When Australian-born singer Nadia Ackerman arrived in NYC chasing her dream of performing, she never imagined that her journey would lead to an art brand capturing the city’s spirit—and a storefront at JFK Terminal 8.
As a professional singer, Ackerman came to New York with aspirations to build her singing career. She quickly learned that she would need additional jobs to support herself and branched out into writing music and doing song work for commercials. She was the voice of a UPS commercial that ran globally for three years.
Her vocal talent earned her opportunities to perform alongside legends like Sting, Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen. She can be seen providing vocals on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live.
More than 10 years ago as she was writing songs for her album, she realized she visualized each song she wrote and began sketching every song on her record. When she launched her album, she also debuted her artwork at the venue and received immediate interest in her drawings.
After selling her original drawings, Ackerman expanded into making greeting cards which she sold at markets around New York. She soon realized she had a business and named it natchie, a name given to her by her dad when she was 13 and created her logo depicting a girl flying over town with an umbrella.
Her line quickly expanded into prints, magnets, tote bags, and illustrations. Many of her illustrations depicted iconic NY scenes which are very popular with tourists.
“I always wanted to be in airports as I believe it is the perfect place for my brand,” Ackerman said. “The support I have received through URW’s Small Business Initiative is immeasurable. This is an enormous opportunity to expand to a global audience and I’m so excited to be here.”
Her store at JFK Terminal 8 is a celebration of New York’s landmarks, spirit, and creativity—perfect for travelers seeking a meaningful keepsake or a functional, artistic travel accessory. In stocking her space, Ackerman kept the traveler in mind and offers greeting cards, postcards, magnetic bookmarks, magnets, wallets, tote bags, luggage tags, notebooks, calendars, and prints. She plans to launch a travel line featuring her illustrations on items like eye masks, pillows, and toothbrushes.
Ackerman still has a presence at holiday markets throughout New York including Bryant Park and Union Square. She also continues to make music and recently released two new singles.
If you’re passing through JFK, visit natchie at Terminal 8 to take home a piece of NYC’s charm, thoughtfully crafted by an artist whose journey is as inspiring as the city itself.
