On the edge of stardom

Natalie Ramsay, a Faculty of Music student, tops Philippines’ radio charts

William O’Donnell, staff

What started as a simple tune written for a young girl’s father’s wedding turned into a Top 10 hit on a major Filipino radio station. Written and performed by U of M’s own Natalie Ramsay, the song “Broken Pieces of My Heart” peaked at number three on the chart at 97.7 Bambi FM in San Jose and became the station’s top-requested song during its run on the air. Later, the amount of attention this first single received spawned a second release, entitled “Take My Hand Forever Hold,” which ascended to number one on the Top 20 charts in the Philippines in 2007.

I asked Natalie about what her reaction was to this surprising circumstance, and she told me, “When my dad phoned me from the Philippines telling me that one of my songs was number three on the charts, I was just shocked. I didn’t actually think that people would notice or like the songs that much! Even though it has been months since then, it still hasn’t really hit me because it is happening so far away.” 

I asked Natalie about how this all began. It turns out her father, whom Natalie calls her “inspiration and biggest supporter,” was living with his new wife in a small town of the Philippines and sometime in that summer “he brought my demo to the [97.7 Bambi FM] station, and they aired a few of the songs to see what the public would think.”

Natalie has never visited the Philippines, but said that she plans to do so in the near future. “I have been offered a contract, but they want me to cover a few songs from the Philippines first. Nothing has been discussed yet, but I am hoping to go there in the future and do a mini tour in a few cities. If all goes well, then I am hoping to have a record contract with Ivory Records in the Philippines in the next couple of years,” Natalie told me.

In her first year of studies at the University of Manitoba, Natalie has officially been enrolled in the Faculty of Music to study as a voice major while also taking some additional theatre courses. “I am loving both theatre and music!” Natalie tells me with her characteristic chipperness, “I think I am a little better at singing than I am at acting but I plan on working towards both of them.” Natalie also confessed that her “biggest love” is musical theatre and that her ultimate dream is to star in a Broadway production.

I asked Natalie about how she plans on balancing school and her musical career. Natalie explained, “Because the contract has only been offered under certain circumstances, it is going to take a good chunk of time for it to actually happen. At the moment, I am really focusing on school and writing and recording new songs.”

While Natalie studies the Filipino language and dreams of her name in lights along Broadway, her life seems to be at the cusp of greatness. For those that want to hear the songs that got her this sudden attention you can find them at Cdbaby.com; just do a search of her name to purchase the album or listen to some sample songs. As well, the album will be released to HMV Kildonan Place and other select independent music stores in town next year.