Atlas began her career as part of the world fusion group Transglobal Underground. In 1995, she began to focus on her solo career with the release of Diaspora. She has since released seven solo albums and been a part of numerous collaborations. Her version of "Mon Amie La Rose" became a surprise success in France, reaching 16 on the French Singles Charts in 1999. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Conference Against Racism.
Exploding onto the scene in the early 1990s, Atlas rapidly gained widespread recognition for her successful pioneering meld of Western and Eastern musics, specifically, her use of cutting-edge electronic beats with Arabic melodies and instrumentation. After several releases with Nation Records and a string of albums fronting the seminal Transglobal Underground, she debuted with Diaspora (1994). Atlas then followed with Gedida (Beggar’s Banquet) which won the Victoire Award; the rest, as they say, is history.
Her critically-acclaimed albums Ana Hina (2007) and Mounqaliba (2010), have represented a radical evolution of Atlas’s artistic horizons. On both, Atlas combines her hallmark synthesis of Western and Middle Eastern musical traditions and culture with classical and jazz influences and sounds. Indeed, on Mounqaliba, she pushed the boundaries further, producing an album lavishly orchestrated by her long-time collaborator Samy Bishai.
In addition to her own projects, Atlas has worked extensively with an eclectic group of distinguished artists across a wide variety of musical genres including: pop (Peter Gabriel, Sinead O’Connor, Indigo Girls, and Jean-Michel Jarre); classical (Nigel Kennedy, Jocelyn Pook); jazz (Nigel Kennedy); film scores (Danny Elfman, Clint Mansell, David Arnold, Harry Gregson-Williams, Rachel Portman); and world music (Nitin Sawhney, Transglobal Underground, Talvin Singh).
Atlas’s distinctive voice has also featured on a wide number of soundtracks and scores for both films and video games, including Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Hulk (2003), Sex and the City 2 (2010), Stargate (1994), The Truth About Charlie (2002), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002), Brick Lane (2007), Sahara (2005), I Can’t Think Straight (2008), La Fille Sur Le Pont (1999), Whatever Lola Wants (2007), Bin-Jip (a.k.a. 3-Iron, English title) (2004); and Heavenly Sword (2007); Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005); Project Gotham Racing 4 (2007).
Atlas recently co-composing the music, together with Samy Bishai, for the internationally-renowned French contemporary ballet choreographer, Angelin Preljocaj. The ballet, entitled, Les Nuits will be touring internationally through to 2015. The soundtrack of the music – also entitled Les Nuits - is Atlas’s 2nd release on Mazeeka Records.
This Realm
Natacha Atlas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was like a kiss
And I embrace
This breath of his.
This breath of his (x2)
Was like a kiss (x2)
And I embrace
Before I embrace
This ocean of life (light?),
Before I embrace
This realm of love,
How many stones
Have I do go through?
Before I reach?
Before I feel?
The lyrics to Natacha Atlas’s song This Realm speak to the idea of embracing love and life. Through a metaphor of a kiss, the singer describes how she embraces the breath of her lover, likening it to her soul. She then goes on to discuss the challenges that come with embracing life and love - asking how many stones she must go through before she can feel and reach the fullness of love and life.
The repetition of the phrase “this breath of his” emphasizes the connection between the singer and her lover. The use of the kiss metaphor is powerful as it conveys a sense of intimacy and tenderness. The singer sees her soul as an extension of this embrace and suggests that her soul is deeply intertwined with her lover’s. The last stanza is a reflection on the journey towards love and how it often feels like a difficult path.
Line by Line Meaning
As if my soul
My innermost being
Was like a kiss
Was full of tenderness and affection
And I embrace
I wholeheartedly accept
This breath of his.
This essence of him that I perceive
This breath of his (x2)
This essence of him that I perceive (repeated)
Was like a kiss (x2)
Was full of tenderness and affection (repeated)
And I embrace
I wholeheartedly accept
This realm of his.
This domain or state of being that is uniquely his
Before I embrace
Prior to my wholehearted acceptance
This ocean of life (light?),
This vast and powerful force of existence (or enlightenment)
Before I embrace
Prior to my wholehearted acceptance
This realm of love,
This state of being characterized by affection and connection
How many stones
How many obstacles or challenges
Have I do go through?
Do I need to overcome?
Before I reach?
Before I attain?
Before I feel?
Before I experience?
Contributed by Aubrey T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.