Kills was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK, to an Afro-Jamaican father and Uruguayan mother, where she attended Bradford Girls' Grammar School. In addition, she studied classical drama at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She stated in a post on her blog on social website, MySpace that she grew up flying between London and Florida, where she had relatives, resulting in a mixed American and English accent.
Kills made her acting debut at age 9 in 1995 in New Voices. She had a regular role as Sima on the TV sitcom "All About Me" and also played Amy Franks in the BBC's long-running radio drama "The Archers". She began writing songs at 14, some of which were featured in films and television shows, including "Bring It On 4", "Sleepover", "Just My Luck", and "Entourage". After finishing with "The Archers" in 2003, Kills began pursuing a music career and attributes her musical breakthrough to winning a Radio 1 MC Battle in Leeds under the name "Candy Rapper" in 2003. She signed to the UK record company "Adventures in Music" and released her first single Don't Play Nice under the name Verbalicious in February 2005. Kills' told W that her childhood nickname from her mother was "Verbal" because she talked and sang a lot. She adopted the name and variations of it as her stage name at some points during her career.
While writing music for films, Kills posted her self-produced and written demo extended play, "Womannequin" on music social website MySpace in 2007 that attracted the attention of blogger Perez Hilton in 2008, her song received 2 million plays on the website and Kills reached the top of the unsigned artists chart. With offers coming in for concerts and festivals, Kills moved to Los Angeles. In LA, Kills was approached by producers, A&R and labels with contracts. A DJ introduced her to will.i.am after hearing her demo and learning that she did not have a record deal. In January 2008, will.i.am signed her to his record label, "will.i.am Music Group". She did not sign right away as she had reservations about the music industry and will.i.am had to go to London a month later to convince her to record with him. During this time she also co-wrote and appeared on They Talk Shit About Me by French recording artist M. Pokora and met underground director Guillaume Doubet, who would go on to direct many of her videos, in Paris.
Kills explained in an interview that she adopted the stage name Natalia Kills at the behest of her record company, which found "Natalia Cappuccini" hard to pronounce. She had taken on her grandmother's family name a few years prior. She explained in an interview that her stage name is based on the phrase "you killed it", and represents her tendency to be a perfectionist. Kills released her debut album "Perfectionist" in April 2011 in Germany following a top ten placing by the first single, "Mirrors". The album was described as a concept album by Kills, proving that perfection is attainable. It features production by Jeff Bhasker and Fernando Garibay, who had worked with Lady Gaga. The album was accompanied by four singles, Mirrors, Wonderland, Free and Kill My Boyfriend. The first three singles were minor hits in some European countries but failed to chart in the US or UK. Kills opened for Kelis' European All Hearts Tour, as well as supported Robyn on her Body Talk Tour in November 2010 and early 2011. She also supported Ke$ha on the UK leg of her Get Sleazy Tour. Throughout August and September 2011, Kills supported Katy Perry on her California Dreams Tour for eight dates in Europe and São Paulo, Brazil. She also opened for the Black Eyed Peas over the summer of 2011 in Europe.
Kills is featured on a Junior Caldera single, Lights Out (Go Crazy), along with Far East Movement. It was released on March 13, 2012. Kills also features in Tatana's single, You Can't Get in My Head (If You Can't Get in My Bed).
On September 5, the singer announced new video entitled "Controversy" to start the promotion of her sophomore studio album entitled Trouble that's scheduled for release early 2013 through Cherrytree and Interscope Records. She also revealed the artwork with the official viral video.
Kills called Kate Bush and Alanis Morissette her most important musical influences, highlighting them as emotional artists who wrote honestly about their own experiences. She has also gone on to cite Gwen Stefani as her hero. She also claims that Depeche Mode, Prince, Vanity 6 and Freddie Mercury inspire her live performances.
In June of 2015, Kills announced over Twitter that her next album would feature a band, and that her days as "Natalia Kills" are over. She has stated "I always wanted to start a band. I adore Hole & Garbage so that's what i'll do next. I need to go darker + wilder".
In early 2016, Sinclair started a band, Cruel Youth. Their first song, "Mr. Watson", was released on Soundcloud in February, that was then followed by "Diamond Days" in April, which was also released on iTunes. Their third single ,"Hatefuck", was released in early September along with the release of their debut EP +30mg on 16 September.
