Natasha Bedingfield

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Natasha Bedingfield
Bedingfield performing in 2007.
Bedingfield performing in 2007.
Background information
Birth name Natasha Anne Bedingfield
Born 26 November 1981 (1981-11-26) (age 26)
London, England
Origin London, England
Genre(s) R&B, Pop
Occupation(s) singer
Years active 2004–present
Label(s) Phonogenic, Epic, Sony BMG
Associated acts The DNA Algorithm, Esmee Denters, Sean Kingston, Daniel Bedingfield
Website www.natashabedingfield.com

Natasha Anne Bedingfield (November 26, 1981) is an English singer-songwriter, based in London, England.

She originally 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 Bedingfield went on to enjoy success with hits “Gotta Get Thru This” and “If You're Not The One”. Natasha and Daniel share the Guinness World Record for being the only siblings to have had solo number-ones in UK chart history.

Bedingfield recorded 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 2.5 million sold worldwide.[2] In 2007, she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the song "Unwritten".[3] Bedingfield's second album N.B. (2007) yielded the singles "I Wanna Have Your Babies", "Soulmate" and "Say It Again". Bedingfield has achieved 5 top ten singles in the United Kingdom to date and as of April 2008, she has sold over 10 million singles and albums worldwide.

Bedingfield has promoted humanitarian causes throughout the world, and is noted for her work with children in the "Stop the Traffik" campaign through her mother's charity, Global Angels. While she is not politically outspoken in the US, her song "Unwritten" has been used by Barack Obama on the campaign trail in 2008.[4]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Bedingfield was born in the Lewisham district of London to New Zealand-born Molly and John Bedingfield who are both charity workers. She has three siblings; two brothers: Daniel and Joshua and a younger sister Nikola. Both Daniel and Nikola are also pop singers. Her interest in music was encouraged by her parents and growing up she took guitar and piano lessons.[5] As a teenager, Bedingfield and her siblings, Daniel and Nikola, formed the dance/electronic group, The DNA Algorithm.[6] The group provided Bedingfield with the opportunity to explore different musical genres and expand her songwriting abilities.[7] 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.[8] Bedingfield attended a year at the University of Greenwich, where she studied psychology to "make [her] a better songwriter."[9][5] After a year of studying psychology, she left the university to concentrate on singing and songwriting. She began to record demos in the garages of friends who had recording studios. Bedingfield eventually took these demos to record companies.[10] 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.[11]

[edit] Music career

[edit] 2004–2006: Unwritten

Bedingfield signed a recording contract with Sony BMG in 2003.[12] Her first album Unwritten was released in September 2004 and features collaborations with Steve Kipner, Danielle Brisebois, Wayne Rodrigues, Nick Lachey, Andrew Frampton, Wayne Wilkins, Kara DioGuardi, Guy Chambers, Patrick Leonard and 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.[5] Reviews of the album were generally positive and it was described as a "well-made pop album for the new millennium" by All Music Guide.[1] The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number one and reached the top thirty in the United States.[13] It sold well, reaching multi-platinum status in the United Kingdom[14] and the U.S.[15] At the 2005 Brit Awards, Bedingfield was nominated for four awards, 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.[16][3]

The first single released from the album was "Single", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart.[17] The song's lyrics, and its accompanying music video, depict Bedingfield's single lifestyle.[18] "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.[19] "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.[20] The songs lyrics discuss "living your own life without other people telling you how to live it".[21] "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.

In November 2006, Bedingfield released the DVD Live in New York City, which contained a live concert performance as well as music videos and a documentary. That month she recorded the Diane Warren-penned song "Still Here" for the film Rocky Balboa.[22] The song, however, did not appear on the soundtrack although it was included on her second album.

[edit] 2007–present: N.B. and Pocketful of Sunshine

Bedingfield's second album N.B. was released in April 2007 in Europe. Bedingfield recollaborated with Kipner along with Eve and Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine. The album takes influence from a variety of music styles such as R&B, reggae and electronica.[23] Bedingfield commented that it differed from Unwritten because it represented her shifting priorities from being a single young woman to "dating, searching for a partner" and "looking for Mr Right".[5] The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number nine and received mixed reviews by critics, who found that it had "good pop moments".[24]

"I Wanna Have Your Babies", the album's lead single, was about finding the right man to father her children and became criticized by fans and critics alike.[25] The song was moderately successful, reaching number seven in the UK, number eight in Ireland and the top fifty in most other markets.[26] "Soulmate" was released as the album's second single on July 2, 2007 and also peaked at number seven in the UK.[27] "Say It Again" was confirmed as the third single to be released from N.B. on October 8, 2007.

In July 2007, she appeared on an online YouTube music video of Esmée Denters singing "Unwritten". Bedingfield sang backing vocals off-screen for most of the video, but joined Denters in front of the camera at the end of the song.[28] In September 2007, it was announced that the lead single "I Wanna Have Your Babies" would in fact not be the lead single in North America. A new track titled "Love like This"[29] would serve as the lead American single. The track, which features Jamaican reggae act Sean Kingston did not appear on the original pressings of N.B..

To promote N.B., Bedingfield embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour in May 2007, supporting Justin Timberlake[30] and on July 1, 2007, Bedingfield performed "Unwritten" at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in London.[31]

Bedingfield's live session at Abbey Road Studios was recorded for Live from Abbey Road and the performance was screened on an episode shared with Iron Maiden and Gipsy Kings. The show was screened on Channel 4 in the UK and the Sundance Channel in the United States.

On October 3, 2007, Bedingfield won an award for "Best Pop Artist" at the 2007 BT Digital Music Awards held at The Roundhouse in Camden, North London, she also performed her latest single "Say It Again" at the ceremony.

Bedingfield has stated on TRL that the U.S. version of her second album will be titled Pocketful of Sunshine. The album featured six songs from N.B. alongside seven new ones. The album was released on January 22, 2008, with the lead single, "Love like This" being released a few months earlier. The title track is set to be the second single and was played on the season finale of MTV's The Hills.

On January 18, 2008, Bedingfield's forthcoming UK tour was cancelled for the second time, one month before it was supposed to start. It has now been officially scrapped, so she can spend more time in the U.S. promoting her album. However, she will perform a number of free acoustic gigs in the spring to compensate for the cancellation.[32] Bedingfield has been back in the UK recently to promote new single "Love Like This" which recently made the top 20 in the UK chart, with the album Pocketful of Sunshine to follow later this year.

[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.[33] 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".[34] 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 Calcutta 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.[8] Video diaries filmed during her trip were posted on her official website in early 2007.[35] She is also an advocate for Stop the Traffik, a global coalition which works to end human trafficking[33] and a member of the (RED) campaign.[5]

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.[36] 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."[36] Bedingfield is not set to appear in any forthcoming films in the near future.

She will make an appearance in the seventh season finale of the hit Canadian television series Degrassi: The Next Generation.[37]

[edit] Personal life and image

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."[38] Bedingfield is currently dating estate agent Matt Robinson,[39] and he has shown up with her to support her at various events.

[edit] Discography

For a comprehensive listing of all Natasha Bedingfield releases, see Natasha Bedingfield discography.

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Chart history

Single Chart positions Album
UK IE ES U.S.
Dance		 U.S.
 U.S. Pop
"Single" 3 7 - - 57 38 Unwritten
"These Words" 1 1 11 35 17 9
"Unwritten" 6 9 1 1 5 1
"I Bruise Easily" 12 17 - - - -
"The One That Got Away" - - - 1 - -
"I Wanna Have Your Babies" 7 8 - - - - N.B.
"Soulmate" 7 28 13 11 103 74
"Love like This" 20 34 - 1 11 10 Pocketful of Sunshine
"Pocketful of Sunshine" - - - 1 8 7
Number one hits 1 1 1 4 - 1

