Photo: Eastern Eye
Natania wrote her first song at 15, in Mumbai, after a breakup — the kind of song most teenagers write once and forget. She didn't forget. A decade and a half later, she was in a studio hearing Cardi B's vocals land over a chorus she'd written. "When I first heard Cardi's voice going into my chorus, I just cried," she's said. "It was surreal."
Between those two moments sits a career most listeners never see, because for most of it, they were hearing Natania's writing in someone else's voice. A publishing deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation. A global crossover single with Nick Jonas. Songs placed in Amazon and Netflix shows. Brand campaigns for Spotify India, Apple, and Katrina Kaif's beauty line. It's the kind of résumé that usually stays invisible — and Natania has spent the last few years deliberately stepping out from behind it.
This is how a songwriter who spent over a decade writing hits for other artists finally built one of her own.
Key takeaways
- Natania Lalwani wrote her first song at 15 after a breakup, later studying at Berklee's summer program and Musicians Institute in Hollywood before building an independent songwriting career
- In April 2023, she signed a music publishing deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation; Roc Nation EVP Andrew Gould called her "a music publisher's dream"
- Her songwriting credits span Nick Jonas ("Maan Meri Jaan / Afterlife," with KING), a J Balvin songwriting camp, Amazon's "Four More Shots Please!," Netflix's "Wedding Season," and brand campaigns for Spotify India and Katrina Kaif's Kay Beauty
- She signed separately to Desi Trill, the South Asian-focused venture co-founded by Roc Nation's Ty Ty Smith, to launch her own artist project — debuting with the single "Gulzar," a tribute to lyricist Gulzar
- In February 2025, "Higher Love," featuring Natania and Subhi alongside Cardi B and DJ Khaled, released as part of the Smurfs Movie Soundtrack — the same year she was named to Rolling Stone India's Future 25
Discover songwriters and artists building careers across borders. kredl →
The Starting Point: A Breakup, a Berklee Summer, and a Move to LA
Natania started writing songs at 15, in Mumbai, after a breakup — using songwriting as a direct emotional outlet rather than a planned career move. That instinct held. She attended Berklee College of Music's summer program in 2010, then enrolled at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, moving to Los Angeles in her late teens to build a career in an industry that, unlike Mumbai's film-and-playback-singing-centric model, had an established lane specifically for songwriters who never intend to be the face of the record.
Her early catalogue as an independent artist included a debut EP, "Hope and Heartbreak," and a run of singles through the early-to-mid 2010s, with reported recognition including a VH1 India chart placement and an MTV Project Aloft Star India win — the kind of homegrown career markers that predate any of her later, bigger-name collaborations.
Building a Songwriter's Résumé Nobody Sees
For most of the years that followed, Natania's work reached audiences without her name attached to it in any visible way. She's described her early sense of that tension directly: "I think when I was first starting out I always felt like it had to be one or the other," she's said of songwriting versus performing, "but I soon realized that it was all part of who I am." Her commitment to the craft itself has been just as direct: "My love for songwriting runs so deep, I couldn't imagine doing anything else."
Photo: WION
That résumé grew to include writing contributions to Amazon Prime's "Four More Shots Please!," sync placements on Netflix's "Wedding Season" and the film "M3GAN," and brand campaign work for Spotify India's launch, Apple, Instagram, and — alongside Katrina Kaif — Lenskart and Kay Beauty. On the collaboration side, her most significant confirmed credit is "Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife)," a global crossover single with KING and Nick Jonas, which she's said became "such a global culture moment." She's also attended a songwriting camp with J Balvin, part of the same behind-the-scenes network of sessions that rarely makes headlines but shapes what ends up on the radio.
Natania, on her career commitment: "There's never been a plan B for me, it's always been tunnel vision." (Eastern Eye)
Find songwriters and collaborators for your next project. kredl →
Signing With Roc Nation
In April 2023, Natania signed a music publishing deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation — a significant marker of industry validation for a songwriter whose work had, until then, largely stayed uncredited in public conversation. Roc Nation co-founder Ty Ty Smith said at the time that she'd "surpassed all hopes and expectations," and EVP of Music Publishing Andrew Gould was direct about her appeal: "Natania is a music publisher's dream. She possesses some of the strongest pop sensibilities I have seen."
It's worth being precise about what that deal actually was: a publishing agreement, not a recording or artist deal. It secured and supported her songwriting career specifically — the deal that would eventually put her in rooms with Nick Jonas, J Balvin, and, later, Cardi B and DJ Khaled — rather than launching her as a performing artist in her own right.
Becoming an Artist: Desi Trill and "Gulzar"
Publishing success didn't automatically translate into an artist career — that required a separate signing. Natania joined Desi Trill, the South Asian-focused venture co-founded by Ty Ty Smith and Shabz Naqvi, specifically to launch her own project. Her debut solo single, "Gulzar," released via the label as a tribute to the veteran Hindi lyricist, describing what she's called "the euphoric feeling of falling in love."