Break You Hard
Natalia Kills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ha-ha-ha
This is not a love song
Hunny if you want one better turn it off
Everything was working
Hunny when we kissed and never spoke at all
Slammin' doors and breakin' plates
Johnny boy, it's time to take it like a man-man-man
Kiss the boys and make 'em cry
Make 'em cry, make 'em cry
Don't need your heart 'cause I got mine
I got mine, I got mine
Take my love
Before I go
'Cause you should know
I'm about to break you hard
Take my love (take my love)
Before I go
'Cause you should know
I'm about to break you hard
Break you hard
Break you hard
I'm about to break you hard
Break you hard
Break you hard
I'm about to break you
Boom boom smash
Boom boom crash
Boom boom smash
Boom boom crash
Drama, drama
Call your momma
Take the caddy keys, and go
Feels like we are stuck here in a badly written TV show
Slammin' doors and breakin' plates
Somethin' else I'd rather break
Johnny boy, it's time to take it like a man-man-man
Kiss the boys and make 'em cry
Make 'em cry, make 'em cry
Don't need your heart 'cause I got mine
I got mine, I got mine
Take my love
Before I go
'Cause you should know
I'm about to break you hard
Take my love (take my love)
Before I go
'Cause you should know
I'm about to break you hard?
Break you hard
Break you hard
I'm about to break you hard
Break you hard
Break you hard
I'm about to break you (ha-ha-ha)
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
(sit down, hold still)
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
(it'll only hurt for a moment)
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
(and before you even open your eyes)
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
(I'ma break you hard)
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
(I'll be gone)
Take my love
Before I go
'Cause you should know
I'm about to break you hard
Take my love
Before I go
'Cause you should know
I'm about to break you hard
Break you hard
Break you hard
I'm about to break you hard
Break you hard
Break you hard
I'm about to break you
In "Break You Hard," Natalia Kills sets a vengeful tone as she talks about a failed relationship. She tells her former lover that she's "about to break you" with a smirk in her voice and then points out that this is not a love song. She accuses him of not being able to handle the truth about their relationship and tells him to take his punishment like a man. The chorus sees her almost taunting him, saying that she doesn't need his heart because she's got her own, and she's going to break him hard before she goes.
The song is full of symbolism, from the breaking plates and slamming doors to the lipstick, lies, and tears that represent the pain of a failed relationship. The repetition of "Boom boom smash, boom boom crash" adds to the overall feeling of things falling apart. The song ends with a spoken-word section that suggests she has already moved on and that he'll be the one left to deal with the aftermath.
Overall, "Break You Hard" is a revenge fantasy set to music. It's about standing up for oneself and refusing to be a victim in a relationship. While the lyrics may seem harsh, they ultimately empower the listener to take control of their life and move on from a failed relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm about to break you
I am going to destroy you emotionally and mentally
This is not a love song
The relationship between us is not based on love
Hunny if you want one better turn it off
If you are looking for a love song, you should stop listening to this one
Everything was working
Our relationship was functioning properly
Hunny when we kissed and never spoke at all
Our relationship was only physical and lacked emotional connection
Slammin' doors and breakin' plates
We have a lot of fights and arguments
Somethin' else I'd rather break
I would rather break something else than have another fight with you
Johnny boy, it's time to take it like a man-man-man
You need to face the consequences of your actions like a mature man
Kiss the boys and make 'em cry
I can manipulate and hurt men with my kisses and words
Don't need your heart 'cause I got mine
I do not need your love or affection because I am content with myself
Take my love
Before I go
'Cause you should know
I'm about to break you hard
This is my final act of kindness before I emotionally destroy you
Boom boom smash
Boom boom crash
The sound of our violent relationship
Drama, drama
Call your momma
Take the caddy keys, and go
Our relationship is a mess, you should call your mother and leave
Feels like we are stuck here in a badly written TV show
Our relationship is like a poorly scripted TV show with no resolution
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
(sit down, hold still)
The chaotic nature of our relationship causing emotional distress
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
(it'll only hurt for a moment)
I will hurt you, but the pain will be temporary
Lipstick, lies, tears, tragedy
(and before you even open your eyes)
I will hurt you so quickly and unexpectedly that you won't even see it coming
I'm about to break you hard (ha-ha-ha)
I am enjoying the thought of destroying you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NATALIA NOEMI CAPPUCCINI, TEDDY NATALIA NOEMI SINCLAIR, THERON OTIS FEEMSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind