Between the endless Peruvian flute bands and that one lady with the melodica who keeps popping up on our N train, it can be pretty hard to find enjoyable, original music in the city's subway. But if you look hard enough, you'll find an act like Natalie Gelman. The native West Villager has been performing underground for almost nine years now, a gig that's helped her find fans, a record deal and nationwide tours. Ironically, after years of dodging (or being ignored by) the cops, she's landed a spot with Music Under New York, something she says was even harder than touring. During a break from recording her new album in LA she talked to us about breaking into the subways, finally getting noticed by MUNY and her guide to the best downtown eats.

So what got you writing songs in the first place? I wrote my first song in 6th grade when I was 11 years old and had a crush on a boy in my class. It was a melodramatic love song and for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to sing it to my teacher who might have been a nun at the Catholic school I was attending. I remember finishing the song and she gave me this look of distain that said, "What in the lords name are you thinking child?"

I went back to my seat completely ashamed and didn’t write for another 6 years. I enrolled myself in guitar lessons at Brooklyn Conservatory and came home from my first lesson with two or three chords the first day. I immediately started writing melodies and lyrics over them.

It wasn’t until college a few months later that I started writing full songs. I was mildly obsessed with Jewels Pieces of You album and I would listen to that while doing homework and then go into the stairwell of my dorm, which had this beautiful echo and just sit strumming my guitar for hours. When the songs would come they came really fast and almost all intact. I was really confused about going so far away for school, my family, guys… so that’s what all the songs were about.

When you had the songs (or covers, or just a guitar...whatever) when did you decide to take your act to the subway? Busking in the subway was a bit of an accident at first. It was actually more of a conscious decision to start performing at open mics and change the lyrics to my songs so all the parts about how old I was were 21 instead of 17. I had my fake ID from McDougal street that everyone my age got and would go to C-Note in the East Village all the time. I think they realized I was under 21 when I had my first show and only my parents, older sisters and friends parents were in the audience.

So, I had set up a show at a café in the village and my friend from out of town was helping me promote my shows and do some PR one summer. She wanted to go out to Times Square after the show so we headed uptown and stopped for some ice cream as soon as we got up there. They asked me to sing so I played them a song and they gave us our ice cream for free! We were pretty excited and started to walk around Times Square and it wasn’t too long afterwards that someone asked me to sing again and said that if I would they would give us a picture of ourselves on a magazine cover. We thought that sounded like a good deal so I took out my guitar and sing a song. A little crowd gathered as I did and when the song was over the people listening started to walk over to me and try to hand me money. I was completely shocked but my friend was smart and pulled out my email list and told me to keep singing.

The guys from the kiosk that had asked me to perform actually owned a bunch of the kiosks around Times Square and asked to hire me to perform for them. So I began busking next to them for two hours a day. This went on for about 2 weeks but I probably only got to perform about half of the set time because the cops kept pushing me along when crowds would gather.

We decided with the owners of the kiosks that is wasn’t working out and my friend was still in town and staying with me so she and I went down to the subway to head home and decided to just try out playing on the subway and see how it was. Once again I was pretty freaked out to start but with her support I set up my little busking space on the uptown side of the 42nd street 1, 2, 3 and 9 (back when we still had the 9) trains. I’ve been doing it ever since and have been inspired to play all over the country as a street performer on my “off” days of tours.

How are you received down there? Do people actually pay attention, or does everyone just walk by and throw in change if they happen to have it jingling in their pocket? It's a mix and that's part of what's exciting about it. You never know if you're going to get that attention and you really have to be putting on a great show and giving 150% if not more. It takes complete and passionate commitment to the songs to get respect and attention from people. I think there’s something to be said as well for the fact that when someone walks down to the train, especially a tourist who is always told to be weary, or a commuter just trying to get home they have this hard impenetrable shell around them. But if they are even a little aware and see me completely bearing my heart and feelings in my songs that shell always cracks. They smile, connect to me and the people around also listening and sometimes even let a few trains pass to keep listening—which is one of the most humbling praises.

There have been so many incredible and crazy moments down there. I’ve had whole train cars listening that were stopped in the station for a minute, I’ve seen people who just got on share my information or card with someone who was already on the train and just heard me singing a few phrases and I’ve had people go out of their way from another platform to come take a card or buy a CD. There have been times where people have all come together and I’ve led a sing-along to “Landslide” underneath Times Square or clapped to the acapella part of my song “Sweet July.” I need to write a book about it all one day soon.

So you're now a part of MUNY, right? How did that come about? Were you pressured to join because of police harassment, or just felt like it would give you more exposure? I've been part of MUNY for almost 9 months. I always wanted to audition to be a part of it but I was in college in Miami so I missed the auditions the first few years I was a busker. It’s also fairly difficult to be accepted into the program. I applied and auditioned for three years before I was accepted with a song ironically enough about street performing.

