Natti Natasha isn’t holding back in her new series, Everybody Loves Natti, which will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime starting Friday (Nov. 19).
“Before, I couldn’t really say anything about my life, but suddenly I’m saying everything,” the Dominican Republic chart-topping artist says during her six-episode series. And transparency is a resounding theme in Everybody Loves Natti: the “Criminal” singer discusses her humble beginnings (which included hustling as an undocumented immigrant in New York) and proves that being a mom will not handicap her career. “Being a woman and being pregnant isn’t something that has to stop me,” she says.
The docuseries is an all-access pass for fans to become a fly on the wall and follow Natasha’s personal and professional life. Natasha shares never-before-told stories about her relationship with her manager, Raphy Pina; dreams of moguldom; and her journey to becoming pregnant. Mona Scott-Young, producer of the Love & Hip Hop franchise, serves as series creator and executive producer, along with executive producers Natasha and Pina.
Below are 10 things we learned from watching Natasha’s ultra-personal series, Everybody Loves Natti.
1. Post-“Dutty Love”
Natasha’s big break was scoring a feature on Don Omar‘s 2012 hit “Dutty Love,” which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart. But afterwards, she felt stuck. “I was just trying, trying, trying and nothing was happening for me,” she says in the series’ first episode. That lasted until 2016, when she “reconnected with Raphy Pina from Pina Records and in 2018 he became my manager. When we started working together, that’s when things really took off.”
2. Sister-sister
Natasha gushes about how close she and her older sister Virginia are. “She’s been my best friend since I was born,” the singer says. “I remember we wanted to sing English songs so bad when we were both little girls, and that’s how we actually learned how to speak English. She was gonna act and I was going to be a singer. That was the plan.”
3. Leaving the Dominican Republic
In 2009, Natasha left her family and friends in the DR and emigrated to New York. “It was crazy at the beginning — my parents didn’t want me to leave, but time was running by and I had to get my things going,” she recalls. “Once I was in New York, they would call and ask me, ‘Are you okay?’ And I’d say, ‘I’m super good.’ But the reality was I didn’t have s–t, didn’t have a place to stay or nothing to eat. It was horrible. I was undocumented, so it was hard to get a job. And if I left back to the DR, I knew I wouldn’t come back.”
4. Crossing over
While she’s already a star in the Latin market, Natasha hopes to not only expand her reach with her music, but also expand her brand and become a multi-hyphenate. “I still need to take more steps to get to different parts of the world and sing in English,” she says. “The reason it’s so important for me to transition into the U.S. market and cross over is not because I’m not happy of what I’ve accomplished, it’s me being able to be a female representing the Latin community in different parts of the world. I want Natti to be a household name in all markets. Of course still remain strong in the Spanish market but reach other markets too.”
5. Love interests
Natasha doesn’t hold back in the series when talking about the rumors surrounding her dating life. “If I collaborate with someone, I’m automatically linked to them. I have like 20 boyfriends at this point, but I’m with Raphy Pina,” she explains. “It’s frustrating having to deal with the rumors. With one little button I could have said it’s not true, this is who I’m dating. We were waiting for the right moment, but I was dying to tell the world about my relationship.”
6. Becoming a mother
“I’ve always wanted to have a family. If you knew how hard it’s been to make that dream come true because imagine a doctor telling you you can’t have children? They told me that I would never have kids,” she confesses. “But seeing my baby for the first time [in an ultrasound] was one of the weirdest moments in my life. It was moving, like if it was dancing or something.”
Natasha goes on to explain how she felt knowing she might never have children. “I felt like I was failing [Raphy] and my family,” she says. “But God had the perfect plan. This part of my life couldn’t be private because many women need to hear about my situation.”
7. Baby bump reveal
After hiding her relationship and pregnancy, Natasha was ready to reveal all her secrets. “I want to tell everyone once and for all, but I’m worried about what people will say because it’s a huge moment for me,” she explains. “As a professional and a human, I’m growing so I don’t want anything to happen. I really need this performance to be perfect. Then I’ll be able to feel free. I will finally get to tell the world how extremely happy I am.” She showed off baby bump for the first time earlier this year at her 2021 Premio Lo Nuestro performance alongside Prince Royce.
8. A “dream” campaign
Over the summer, Natasha teamed up with MAC Cosmetics for her first-ever beauty collaboration that also featured Brazilian superstar Pabllo Vittar and launched in Mexico and Brazil. “Getting this MAC campaign is a dream come true. It will help my brand go global. That was the next step toward getting Natti known in other cultures. This is a whole other field.”
9. Performing while pregnant
As Natasha waited for the arrival of her precious Vida Isabelle, she worked nonstop, booking performances left and right. “I am a bit nervous because I want to do a good job. I want to give everything I can. Fans deserve it but then I have to rest so the baby won’t be stressed,” she says in the series. “And I’m tired of people without a medical degree giving me an opinion about not being able to do this or that. I’m here trying to do the best I can. Doing what I love while pregnant with this baby that I wanted so much. I’m just enjoying the moment.”
10. A bucket-list moment
Crossing off one of the things on her bucket list, Natasha made her debut on a late-night show when she performed “Ram Pam Pam” with Becky G on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The performance took place just days before she gave birth. “It’s another level, representing the urban, Latinos, reggaeton, to me it’s a dream come true,” she says. “I’m feeling blessed. There’s doors open already for other little girls that want to make this happen in the future. And I felt a huge responsibility of showing these girls that it can happen while you’re pregnant. When you call it, you get it. You just have to be ready for it. We’re getting what we always deserve. Now I feel like I can go have the baby.”
