When Trinidad & Tobago-born Natalie Exora arrived in Toronto to pursue her passion for music, she built the foundations of an exciting career collaborating with JUNO-winning artists and opening for a slew of high-profile acts. But it wasn’t until she received a life-changing piece of advice from Canadian guitar legend, Rik Emmett of Triumph, that would set her on a completely new and exciting course in just four words: “You need to sing.”
And sing she has, lending her deep, rich, classical voice to two singles released last year. The first of these, “What Are You Waiting For?”, is a formidable debut, setting the tone for Exora’s signature introspective lyrics paired with a chill, synth-pop vibe. Her second single, “Perfect”, is a ballad reminiscent of early-‘90s dream-pop that has drawn comparisons to Madonna.
For her third single– and first double-A side, “Nightlight”/“Nightlight (the Flipside)”, out now, Exora tackles the subject of motherhood – something the mother of four is very familiar with. The single is an EDM-laced pop power ballad that puts one in mind of latter-career Celine Dion, with robust vocals accompanied by a high-energy beat and sumptuous instrumentals.
The song is only one side of motherhood, though. As Exora explains, “Motherhood…is simply ‘too big’ to be contained and expressed one way. You are the ultimate Protector. This culminates in my artistically original idea of expressing the theme two ways, through one song musically.”
To this end, and in a breakthrough approach, Exora recorded the track as a double-sided single: Side A being the original EDM-pop song, and Side B featuring a stripped-down, piano-only version which she aptly calls “Nightlight (the Flipside).”
“The A-Side, ‘Nightlight’, is energetic, fierce and fun; it represents the outside view we feel safe showing the world. The B-Side, ‘Nightlight (the Flipside)’, is vulnerable and emotional; it’s the inside view that only a few will get to see,” Exora says. “‘Nightlight’ is one song, two sides. It’s a musical glimpse into two perspectives of being a Protector, but most of all, ‘Nightlight’ is about love.”
