Natalia Clavier

Memorably showcased as a guest vocalist on Federico Aubele’s Panamericana (2007), Argentine newcomer Natalia Clavier proceeded to pursue a recording career of her own the following year on ESL Music, the label of Thievery Corporation. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Clavier grew up in a household filled with music, as her mother enjoyed everything from North American soul/R&B to Spanish singer/songwriters to classical. In time, Clavier became inspired by jazz, particularly the work of Sarah Vaughan, and began pursuing a career as a professional jazz singer. Her ambitions took her from Buenos Aires to Barcelona, Spain, where she made the rounds as a performer and eventually crossed paths with producer/musician/songwriter Federico Aubele, a fellow Argentine expatriate from Buenos Aires, who had recently experienced a wave of international acclaim with the release of his debut album, Gran Hotel Buenos Aires (2004), on Thievery Corporation’s ESL Music label. At his invitation, Aubele and Clavier began performing and ultimately touring together, and she contributed vocals to his second album, Panamericana (2007), also released by ESL Music. Thievery Corporation producer Eric Hilton was impressed not only by Clavier’s singing but also by a ten-song demo of hers recorded with Aubele, and so he elected to produce her debut album, Nectar (2008), and release it on ESL Music. ~ Jason Birchmeier