Ultra Naté

The BMA is proud to welcome Baltimore music icon Ultra Naté as its second Alice and Franklin Cooley Composer in Residence. Internationally celebrated as a singer, songwriter, DJ, and producer, Naté has spent more than three decades shaping the worlds of electronic, dance, and pop music while building connections across genres and audiences.

Drawing on her expansive musical practice, which spans house, soul, disco, electro-pop, R&B, hip-hop, and rock, Naté is developing new work inspired by the BMA’s collection. The residency has already inspired production of her forthcoming album, Voyeur, buoyed by the global success of her current #1 collaboration, “Movin’ To The Sun” with HUGEL and Imael Angel.

This residency offers a unique opportunity to experience how one of Baltimore’s most influential artists engages with visual art, creating original music that reflects her creative vision, innovation, and enduring impact on contemporary culture.

Ultra Naté debuted in 1989 with the underground favorite “It’s Over Now,” followed by her influential 1990 album Blue Notes in the Basement. Among the first house artists to sign a major-label deal with Warner Music UK, she went on to build an acclaimed catalogue of dance-floor classics including “Twisted,” “Automatic, Party Girl,” “Found a Cure, How Long (Ultra Flava),” and the international Top 10 hit “If You Could Read My Mind.” Her enduring anthem “Free”—celebrated for its message of liberation—marked its 25th anniversary in 2022 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Pride and Ibiza anthems of all time.

Ultra Naté has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, from international festivals and Pride celebrations to New York City’s Lincoln Center, Wembley Stadium, and the Ibiza Classics tour with Pete Tong, Jules Buckley, and the Heritage Orchestra. Named one of Billboard magazine’s Greatest of All Time Top Dance Artists, she also holds three entries among the publication’s Greatest of All Time Top 10 Dance Club Songs. A trailblazing cultural figure and beloved icon of the global Dance and LGBTQI+ communities, her music continues to resonate across generations.