Eager to reward her fans with new music, Dominican reggaeton superstar Natti Natasha released her latest album — NASTY SINGLES — in late 2023. The drop was a surprise and a welcome one, at that. Containing 10 previously released songs and six new tracks, Nasty Singles is somewhat of a compilation that Natti compares to an “assembled puzzle” because of the way music is released in this streaming era of non-stop singles.
A new mother and entrepreneur, Natti’s Nasty Singles strongly reflects the empowerment that she felt through the combination of motherhood and maturity. The songs are “nasty” in a way that takes ownership of a term that’s been famously used as a pejorative toward empowered women. They celebrate independence, inner strength, courage, conviction, and all facets of emotion that motherhood imparts.
Not only is Natti in her nasty phase but she’s also reflecting on the cultural influences that have shaped her music and her life – growing up in the Dominican Republic and having that pride, recording most of the album in Puerto Rico, and also the Mexican DNA of the modern Latin sound. Her music is centralized around the pulsating rhythms of Reggaeton but also incorporates Cumbia, Bachata, R&B, Dembow, and Afrobeat — creating a dynamic musical melange.
In short, it’s nasty in the best ways — which could also be said about Natti Natasha’s snacking habits. The artist views herself as more of a snacker than a meal-eater. So we dove deep into her favorite foods, as well as the cultures celebrated on Nasty Singles, and — in the process — found out that Dorito’s and Oreo’s eaten together is apparently a thing.
Let’s get right down to it – what snacks are on your rider?
Cashews, peanuts, almonds for sure. I don’t like salt [on nuts], but they always put them with salt. Cheese, any type of cheese, or different cheeses. Strawberries, sometimes I eat them, sometimes I don’t. Grapes. And… I think that’s it.
And definitely some junk food, like some potato chips. You never know when it’s a good day to have junk food.
That’s right. You mentioned a lot of different snacks just now. Would you say that you are more into sweet or savory snacks?
I mix it actually. For example, I eat at the same time — I mix Doritos and Oreo.
Whoa.
Whoa, right?
Together? You eat them together?
Together
That is crazy.
The best. It’s the best. Trust me.
Wow — I’ll have to try it and circle back. Would you say that you have a time of day when you’re snacking, or does it just depend on what’s going on?
I think I’m a snacker, instead of a sit-down eater.
Oh, so you don’t eat a lot of whole meals, but you eat a lot of snacks throughout the day?
I’m a snacker. That’s it. This is why I’m so excited about this conversation.
Your latest project NASTY SINGLES was partially recorded in the Dominican Republic, some songs were recorded in Puerto Rico, some in Mexico. Being from the Dominican Republic, does each culture have the same types of snacks, or do they all have different specialties in each of those places?
Well, just like my album, NASTY SINGLES, each song and each place has a different flavor and different snacks. For example, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico have kind of the same cheese. Well, actually, in Mexico too, but the flavors are different.
Something that I would get in Mexico as a snack, and not in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico — I think I would just eat corn. I know it’s weird, but they make it really good sometimes, with some spicy stuff. And that will probably be a snack for me in Mexico, and not in the Dominican Republic.
Like elote or something like street corn?
Yeah, yeah, like street corn, that would be something that I wouldn’t do in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, I would have a coconut. You’re in the streets, you get a coconut, right?
Right. And what about in DR?
You just drink the water, or you eat the inside (of the coconut). In the Dominican Republic, you get an empanada, which is like a patty. That’s how you call it.
Cool. I’m sure you travel a lot between touring. Is there a snack when you check in somewhere, that you have to have in your hotel?
Cashews, and a little bit of chocolate.
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Is there something that you’d be excited about if you’re like, “Oh my gosh, they have this in the mini-bar!” — I mean, besides the cashews and chocolate, is there anything that you’d be excited about?
Yeah, wine. Does it count as snacks or not?
I don’t know if it counts, but it goes well with snacks. When you’re in the studio, is there a different type of snack that you like that gives you energy, creative juice, or anything like that?
Well, when I was making “Ya No Te Extrano”, which was actually in Puerto Rico, one of the snacks that I had there a lot was chips. I know it’s not healthy at all, but I was having chips. Like the plantain chips — that’s the Puerto Rican feeling right there.
With “Tu Perrota” I was having a lot of protein bars. Does that even count as a snack? I think so. “Perrota” is like… Well, the meaning that it has in the song is how good I feel. How fucking amazing I look and I feel inside out. So, when I want to look good, and I’m training, I always take care of what I eat. But when I go really, really in, then that’s a go-to snack [i.e. protein bars]. So, that’s when I really feel “Perrota.”
What’s your favorite protein bar?
Are they going to pay me? It’s Quest. The Quest Protein Bars.
I was going to ask you later, if you could be an ambassador for any snack brand, what would that be?
Listen, I love Quest Bar. I would love to be a Quest Bar ambassador. I would like to be a plantain chip ambassador, just because it represents the Caribbean so much, that I feel like it would be something interesting and funny in a way.
