Natasha Khan

Michael* · May 1, 2008

Natasha Khan

Natasha Khan was born to an English mother, and a Pakistani father. Part of the eminent family of squash-playing Khans, her early childhood was spent travelling the world following her father who trained the Pakistani squash team, summers in Pakistan, and the rest of the time in Hertfordshire. She had a strict religious upbringing until her parents separated, when she was eleven years old. In an interview with Wikinews, Khan said she no longer speaks to the Pakistani side of her family.

Khan graduated in music and visual arts; while at university her experimental work was influenced by artists such as Steve Reich and Susan Hiller, and she produced multi-media work centred on sound installations, animations and performance. She went on to work as a nursery-school teacher, and it was during this period that she began writing the material for her first album. "Whenever I'm writing music it's a very visual place in my mind," said Khan. "It has a location full of characters and colors and landscapes, so those two things really compliment each other, and they help the other one to blossom and support the other. They are like brother and sister."

Her debut single, "The Wizard", was released digitally through DiS records and on seven inch through Khan's own imprint, She Bear Records. She then signed to the record label Echo, alongside Feeder and Róisín Murphy, and released her debut album, Fur and Gold, on 11 September 2006.

Bat for Lashes' music has been likened to the work of Björk, Thom Yorke, Cat Power, Tori Amos, and Kate Bush. Thom Yorke has also complimented her work.

In 2007, Bat for Lashes appeared at Glastonbury and toured the USA. On 17 July the album Fur and Gold was announced as one of the albums nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize. Despite being the favourite to win, by both the bookies and the pundits —and after performing the song "Horse and I" at the ceremony held at London's Grosvenor House and presented by Jools Holland on Tuesday 4 September 2007— Bat for Lashes lost out to rank outsiders, the Klaxons.

She has already written her second album and will begin recording it in 2008.

Bat for Lashes Official Site

Myspace Profile

Discography