 |
||
Natasha BedingfieldAngelI Bruise EasilyI Wanna Have Your BabiesLove Like ThisPocketful Of SunshineSay It AgainSingleSoulmateStrip MeThese WordsTouchUnwritten
Based in Book St., London, Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Bedingfield recorded rock and gospel songs for the Hillsong London Church, while Daniel went on to enjoy success with hits "Gotta Get Thru This" and "If You're Not the One". Bedingfield released her first album, Unwritten,
in 2004. The album contained primarily uptempo pop songs and was
influenced by R&B music;[1] it enjoyed international success with over 2.3 million copies sold
worldwide and she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the title track "Unwritten". Bedingfield's second album, N.B. (2007), was less successful but yielded
the UK top 10 singles "I Wanna Have Your Babies" and "Soulmate". N.B. was not released in North America, but six tracks from it were included
with seven new ones and released in 2008 as Pocketful of Sunshine,
with the singles "Love Like This" and "Pocketful of Sunshine" earning success on the charts. In December 2010, Bedingfield released her third
album in North America named Strip Me. Bedingfield was born in Sussex (later moving to the Lewisham district of London) to New Zealand-born Molly and John Bedingfield who worked in the international charity sector focused on inner-city projects in education, reconciliation, addiction rehab, and long term community development, alongside local government initiatives and faith based communities in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Natasha has three siblings: brothers Daniel, Joshua and a younger sister Nikola. Her interest in music was encouraged by her parents and she took guitar and piano lessons when she was younger.[4][not in citation given] When Bedingfield was a teenager, she and her siblings, Daniel and Nikola, formed the dance/electronic group, The DNA Algorithm.[5] The group provided Bedingfield with the opportunity to explore different musical genres and expand her songwriting abilities.[6] She provided vocals for the group which primarily performed dance-pop music about independence and empowerment, themes that would later be found in her own solo compositions. At age 14, Natasha sang vocals on Origins Refined Intricacy (Steelyard Records). Bedingfield attended a year at the University
of Greenwich, where she studied psychology,[4][7] then left to
concentrate on singing and songwriting. At first she recorded demos
in the garages of friends who had recording studios, which she
presented to record companies.[8][not in citation given] Throughout
the 1990s and early 2000s, Bedingfield composed and recorded songs
for the Hillsong London Church. In 2004, her recordings appeared
on the church's live album Shout God's Fame and the children's
album Jesus Is My Superhero by Hillsong Music Australia.[9] Bedingfield was introduced to Phonogenic founder and A&R Paul Lisberg by the artist's manager Gary Wilson.[10] Lisberg was not convinced by the demo songs presented, which had so far failed to attract any label interest, later telling HitQuarters: "[They] were good but weren’t right for us ... They were a bit like Holly Valance and Shakira, which we felt was too lightweight. She would probably have had hits with them, but I don’t know if she ever would have established herself as a true artist."[10] Instead, it was when, at a meeting together, Lisberg heard her singing ability and creative vocal ad-libbing first-hand that he became excited by Bedingfield's potential. Label interest was later confirmed when a trial studio session together with writers Steve Kipner and Andrew Frampton produced songs that were in keeping with Lisberg's vision for Phonogenic.[10] Bedingfield signed a recording contract with BMG UK & Ireland, through its imprint Phonogenic Records, in July 2003.[10][11] Her first album Unwritten was released in September 2004 and features collaborations with Steve Kipner, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lachey, James Reilly, Andrew Frampton, Wayne Wilkins, Kara DioGuardi, Guy Chambers, Patrick Leonard and the rapper Bizarre. The album contained uptempo pop rock songs and influences from R&B music.[1] Bedingfield's lyrics focused on independence, opportunism and female empowerment.[4] Reviews of the album were generally positive[citation needed] and it was described as a "well-made pop album for the new millennium" by Allmusic.[1] The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number one and reached the top thirty in the United States.[12] It sold well, reaching multi-platinum status in the United Kingdom[13] and Gold status in the US[14] The first single released from the album was "Single", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart.[15] The song's lyrics, and its accompanying music video, depict Bedingfield's single lifestyle.[16] "These Words" was released as the album's second single. The song became Bedingfield's first UK number one and US top twenty single.[17] "Unwritten" was released as the album's third single in 2004, the song reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and it also became the most played song on US radio in 2006.[18] "I Bruise Easily" was released as the album's fourth single, it did not perform as well as its predecessors but was still a moderate success, reaching number twelve on the UK Singles Chart. At the 2005 Brit Awards, Bedingfield was nominated
for four awards, though did not win any of her nominated categories.
She was also nominated for an award at the 2006 Brit Awards, and
in 2007 she was nominated for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" at the 2007 Grammy Awards, though was again unsuccessful in winning in any of
her nominated categories. Her Song Unwritten is the theme tune
of MTV's the hills[3][19] Bedingfield's second album N.B. was released in Europe in April 2007. In North America (the US and Canada), the album was released under the title "Pocketful of Sunshine" in January 2008. The album received mixed reviews by critics and peaked at number nine in the UK. "I Wanna Have Your Babies", the album's lead single, was about finding the right man to father her children and was criticised by fans and critics alike.[20] The song was moderately successful, reaching number seven in the UK, number eight in Ireland and the top fifty in various other markets.[21] "Soulmate" was released as the album's second single on 2 July 2007 and also peaked at number seven in the UK.[22] To promote N.B., Bedingfield embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour in May 2007, supporting Justin Timberlake.[23][not in citation given] The North American version of her second album
featured six songs from N.B.. The album was released on 22 January
2008, after the lead single, "Love like This", was released in September 2007 and charted at #11 on the Billboard hot 100.[citation
needed] The title track was released as the second single in February
2008. The single peaked at #5 on the Billboard hot 100.[citation
needed] On 18 January 2008, Bedingfield's UK tour was cancelled
for the second time, one month before it was supposed to start,
so she could spend more time promoting her album in the U.S.[24]
In August 2008, Bedingfield and other singers including Beyoncé,
Rihanna, Melissa Etheridge, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Leona
Lewis, and Mariah Carey recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up" produced by Babyface and L. A. Reid, to support "Stand Up to Cancer". On 5 September, the singers performed it live on TV.[25] Bedingfield stated on her blog that she would start work on her new album in early 2009.[26] She was confirmed to be writing for the new album while on holiday in New Zealand; she said "I'm here for a couple of weeks to do a bit of writing. It is such an inspiring place to write music. I love coming here as often as I can, usually once a year to fuel up on ideas for my next album".[27] She also confirmed she was working with Brian Kennedy, who produced/co wrote Rihanna's hit single "Disturbia" and was writing songs with him while on tour[28][29] with a view to having the album released by the end of 2009.[30] Bedingfield also stated that Wyclef Jean, Sam Sparro and Mike Elizondo would be working on the record.[31] Bedingfield confirmed that the album would be ready for fall 2010.[32] In an interview with IN:DEMAND Producer, Ryan Tedder said "I'm gonna try and bring Natasha Bedingfield back here in the UK with some quirky, kinda weird stuff".[33] On 18 March Natasha stated on her official site that she was in L.A. and she was putting the finishing touches on her album.[34] "Touch", the lead single from the album, was made available as a digital download 18 May 2010. Bedingfield performed the song on the The Ellen Degeneres Show on 24 May 2010.[35] "Touch" was officially sent to US radio stations on 29 June 2010.[36][37] On 15 July Bedingfield announced via Twitter that the title of her new album would be Strip Me. The album was originally scheduled for release on 9 November 2010, but was released on 7 December.[38] The second single, also titled "Strip Me", was sent to US radio on 30 August 2010 and it became available as a digital download on 21 September 2010.[39] It was written by Bedingfield, Ryan Tedder and Wayne Wilkins.[40] Bedingfield appeared on rapper Nicki Minaj's debut album Pink Friday on a track called "Last Chance", and on Rascal Flatts' new album Nothing Like This on a track called "Easy", released as the album's third single. On 31 December 2010 / 1 January 2011, Natasha appeared on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. In 2010, Natasha joined forces with Avon as a celebrity judge for Avon Voices,[41] Avon’s first ever global, online singing talent search for women and songwriting competition for men and women. On 6 April 2011, Natasha visited Radio Hamburg and confirmed that the song "Pocketful of Sunshine" (originally the second single from her US album "Pocketful of Sunshine") will be the first European single from the forthcoming European release of Strip Me. The European version of Strip Me will be called Strip Me Away. The lead single "Pocketful of Sunshine" was released on 13 May in Germany. The album "Strip Me Away" will be released in June.[42] Bedingfield was featured on Simple Plan's new single from their new album Get Your Heart On!, released on 21 June 2011. The song, "Jet Lag" was released on 26 April 2011 as the band's first single off their fourth album.[43] On 5 July, Bedingfield performed her song "Weightless" from