I’m Dominican, so it’s like, we have plantains everywhere in the Dominican Republic, so it will be kind of funny. And I feel like having that twist, being super clean eating, and then going to a plantain chip situation, really involves everything that the album represents. The different genres, the different feelings on each song. I feel like the variety.
Is there a food that everyone has to try when they visit the Dominican Republic that they wouldn’t get in the US, or maybe they wouldn’t be able to find that easily?
I would say it’s more the beer over there. But we could say Pastelon with the yellow plantain. But for the mashed plantain, is the green one. So you put that with some amazing onions. You cook them a little bit with vinegar and olive oil if you want. I’m vegetarian, but we put it with salami over there, and cheese. I don’t eat the salami, but I eat the cheese and the onion and the Mangu. It’s like Mofongo, but it’s boiled, and Mofongo is fried.
So you get the difference — Puerto Rico’s fried, and then Dominican Republic is the boiled one.
I know you mentioned earlier that you like chocolate and junk food, and Doritos and Oreos together. What are some other guilty pleasure snacks that you really like?
Well, I really, really, really, really like white chocolate. That’s my favorite, favorite, favorite. I think that that’s pretty much what I go to when I want to…
Splurge?
Yeah, that’s the main, the main.
And then what’s something that some people may find gross or nasty, using words from your album, that you like, but other people might say, “Oh, that’s nasty”?
I love that. Well, actually, when I make the Doritos and the Oreos, a lot of people don’t find the magic in that. So, to me, that’s weird. Do you know the lentils?
Yeah, of course.
I put banana into it. Some people love it, and some people are like, “Eww.” And I’m like, “No, yummy.” I say, that’s “Yummy Nasty.” Yeah. The gas works with it, so you can’t hang out around a lot of people when you eat it.
And then what’s a snack that most people like, that you think is really gross or nasty?
There’s some people that like to dip their potatoes, the french fries into ice cream. I see some people doing that, and I find it weird.
What’s a vegetarian snack that maybe people who don’t know about it should try? Is there anything that you are really into, that you’re like, “Oh, this is such a good vegetarian snack”?
I love edamame. Yeah. Edamame is a good snack. It’s a healthy snack. It’s healthy nasty.
How do you feel about the dried veggies and dried fruits they have everywhere now, as a snack?
Oh, I like that. I had dried strawberries. I loved it. I loved it. I hadn’t tasted it before, but it was crunchy. I like crunchy things.
Being a new mom, are there snacks that both you and your daughter like to eat together, or things that she eats that you’re really surprised about?
She really likes greens, and I wasn’t really aware of that. When I put a plate, she’ll go to the sprouts, she likes cucumbers without the outside, and it has to be round. So, I find that very interesting. But I understand it because it’s refreshing. So, I think that she goes more for that area. And I like it too. I like yogurt. She likes it too. I guess she’s learning how to separate the Oreos. I didn’t know if she was probably copying what I was doing, but I separate them, eat the inside, and then she’s doing it, and I’m like, “Okay.”
That’s so funny.
She’s on that. Yeah, she does it all by herself. I like greens, and then I like some junk food here and there, and I see her in the same area.
Is that fun for you, exciting?
I love it. I love it. I love it. I enjoy it so much, and I feel like that’s something that people ask me. Like me releasing this album, I have ballads, I have really nasty, get down songs, and I have love songs, and I have everything. So many people are like, “Oh, but you’re a mom now.” And I’m like, “How does that make it difference to me?” It makes a difference in a powerful way. Now, they had asked me a question today, actually earlier. And I’m like, “I’m actually less afraid than before, of doing anything or expressing myself in any way because I feel like…unapologetic.”
So, I read somewhere that you love Dulce Frio, and I wanted to know, who makes the best Dulce Frio?
My mom.
I knew that was going to be the answer. But what if someone wanted to go buy some, is there anywhere that you’d recommend?
Actually, no, I haven’t seen that anywhere. Nowhere. And I have all the ingredients in my house, and I haven’t made it.
Maybe you need to make a store where people can buy it.
Maybe I do.
I also read that you really love cheese, so I’m wondering, do you like Puff Cheetos or Crunchy Cheetos better?
Crunchy Cheetos. Well, Interesting fact. I like it if it’s puffy Cheetos. This is going to sound weird, okay? You know when they’re kind of old, and they’re kind of gummy?
Old and gummy?
Not gummy, but they’re not that puffy.
Yeah, they’re a little stale.
Yeah. I like that. Yeah. I know. I know.
I’m going to ask one last question, and it’s a bean question. You said you like beans and lentils and bananas, right? Are there any other favorite bean snacks that you have?
Yes. In Dominican Republic, they make sweet beans. And it’s only made for Holy Week. That’s how you say it. They only make it for that time of year, and it’s a lot of sugar with beans and a condensed milk. You put little cookies in there. There are specific ones for that. You put prunes in there. It’s really good.
I really enjoyed getting to hear about all your snacking habits and your inspirations — I really appreciate you taking the time.
No, thank you, Dan. For sure. Thank you very much. Have fun. Thank you so much. I’m going to go eat because that made me hungry.