Introducing Nate Vibez
A Local Original

By Fred Umayam

There are a lot of people who love to sing. Many of those people think they sing pretty well! There are others who are realistic about their singing ability and don’t even bother trying. Most karaoke singers think they sound good enough to at least get up in front of a crowd and entertain. The truth is, it does take some effort, talent, and confidence to get up and sing. Whether or not they actually sing well is determined by the listeners.

Through the nine years that I have been involved in the karaoke industry as a participant, host, promoter and writer I have seen many levels of singing talent. The usual karaoke singer can sing on tune and stay with the beat and provide entertainment to the listening audience. Every now and then, when you least expect it, you might be chatting with someone at a table or just relaxing in a lounge or bar, and you hear someone on stage that simply captivates everyone’s attention. The performer’s voice is full and dynamic and they deliver their song with passion and emotion. When they finish singing you can tell they made an impression with the crowd by the elevated response of applause and cheers. Afterwards, they are greeted personally by some of the appreciative audience.

At many karaoke bars these singers are rare. At some karaoke bars where a host may have a good following of talented singers, you may see and hear several excellent singers in one evening. That is one of the reasons why karaoke is so popular. Karaoke is simply fun and entertaining for everyone!

When I meet a singer that has a great voice and stage presence, I like to find out a little about them. Call me nosy, but I am truly interested in finding out if they perform professionally, or if they sing in a local band, or host at another bar or whatever! It’s a nice way to find out if someone is seeking a little exposure, has a singing event, concert or are recording a CD.

Last November I met a young man who intrigued me with his personality, charisma and talent. His name is Nate Vibez. Nate is not only an outstanding vocalist, he is an accomplished guitarist that writes his own music. There are only a few people that have that ability and combination. It just so happens that the style of music Nate enjoys singing is one of my favorites; R&B. While listening to his demo CD, it’s easy for me to envision Nate performing in front of a large audience and captivating everyone with his sweet, original sound. Nate has performed his music in front of audiences and recently was one of the opening performers for Jasmine Trias. Some of you may recognize Jasmine’s name, as she was one of the finalists on American Idol last year and is in the process of launching her music career.

Nate was born in Zambia, Africa and came to the U.S. when he was three years old. Singing came natural to him as he was growing up in the Auburn area, but it wasn’t until he was in high school that he started performing with singing groups and honing his musical talents with the guitar, vocals, and writing his own music. With influences like Brian McKnight, Usher, Stevie Wonder, Babyface and others, Nate has created his own niche in music style. A few years ago, he met Sir Mixalot and had a chance to talk with him about how he got started in the music business. That was a real positive experience for Nate and inspired him to continue pursuing a musical career.

Nate has sung with one of his singing groups in front of a crowd of over 2000 people. He is a young, sturdy, good looking, talented, single Filipino man. Hey, I can relate to all that… okay, I‘m not young, but five out of six isn‘t bad! The ability to compose great music however is a talent I truthfully admire. Nate and I share the same music fantasy of singing a song (self composed) in front of a large audience (20,000+), taking a pause during the middle of the song and having the audience sing along as you’re performing it. To me, it’s a fantasy, to Nate it’s more of a reality. The only question is - when is it going to happen? I’m confident that for Nate, it will be soon!

If you are a singer/performer that has aspirations of succeeding in the music industry, you must put yourself in positions where you can be properly promoted. Nate has connected himself through the proper channels. Coming Spring 2006, Nate will be releasing his first CD which is produced by Battalion Entertainment. You can check it out at www.battalion-ent.com. Battalion Entertainment’s CEO, Anthony Manahan is involved with several projects and he is thrilled to be producing talented performers like Nate Vibez.

I am fortunate to have met so many cool people in this industry, and I have established several long time friendships through the magic of karaoke. There’s a saying: “you never know who you’re gonna meet…” I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as I can, and I want you all to keep an eye out for Nate Vibez!