Ultra Naté

American singer, songwriter, and producer Ultra Naté Wyche, or simply Ultra Naté, was born on March 20, 1968, in Havre de Grace, Maryland. As a child, she showed a natural talent for singing, and soon began incorporating her influences (such as Marvin Gaye and Boy George) into her own songwriting. Ultra Naté signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1991 and released her debut album Blue Notes in the Basement, featuring singles such as “It’s Over Now,” “Is It Love,” and “Rejoicing.” The album included production by American house music production team Basement Boys. In 1993, they collaborated again for Ultra Naté’s second studio album, One Woman’s Insanity, which also included production work by Nellee Hooper and D-Influence. Ultra Naté left Warner Bros. for the independent dance label Strictly Rhythm, releasing her single “Free” in 1997. “Free” was Ultra Naté’s biggest mainstream hit, peaking at Number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the UK, the song was even bigger, hitting Number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. Ultra Naté’s album Situation: Critical (1997) would also have considerable success in the UK, hitting Number 17 on the UK Albums Chart. Her album Stranger Than Fiction followed in 2001. Over the next few years, she would collaborate with artists such as Gaudino and Stonebridge, whose single “Freak On” – featuring vocals by Ultra Naté – was a club hit in 2005. Ultra Naté kept releasing albums such as Grime, Silk, & Thunder (2007) and Hero Worship (2013) while performing extensively all over the world. In 2017, Ultra Naté released a collaboration album titled Ultra Naté & Quentin Harris as Black Stereo Faith, which reached the iTunes Top 10 chart.