Music careers can start without a degree, a label or industry connections, says singer Natasha Ramos. She gave up music after she could not afford her dream school, then returned to it years later and built an urban Latin career with a small team. In this conversation with Jeremy Van Wert, she explains what brought her back and what she tells young singers.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Natasha says a music degree is not required: she does not have one, and she credits perseverance, determination and belief in your craft.
- She suggests daily vocal practice of at least 30 minutes, with YouTube as a free vocal coach if you cannot afford one.
- Natasha advises young singers to post short covers, write a new verse over an existing song and put their work out even if critics show up.
- She says yes to collaborations no matter how many followers the other artist has, because every opportunity introduces her to someone new.
- Her morning gratitude practice, listing ten things before she picks up her phone, is what she credits for her optimistic mindset.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠCan you start a music career without a degree or connections?
Natasha Ramos says yes. She is a Venezuelan-born, Miami-raised singer who says she has no label and no manager, and she does not have a music degree. Jeremy calls the idea that you need a diploma a false barrier, since many successful musicians learned by playing.
Natasha agrees and says she was taught that you need a degree to do anything. Looking back, she says she wishes she could tell her younger self not to quit. What matters, in her view, is perseverance, determination and belief in your craft and message.
Natasha describes her team as small: a producer known as DJ Breezy, a young videographer who makes her music videos, and herself handling everything else. If you are building something of your own and want people around you who get it, the Mindful Mutiny community is a place for real conversation.
ᚢFrom the French horn to the stage: how Natasha found her voice
Natasha was born in Venezuela and moved to Miami with her mother at age five. She says she was the child singing Shakira and JLo songs at family parties. In middle school she wanted to play saxophone, but because her last name starts with R, she says, the French horn was what was left.
The horn showed her that she wanted to be at the front of the stage, and it led her to chorus. She auditioned into a high school vocal program, studied classical music and musical theater, and received an award for most likely to succeed in music.
She is open about the fear that came with it. The first time she sang in front of an audience, she says, she sang one word, put the microphone on the floor and ran off the stage. Learning to control her nerves, with help from a music professor she is still in touch with, built her confidence.
ᚦWhen the dream school was out of reach: a setback and a restart
Natasha planned to study classical music and become an opera singer. She was accepted into the University of Miami's school of music, the only music program that accepted her, but the cost was far beyond what her single mother could manage. Natasha says her mom sat her down to explain, and that she took the news hard.
She says she was angry at the world rather than at her mother, and she stepped away from music entirely. She stopped singing, even at her church, and told her college friends nothing about it. After trying journalism and accounting, she chose public relations on a counselor's suggestion.
After graduation she took a job unrelated to music and found herself unhappy. She calls it a dark stretch of anxiety. If something like that sounds familiar, Jeremy offers individual therapy and ADHD coaching for high achievers.
ᚨThe Facebook memory that brought her back to music
The turning point came when Facebook showed Natasha a memory: an electronic song she wrote with a friend at age 15. She says she remembered how it felt to write it and to imagine performing it, and decided to give music another try. That was the beginning of what she calls now.
She opened a YouTube channel, posted covers and auditioned for cover bands. Two Miami cover bands took her on, and she began getting paid to perform. Her first run-through at an outdoor mall in Miami included two Selena songs, and she describes the crowd singing along as the moment she knew she would pursue music for real.
Jeremy calls what she is doing a sign of how versatile an artist can be. If you are also stuck between a plan and a passion, a private 30-minute conversation with Jeremy is a way to talk through the next step.
ᚱHow the pandemic helped Natasha find her sound
Natasha was working two jobs when the pandemic hit and left her without one. She says she used the time to work out who she wanted to be as a singer. She first tried a Latin pop band, and while she credits that experience with pushing her to write more, she realized she wanted a different sound.
In 2020 her boyfriend introduced her to DJ Breezy, a Miami producer. She says the moment she played him a reference beat, she knew he was the person who understood what she wanted. Together they explored urban Latin music, Brazilian funk, dembow and, more recently, salsa and Afrobeats.
Her song Sugar Daddy is a dembow track. She says she was inspired by her work as a bartender and by luxury places her college friend took her. At a show in Wynwood, she says, the crowd did not speak Spanish but recorded her anyway.
ᚲOvercoming the fear of failing and building a gratitude practice
Natasha says her biggest struggle was the fear of failing, partly because some relatives doubted that anyone makes money in music without an investor or connections. She says she now believes that if she fails she will get back up and try again. She credits the milestones of her first three years, including performing in Times Square and a showcase in Las Vegas, with raising her confidence. These achievements are her own account.
She also credits a gratitude practice that began during the pandemic. Each morning, before she opens Instagram or TikTok, she names ten things she is grateful for, and through the day she notices small things such as a helpful cashier. She says manifesting and gratitude changed her life, and that her boyfriend became a believer after trying it himself.
These are Natasha's beliefs and experiences, and no result is promised. If her story raises questions about your own path, Jeremy can give you a straight read on whether therapy and retreat work suits you.
ᚷAdvice for young singers: practice, post and say yes
For high school students interested in music, Natasha recommends vocal exercises for at least 30 minutes a day, and says YouTube can serve as a vocal coach. She suggests posting 30-second covers on YouTube or Instagram, and practicing songwriting by writing your own verse over an existing song. Do not be afraid of haters, she says, because having them means you are doing something right.
She also urges saying yes to collaborations, even from artists with only a hundred followers. In her view every opportunity puts you in front of someone new.
She admits that being the opening act is a struggle for a new artist, since she has sometimes sung to about ten people. Her advice to her future self is to stay humble, stay grateful and not forget the people who were there from the beginning.
Natasha shares her personal experience, including a period of anxiety after college, and her beliefs about gratitude and manifesting. If you are struggling, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional or your local emergency services.
ᚨ Questions people ask
Do you need a degree to have a music career?
Natasha says no. She has no music degree and says what matters is perseverance, determination and belief in your craft and message. Jeremy adds that most of the most successful people in music did not learn it at a university.
How can you start a music career with no connections?
Natasha began by posting covers on YouTube, auditioning for cover bands and taking on paid performances. She also says to say yes to collaborations, since every opportunity introduces you to someone new.
How do you overcome stage fright?
Natasha says she built confidence over time through chorus and musical theater, and she had to learn to control her nerves the hard way. She says she no longer feels the fear as strongly.
What should young singers practice every day?
Natasha recommends at least 30 minutes of vocal exercises daily. She suggests YouTube if you cannot afford a coach, and says to put out short covers on social media.