Shadowing Practice: NF (Nate Feuerstein) made in 2013 interview to Contact 29.18. - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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My name is Nathan John Feierstein.
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Stage name is NF, just my initials because my last name is so hard to say.
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My grandpa's a pastor, so I was always like, church was always there.
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You know, I went to church, I knew about God.
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But just like most teenagers or people, especially people in my opinion that grow up in the church, in the church.
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I came to that spot where I'm like, how do I know God's real?
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I grew up in this all my life.
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So I went to my little stage of like, I don't know if God's real, I'm going to do whatever I want.
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As I got a little bit older
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and I got way more serious about my music and started paying to record and doing all this stuff, and I just developed such a passion for it.
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And I really feel like God kind of reached out to me through my music and was like, look, I've given you this and taken things from your life.
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Because music is what I went to my whole life.
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Like when I had a problem, I'm not like a come and talk to you about all my issues in my life, you know what I mean?
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God just takes my problems in my life, puts it in my music, and that's what I do.
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To be honest, I feel like Christian rap kind of got a bad name at one point because it was so corny.
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But I feel like with Lecrae and a bunch of artists that in the past five, six years have become really popular.
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It's taken a lot more serious now.
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I think rap's gonna have like a bad rep to a point because it's just like, oh, you know, cussing, talking about girls and doing all this stuff.
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But I do think as far as Christian hip hop goes, like minds are being opened more and more to like, okay, you know, this is Christian rap, but it's not like corny,
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it's like actually pretty legit.
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My music is like very like sit down
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and listen to like the lyrics and the words
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and like just a lot about life in general and like things people can relate to.
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I literally write about my life all the time.
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I can tell when I'm writing a song
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and I'm feeling what I'm writing or if I'm just writing a song to write a song.
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I don't want them to feel like they just heard another artist like they just heard another person sing
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and say oh he was talented that was that was good.
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I want to be like, to say they actually like felt like what I was saying.
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My music is always very serious.
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A lot of serious things have happened in my life
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so I'm able to have conversations with people because people come up to me after my show and say hey, you know, this happened to me too.
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And I like knowing that, you know, that that person felt compelled to say hey, during your show when you said this or said that,
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you know, I'm going through that and I can actually sit down and talk with them a little bit.
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The way I come about is just kind of a different style.
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I think everyone has their own lane and my lane is just like, I'm pretty serious with my music and I think a lot of people relate to it.

Why practice speaking with this video?

This interview with NF (Nathan John Feuerstein) provides a rich context for English learners to practice speaking skills. NF shares his personal journey and the profound connection between his music and life experiences. By engaging with his narrative, learners can enhance their ability to express their thoughts and feelings regarding personal challenges, faith, and the transformative power of art. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn English with YouTube, as the conversational style mimics real-life interactions. Additionally, practicing with his content can aid in preparing for the IELTS speaking practice, as it encourages you to articulate complex ideas clearly.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

  • Present Perfect Tense: NF uses this structure to discuss his experiences, such as "I've given you this and taken things from your life." This format is helpful for discussing past experiences that still affect the present.
  • Descriptive Language: Phrases like "very serious" and "a different style" emphasize NF's approach. Using adjectives effectively can enhance your descriptive speech, making it more engaging.
  • Conditional Statements: NF mentions, "if I'm just writing a song to write a song." Learning to use conditional sentences can help you express hypothetical situations, vital for fluent conversation.
  • Direct Speech: NF’s use of direct quotes illustrates the importance of conveying thoughts verbatim for impact. Practice this in your speaking exercises to emphasize points effectively.

Common Pronunciation Traps

When listening to NF, there are several pronunciation challenges to note:

  • Word Stress: NF’s consistent emphasis on words like "music" and "life" can serve as a model for learners. Make sure to practice stressing the correct syllables to improve clarity.
  • Intonation Patterns: His conversational tone varies greatly, which can make it easy to follow. Focus on mimicking his patterns to make your spoken English more natural and engaging.
  • Articulation of Contractions: Pay attention to how NF pronounces contractions like "I've" and "it's." Proper articulation of these will help you sound more fluent in casual conversations.

These detailed observations are designed to assist learners on a shadowing app or shadowing site as they practice speaking. Engaging with this video not only enriches vocabulary but also makes you more confident in handling complex discussions.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.