her "Strip Me" album on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Filipina singer Charice confirmed that
Bedingfield had written a song for her entitled "Lighthouse" which was included on her upcoming second studio album Infinity.[44] Bedingfield is a philanthropist who has donated time and money to organisations such as the Global Angels, an international children's charity founded by her mother, Molly Bedingfield.[45][not in citation given] She became associated with the organisation in 2006 because of her celebrity status, which she could use to help "people around the world, particularly children, who live in conditions that would horrify us".[46] Bedingfield is now an ambassador for Global Angels and in November 2006 she visited India for three weeks in support of the charity. She visited an orphanage in Kolkata and a refugee camp for former child prostitutes in Mumbai to learn more about the situation and the conditions in these areas. Bedingfield later expressed her shock at what she had witnessed.[47] Video diaries filmed during her trip were posted on her official website in early 2007.[48][not in citation given] She is also an advocate for Stop the Traffik, a global coalition which works to end human trafficking[45] and a member of the (RED) campaign.[4] In a 2008 rockumentary, Call+Response, headed by Justin Dillon, Bedingfield performed acoustic versions of "Unwritten" and "Soulmate" in support of the film's cause: a movement against current slavery and human trafficking.[49][not in citation given] In 2004, Bedingfield showed interest in acting and made her debut in the James Bond video game From Russia with Love in November 2005. She lent her voice to the character Elizabeth Stark, the British Prime Minister's daughter who is kidnapped in the opening sequence.[50] Bedingfield commented that she would like to do more acting, but only if the film "was good enough, and it was a role that [would] fit me."[50] Bedingfield is not set to appear in any forthcoming films in the near future. She has made an appearance in the seventh season
finale of the hit Canadian television series Degrassi: The Next
Generation.[51] Bedingfield also guest starred on Nickelodeon's
mockumentary series The Naked Brothers Band's Christmas Special,
alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Leon Thomas III. She has made guest
appearances on the NBC series Lipstick Jungle.[52] More recently,
she guest starred on Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP in November
2009. She sang the song "These Words". In 2006, the media incorrectly reported that Bedingfield was dating Nick Lachey and Maroon 5 lead singer, Adam Levine. Referring to the media reports, Bedingfield commented that "Adam is lovely but I didn't date him or Nick. As soon as you talk to a famous guy, you're immediately linked with him."[53] Bedingfield is married to Matt Robinson,[54] a businessman from California. The couple wed in Malibu on 21 March 2009.[54] She lists Audrey Hepburn, Debbie Harry and Brigitte
Bardot as her "celebrity style icons".[55] Unwritten (2004) [edit] Awards and nominations Brit Awards 0 4 Grammy Awards 0 1 MTV Europe Music Awards 0 1 TMF Awards 1 1 BT Digital Music Awards 1 1 Capital FM Awards 2 2 Glamour Awards 1 1 Bedingfield's debut album Unwritten contains primarily
uptempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music.[1] It enjoyed international success with over three million copies sold
worldwide.[56] In 2007, she received a Grammy Award nomination
for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the song "Unwritten", the third single from the album of the same name.[3] Bedingfield's second album
N.B. yielded the singles "Soulmate"; "Say It Again"; and "I Wanna Have Your Babies", written and produced by Natasha Bedingfield, Wayne Wilkins, Andrew Frampton,
and Steve Kipner.[57] Bedingfield has received four nominations
from the BRIT Awards but has won none.[58] As of July 2008, she
has won five awards from eleven nominations. The BRIT Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's
annual pop music awards. Bedingfield has received four nominations.[58] The BT Digital Music Awards honour music distributed
digitally by methods such as mobile devices, online downloads,
and blogging. Bedingfield has won one award.[59] The Capital FM Awards is an annual awards ceremony
created by Capital 95.8, a London radio station owned by GCap Media.
Bedingfield has won two awards from two nominations.[60] The Glamour Awards is an annual awards ceremony
hosted by Glamour, a women's magazine. Bedingfield has won one
award.[61] The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bedingfield has
received one nomination.[3][62] The MTV Europe Music Awards is an annual awards
ceremony established in 1994 by MTV Europe. Bedingfield has received
one nomination.[63] The TMF Awards is an annual television awards
show broadcast live on The Music Factory. Bedingfield has received
one award.[64]
|
||