Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a
British pop singer and
songwriter.
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
[2] and she received a
Grammy Award nomination for "
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the title track "
Unwritten".
[3] 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.
[edit] Early life
Bedingfield was born in
Surrey (later moving to the
Lewisham district of
London) to
New Zealand-born Molly and John Bedingfield who are both charity workers. She has three siblings; brothers
Daniel and Joshua, and 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 religion, independence and empowerment, themes that would later be found in her own solo compositions. The DNA Algorithm performed at several Christian music festivals before disbanding.
[7][unreliable source?][not in citation given] 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][8] 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.
[9][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.
[10]
[edit] Music career
[edit] 2003–06: Unwritten
Bedingfield signed a recording contract with
BMG UK & Ireland, through its imprint
Phonogenic Records, in 2003.
[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
U.S.[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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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.
[3][19]
[edit] 2007–08: N.B. and Pocketful of Sunshine
Bedingfield's second album
N.B. was released in Europe in April 2007. In North America (the U.S. 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 criticized 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 September 5, the singers performed it live on TV.
[25]
[edit] 2009–present: Strip Me
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
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 availabe as a
digital download May 18, 2010. Bedingfield performed the song on the
The Ellen Degeneres Show on 24 May 2010.
[35] "Touch" was officially sent to U.S. radio stations on 29 June 2010.
[36][37] On July 15 Bedingfield announced via Twitter that the title of her new album would be
Strip Me. The album was originally scheduled for release on November 9, 2010, but was released on December 7.
[38] The second single, also titled "
Strip Me", was sent to U.S. radio on August 30, 2010 and was became available as a
digital download on September 21, 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". On December 31, 2010/January 1, 2011, Natasha appeared on
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.
[edit] Non-musical projects
Bedingfield is a
philanthropist who has donated time and money to organizations such as the
Global Angels, an international children's charity founded by her mother, Molly Bedingfield.
[41][not in citation given] She became associated with the organization 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".
[42]
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.
[7] Video diaries filmed during her trip were posted on her official website in early 2007.
[43][not in citation given] She is also an advocate for Stop the Traffik, a global coalition which works to end
human trafficking[41] 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.
[44][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.
[45] 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."
[45] 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.
[46] 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.
[47] More recently, she guest starred on Nickelodeon's
True Jackson, VP in November 2009. She sang the song "These Words".
[edit] Personal life
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."
[48] Bedingfield is married to Matt Robinson,
[49] a businessman and documentary filmmaker from Ohio. The couple wed in
Malibu on 21 March 2009.
[49]
She lists
Audrey Hepburn,
Debbie Harry and
Brigitte Bardot as her "celebrity style icons".
[50]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Awards and nominations
awards and nominations
| |
| Totals |
| Awards won | 5 |
| Nominations | 11 |
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.
[51] 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.
[52] Bedingfield has received four nominations from the BRIT Awards but has won none.
[53] As of July 2008, she has won five awards from eleven nominations.
[edit] BRIT Awards
The
BRIT Awards are the
British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. Bedingfield has received four nominations.
[53]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
| 2005 | Natasha Bedingfield | Best British Female Solo Artist | Nominated |
| British Breakthrough Artist | Nominated |
| Best Pop Act | Nominated |
| "These Words" | Best British Single | Nominated |
[edit] BT Digital Music Awards
The
BT Digital Music Awards honour music distributed digitally by methods such as mobile devices, online downloads, and blogging. Bedingfield has won one award.
[54]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
| 2007 | Natasha Bedingfield | Best Pop Artist | Won |
[edit] Capital FM Awards
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.
[55]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
| 2005 | "These Words" | Best Single | Won |
| Natasha Bedingfield | Best Newcomer | Won |
[edit] Glamour Awards
The Glamour Awards is an annual awards ceremony hosted by
Glamour, a women's magazine. Bedingfield has won one award.
[56]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
| 2005 | Natasha Bedingfield | UK Solo Artist of the Year | Won |
[edit] Grammy Awards
The
Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bedingfield has received one nomination.
[3][57]
[edit] MTV Europe Music Awards
The
MTV Europe Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1994 by
MTV Europe. Bedingfield has received one nomination.
[58]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
| 2004 | Natasha Bedingfield | Best U.K. and Ireland act | Nominated |
[edit] TMF Awards
The
TMF Awards is an annual television awards show broadcast live on
The Music Factory. Bedingfield has received one award.
[59]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
| 2005 | Natasha Bedingfield | Best International New Artist | Won |
Join Us On Facebook
