)
  • 2007: "Gi' Mig Danmark Tilbage" ("Give Me Denmark Back")
  • 2008: "I Danmark er jeg født" ("In Denmark I Was Born")
  • 2008: "Better Than Dem" (featuring Beenie Man)
  • 2008: "Fi Er Min" ("Fi Is Mine")
  • 2008: "Ildebrand I Byen" ("Fire in the City")
  • 2008: "Dig og Mig" ("You and Me")
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References
  1. Sanneh, Kelefa (6 January 2008) Anticipated, the Indie and the Overlooked. The New York Times
  2. (in Danish) Natasja-portræt: Den lille fighter fra Bryggen. Politiken.dk. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  3. Bæk, Henrik. "Natasja stråler på nyt bokssæt (English: Natasha shines on new box set)". Gaffa. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  4. "Danish rapper killed in car accident in Jamaica". International Herald Tribune. Associated Press. 25 June 2007. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007.
  5. Teckemeier, Nanna Louise and Andersen, Henriette Skov (25 June 2007) Vennerne om Natasja: Det er uretfærdigt. Ekstra Bladet
  6. (in Danish) Nekrolog: Lovende dansk rapper død. Politiken.dk<. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  7. Kulturcentret Assistens
  8. Bæk, Henrik. "Natasja stråler på nyt bokssæt (English: Natasha shines on new box set)". Gaffa. Retrieved 31 July 2018.

Further reading
  • Poulsen, Rasmus; Mukupa, Karen (2010) Natasja (in Danish). Politiken. ISBN 978-87-567-8920-2.
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