Origins: Nathassia Returns To Her Trance Roots With ‘Perfect Harmony’ And A UK Big Top 40 Breakthrough
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Dutch-Indian DJ and producer Nathassia has reached a defining moment with the release of ‘Perfect Harmony’, her latest single via ArchangelUK Recordings. The track debuted as the Highest New Entry on the UK Big Top 40 at number 17, marking her first appearance on the chart and highlighting her growing prominence. This achievement also reflects a personal reconnection with the sound that first shaped her artistic identity.
Built on soaring melodies, wide atmospheres, and classic trance energy, ‘Perfect Harmony’ reflects Nathassia’s deliberate return to her Dutch trance roots. Written during a focused session with Grammy Award-winning writer and producer Bruce Elliott Smith, known for his work with Paul Oakenfold and ATB, the track captures the emotional clarity and uplifting momentum that continues to define the genre on global festival stages.
For Nathassia, that connection with music stretches back long before radio charts or main stage performances. Growing up between Dutch and Indian cultures, music was a constant presence in her life.
“Before it became a career, music was just where I felt most like myself. I grew up going to huge Surinamese family parties in community halls that would last until the early morning. I was always the tallest kid on the dancefloor, slightly awkward, but completely free.”
Those gatherings exposed her to a wide spectrum of sounds.
“My mum moved effortlessly between reggae like Bob Marley, Latin artists like Gloria Estefan, Indian melodies, Surinamese rhythms and South American salsa and merengue. Growing up between Dutch and Indian cultures, music gave me a space where everything blended naturally.”
Trance arrived later, but its impact was immediate.
“Trance entered my world during my teenage years, when I was at school in Leiden and going out to local clubs. I’d grown up around rhythm-heavy music at home and at family parties, but trance introduced me to atmosphere and emotional build in a whole new way.”
What stayed with her was the emotional scale of the genre.
“The long builds, the release, the sense of collective elevation, it felt spiritual without being religious.”
That sense of emotional architecture continues to shape her work today. Although Nathassia’s music often blends pop, trance and multicultural influences, she has never felt the need to limit herself to one stylistic lane.
“I’ve always loved blending different sounds, pop, trance, Indian, Surinamese, Latin, and that instinct has shaped my music from the start. I realised I didn’t need to fit into one lane.”
Her path to the UK charts was anything but straightforward. When she first arrived in London more than a decade ago, success still felt distant. Yet the vision remained clear.
“What kept that vision alive during the quieter periods was the connection I could create through music. Every message from a fan, every new person discovering my songs, reminded me why I started.”
Those years of independence shaped her mindset.
“Starting out as an independent artist meant figuring out everything myself, from producing and performing to promoting my music. Those early struggles taught me persistence, problem-solving and the value of learning on the job.”
Revisiting trance with ‘Perfect Harmony’, therefore, felt less like a reinvention and more like returning to the sound that first inspired her.
“Revisiting trance with Perfect Harmony definitely felt like returning home. Our session had a clear intention: to explore the melodic and emotional core of trance that first sparked my love for the genre.”
Beyond the music, Nathassia’s story reflects a complex cultural background that continues to inform her artistic identity.
“What’s often missed is just how layered my background is. I’m half Indian, half Dutch, with roots in Suriname, a culturally and ethnically diverse country that’s often overlooked.”
That perspective has helped her approach electronic music from a global viewpoint. Today, her weekly Goddess Is A DJ radio show reaches more than 10 million listeners across 140 stations in 40 countries, connecting audiences far beyond traditional club circuits.
With ‘Perfect Harmony’ now charting and her audience continuing to expand, Nathassia sees success differently than when she first began.
“After more than a decade, success for me is about doing what I set out to do: living the dream. What’s changed is that it’s no longer just my journey, it’s a collective experience.”
When asked to pick three tracks that best represent your origins, songs that define your journey so far, Nathassia delivered a trio of incredible aural ear candy.
"I’d start with Let the Bass Kick by Chuckie. Seeing a Dutch DJ with Surinamese roots dominate the global dance scene meant something to me. That track carries the bold energy of the Dutch house movement, but for me it also represented visibility, proof that our background belongs in electronic music. Which felt empowering!"
"Then I’d choose Shivers by Armin van Buuren. As a singer, vocal trance has always resonated with me, and this song taught me early on how vocals and trance can elevate a track into something truly immersive."
"And if I include one of my own, I’d say Sweet Suriname. When producing it, I incorporated instruments and sounds from all the cultures in Surinam, as well as in the lyrics, to reflect that mix authentically in harmony. What makes it extra special is that I dedicated it to my late father, the Dutch part of me, but the one who truly taught me the value of culture."
As the single continues to gain traction, ‘Perfect Harmony’ represents more than a chart entry. It reflects an artist reconnecting with her origins while sharing that journey with a global audience, proving that the emotional heart of trance still resonates across cultures, scenes and generations.
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