I didn’t feel pressure at first to have a permit. I've generally had okay luck dealing with the cops in the subway. If they needed me to pack it up they would just ask me and once I even got an email from an officer thanking me for performing because it made his shift easier—I think art in the subways does actually make them safer but that’s a whole other thing. Anyways, I was having to hustle to find an open spots to perform and I was going down later and later at night, usually 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.—sometimes even later. One night I was playing at 34th on the 2/3 express platform and a cop gave me a ticket for blocking the flow of traffic. I had been doing it for 8 years and that was my first ticket but it really made me angry. He was having a bad day and really took it out on me and it took a lot of time to fight it but I won because he never showed up to court. After that I really pulled back on my street performing and was just waiting for the next MUNY audition.

Where do you perform now? MUNY has designated spots on platforms and mezzanines throughout the subway system and I’ve been trying out different spots and seeing what works for me. I have been to quite a few new stations like 59th on the 1 train and Grand Central has a few nice spots too. My favorite new spot is 125th and 8th and I was surprised to not actually like that very popular spot on 42nd between the shuttle and other trains.

It's been interesting making this transition to MUNY because it is different going to a spot you know you wont have to hustle for, being able to have an amp and having to win people over that are usually walking past versus standing waiting for their train when I’m on a platform. I haven’t played a “freelance” busking spot since I’ve been a part of MUNY but I definitely feel like part of the charm of busking is playing completely acoustic and having to hustle to find a space and feeling like that’s where you’re meant to be at that particular night.

Besides the subway stuff, what have you been up to? How's the album coming? Things are great in my career. I’ve been writing and working on a new album with Charlie Midnight and Mark Needham two awesome producers in Los Angeles. We are letting it take the time it takes to have songs we absolutely love and create something amazing. That said I am itching for it to get all recorded and finished because I have never written better songs and they are getting really well received at my live shows.

I’m still touring a lot and trying harder than ever to push myself to make this happen. It’s a tough balance to decide for yourself the best time to tour, write songs, go out to conferences and network and when you need to real yourself in and just make some money to sustain it all. I love being in New York because there is that all or nothing mentality that you have to make this happen and you’re willing to struggle and suffer because you believe in what you do so much. Having toured and driven through 43 states this past year I feel like I can honestly say New York City makes the most artists that have heartfelt love for their art and I love being a part of that.

So, where are some of your favorite places to hang out in New York?

I love hanging down on the Hudson river or just walking around the village and down to Houston Street. Can I say hanging out in the subway? Not that I hangout there on purpose but it makes for amazing people watching.

I’m really all about the great food we have here and the free summer events like music and movies on the piers and in parks. I give lots of tours to friends of lower Manhattan and most of my tour revolves around food.
A few of my favorite eateries:

Rocco’s: Their cannolis are the best in NYC and you have to have a hazelnut ice in the summer.

Joe's Pizza on Carmine Street: Best slice

La Bonbonniere: The best greasy spoon breakfast. But you have to go during the week if you want to hang around and read the paper otherwise its packed on weekends. Marina who owns the place is a doll.

Jacques Torres: Try the Wicked Hot Chocolate and watch them make chocolate things!

Panna II: The most fun Indian Restaurant I’ve ever been, I’ve been going here for over 10 years. There are more chili pepper lights every time I go.

Mamoun’s: Pick up a falafel and go hang in Washington Square park.

What's your favorite only in New York moment? I don't have a favorite but three short little stories are coming to mind right now. I once saw this guy on the street that thought I knew from high school. I got off the phone to give him a big hug and asked him how he had been since high school and he looked really confused. Turns out he was a fan of mine from the subway that had seen me busking a few times. I felt really silly but that was a great moment.

One night I was playing on 42nd street and had my back against one of the beams on the uptown 1 train side. I had a few dozen people watching and listening as a train came in and this guy grabbed my butt somehow as he got on the train. I was completely shocked at first—I’ve been hit on a few times as a street performer but this guy had somehow managed to wedge his hand between the beam and me and completely violate my personal space. After a few seconds I jumped on the train he got on with my guitar still on and started screaming at him and asking him why he did it—the shame on his face was worth that alone but the best part is that he couldn't say a word in response to me because he was shocked. As I was half on, half off the train yelling at him to give me a reason people on the platform got together and said they would watch my things and were yelling in support of me standing up for myself. I realized he wasn’t going to say anything so I told him that it was disgusting, he had no right and better never do that again and then I punched him. I stepped off the train and people on the platform started clapping, telling me they were proud of me and were going to by my CD because I stood up for myself.

Another time I was busking on 34th street for hours under Penn station and even though the night wasn’t going particularly well something was compelling me to stay down there and perform. Next thing I know a homeless man is walking up to me and I’m thinking oh no, time for a confrontation or to be asked for some money by him. Instead he came up, smiled and emptied his pocket change into my guitar case. He said he has been listening all night on the other side of the platform and wanted to help me make it. It was the most humbling moment that someone who could have used that to buy food wanted me to have it to help my career so more people would hear my music. I wanted to talk to him but he just smiled and told me he just wanted me to play. It was really sweet and still makes me smile.