How to Release a Song in India in 2026: Step-by-Step
She followed it with "Nautanki," written after what she's described as a spontaneous 2 a.m. guitar session, produced with David Bu and Subhi with additional writing from friends Aman and Zaiyd. The song later found a second life after Katrina Kaif's Kay Beauty brand discovered it through "Gulzar" and licensed it for a bridal campaign — a direct example of how a songwriter's instinct for a catchy, emotionally specific hook can travel well beyond a single release. "They merge because that's who I am at my core," she's said of blending Indian classical instrumentation with contemporary pop production, "both these cultures and sounds."
Connect with labels and collaborators who back independent artist projects. kredl →
"Higher Love": Cardi B, DJ Khaled, and a Global Soundtrack Moment
Natania's biggest visibility moment to date came in February 2025, with "Higher Love" — a Desi Trill single featuring Natania and Subhi alongside Cardi B and DJ Khaled, released for the Smurfs Movie Soundtrack. The track reworks Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" into a new interpolation, with Subhi singing in Punjabi and Natania contributing vocals and writing.
It's a genuinely unusual credit for an Indian songwriter — a chorus co-written by a Mumbai-born artist, sung in part by one of the biggest names in American hip-hop, on a major studio film soundtrack. That same year, Natania was named to Rolling Stone India's Future 25, with a tagline that captures the shape of her whole career so far: "India's quietest songwriter just went global."
Natania, on hearing Cardi B sing over her chorus: "When I first heard Cardi's voice going into my chorus, I just cried. It was surreal." (Rolling Stone India, 2025)
What's Next
Rolling Stone India's 2025 profile referenced further collaborations in progress with artists including Awich, A$AP Ferg, and RZA — forward-looking mentions rather than confirmed releases as of this writing. Whatever comes next, Natania has been consistent about what she's actually chasing. "I don't want to be viral," she's said. "I want to be remembered."
What Other Songwriters Can Take From Natania's Approach
A songwriting career and an artist career don't have to compete — they can build on each other. Natania's solo work draws directly on the same pop instincts that made her valuable as a writer for other artists, rather than requiring a reinvention.
Formal training plus a decade of unglamorous work is a real foundation. A Berklee summer program and Musicians Institute study gave her tools; the years of independent releases, brand campaign writing, and uncredited sync work gave her the reps that eventually landed a Roc Nation deal.
A publishing deal and an artist deal are different things — pursue both deliberately. Natania's Roc Nation publishing signing and her separate Desi Trill artist signing show that a songwriter's business needs can require more than one kind of deal, timed differently.
A song's second life can matter as much as its first. "Nautanki" wasn't written for a beauty brand, but its emotional specificity made it findable and reusable — a reminder that a genuinely well-written song keeps generating opportunities long after release.
Build a profile that shows your full body of work — writing credits included. kredl →
Meet India's Next Generation of Music Talent: 25 Artists to Watch in 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Natania?
Natania (Natania Lalwani) is a Mumbai-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter who built over a decade of songwriting credits — including collaborations connected to Nick Jonas and a J Balvin songwriting camp — before signing a publishing deal with Roc Nation in 2023 and launching her own artist project via Desi Trill. She was named to Rolling Stone India's Future 25 in 2025.
What songs has Natania written for other artists?
Her most-cited flagship songwriting credit is "Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife)," a global crossover single with KING and Nick Jonas. She has also contributed to Amazon Prime's "Four More Shots Please!," Netflix's "Wedding Season," the film "M3GAN," and brand campaigns for Spotify India and Katrina Kaif's Kay Beauty.
What is "Higher Love"?
"Higher Love" is a February 2025 single featuring Natania and Subhi alongside Cardi B and DJ Khaled, released via Desi Trill for the Smurfs Movie Soundtrack. It reworks Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth," with Subhi singing in Punjabi and Natania contributing vocals and writing.
What's the difference between Natania's Roc Nation and Desi Trill deals?
Her Roc Nation deal, signed in April 2023, is a music publishing agreement supporting her songwriting career. Her separate signing to Desi Trill — a South Asian-focused venture co-founded by Roc Nation's Ty Ty Smith — launched her own artist project, starting with the debut single "Gulzar."
What is Natania's debut single as a solo artist?
"Gulzar," released via Desi Trill, is her debut solo single — a tribute to Hindi lyricist Gulzar, which she's described as capturing "the euphoric feeling of falling in love." She followed it with "Nautanki."
Natania's career is a reminder that the most influential people in music are often the ones whose names never make it onto the poster. She spent over a decade writing hooks for other artists' voices before deciding — deliberately, and on her own timeline — to put her own name on the credits too. Given how long the first act took, "India's quietest songwriter just went global" reads less like a sudden arrival and more like a long-overdue correction.
Find your next collaborator, manager, or creative partner in India's music industry. kredl →