Lil' Nate's Biography

With nearly two decades in the music industry, primarily within the zydeco genre, Lil Nathan aka Lil Nate, has experienced both praise and criticism. The praisers love his gumbo of zydeco, R&B, swing out, hip hop and Afro Pop. The mix has produced radio and dancehall hits, like “L’argent,” “Go Hard or Go Home,” “Zydeco Diva” and “Cowgirl Swagg.”The skeptics point fingers and say Lil Nate has lost his way, strayed too far away from tradition set by the zydeco pioneers, like his father’s band, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas. But Lil Nate counters, he’s making his own history.” If I stay stuck in history, I’m just doing what somebody else was doing when they were innovators,” said Lil Nate, aka Nathan Williams Jr. of Lafayette, La. “Clifton (Chenier) and his music was a fusion of a lot of genres. Even the musicians that played with him were infused with the popular genres. That’s really the pattern I’m following.” With zydeco today, if something works for an artist, let it work for them. It’s up to them to do their due diligence on the culture and know the history of it for self-respect and self-preservation. But for me, I’ve been around it and know enough about it to take it and do my own thing with it, to pave my own way.” Lil Nate continues to blaze his own path, going from a cute 2-year-old on stage with his dad to an adult hitmaker playing the Bayou Classic halftime show before 50,000 in the Superdome. Other stops include the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans Pelicans Halftime Show, New Orleans Saints Tailgate Party, the Houston International Festival, the Houston Livestock & Rodeo, Universal Studios in Orlando, the Ronald Reagan Building, International Trade Center in Washington, DC, and national attention on CBS 60 minutes. He’s shared the stage and studio with platinum selling artists, such as New Edition, Dru Hill, Tank, Cupid, Juvenile, Kevin Gates, Yung Bleu, and Los Lobos, along with Tucka, a Southern Soul favorite. Nate’s 17 albums have embraced numerous styles, including his growing fascination with Afro Pop. Along the way, Lil Nate earned a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies and a master’s degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His accordion mastery allowed him to teach budding artists in his alma mater’s traditional music program. The new artist outreach continues as he and his brother Naylan run Cha Cha Studios, which in 2022 was the home recording facility for Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas Grammy Nominated album “Lucky Man”. Children’s books, Caribbean cruises, film work, college and NFL tailgate parties and more are all on the horizon.” I want to continue on with my projects, and focus on my artists. I have six projects that I have completed. They’ll be released in the next five to six years.” With teaching, the end goal is to have a music school for the kids and continue running Cha Cha Records, the family record label. I never touched the road yet, like my daddy and those other heavy hitters.” That may be the next move, to sporadically hit the road and do some prestige venues with my dad. “I like doing those next level venues, where’s it’s going to broaden the horizon for zydeco.”

Herman Fuselier is a writer, broadcaster and tourism director living in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” radio show airs at noon Central time Saturdays on KRVS 8.7 FM and online at KRVS Public Media www.krvs.org.