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[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Johnny Loftus. Review of Unwritten. All Music Guide. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  2. ^ Stuart Clarke. Staggered Plan for Bedingfield Return. Music Week. June 10, 2006. Retrieved March 11, 2007.
  3. ^ a b 2007 Grammy Award Nominations. Grammy Awards. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  4. ^ Scott Indrisek. "Electioneering: Natasha Bedingfield's Running Music". Retrieved February 1, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d e Artist Profile: Natasha Bedingfield. EMI Music Publishing. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
  6. ^ Rob Patterson. Natasha Bedingfield. BMI. February 22, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
  7. ^ Bill Lamb. Natasha Bedingfield Biography. About.com. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
  8. ^ a b Liz Jones. "Is Natasha Bedingfield God's gift to pop music?". you.co.uk. May 12, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
  9. ^ John Harlow. Bill Gates Puts Bedingfield in His Xbox. The Sunday Times. March 26, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
  10. ^ Simon Cage. Sister Doing It For Herself. The Scotsman. December 19, 2004. Retrieved March 11, 2007.
  11. ^ Tony Cummings. Hillsong London: Shouting God's Fame and Proclaiming Jesus Is. Cross Rhythms. November 12, 2006. Retrieved March 11, 2007.
  12. ^ Biography. VH1. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  13. ^ Unwritten World Charts. acharts.us. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
  14. ^ Certified Awards. The BPI. Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  15. ^ Searchable Database. The RIAA. Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  16. ^ Achievements. natasha-b.com. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
  17. ^ "Single" World Charts. musicsquare.net. Retrieved June 11, 2006.
  18. ^ Elle J. Small. "Natasha Bedingfield: Capital Gains". Blues and Soul Music Magazine. Issue 997. Retrieved June 11, 2006.
  19. ^ "These Words" World Charts. musicsquare.net. Retrieved June 11, 2006.
  20. ^ "Nielsen Issues Most Popular Lists for 2006". nielsenmedia.com. December 20, 2006. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  21. ^ Arjan Timmermans. "Natasha Bedingfield Interview". Arjan Writes. August 10, 2005. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
  22. ^ Keith Caulfield. Charting As Easily As 'Bruising?'. Billboard. November 10, 2006. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  23. ^ Lizzie Ennever. "N.B." Album Review. BBC. Retrieved May 20, 2007.
  24. ^ Jack Foley. "Soulmate" Album Review. indielondon.co.uk. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
  25. ^ "An Open Letter to Natasha Bedingfield". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
  26. ^ "I Wanna Have Your Babies" Charts. Music Square. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
  27. ^ "New Single - Coming Soon". natashabedingfield.com. May 9, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2007.
  28. ^ Videos. esmeeworld.com. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
  29. ^ October - "Mainstream Already Out". fmqb.com. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
  30. ^ "Bedingfield to tour with JT". ITV News. May 16, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
  31. ^ Performers. concertfordiana.com. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
  32. ^ "Natasha scraps tour number 2. The Sun. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  33. ^ a b "Natasha Bedingfield Becomes An Ambassador for 'Global Angels'". Sony BMG UK. April 5, 2006. Retrieved March 13, 2007.
  34. ^ Ambassadors. Global Angels. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
  35. ^ Oh Baby! Natasha Bedingfield Comes Back With Super-Cute New Single + Album. Sony BMG Australia. February 20, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2007.
  36. ^ a b Patrick Garratt. Natasha Bedingfield: EA's Latest Bond Girl. Eurogamer. November 8, 2005. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  37. ^ http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071205/bedingfield_preview_071205/20071205?s_name=degrassi2006&no_ads=sky CTV.ca
  38. ^ Woman We Love. Cosmopolitan UK. February 2007.
  39. ^ "Dating's all fun and games for Tash". metro.co.uk. June 5, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2007.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Natasha Bedingfield
European albums
American albums
European singles
American singles
Other singles
DVDs
Related topics
v • d • e
Hillsong musicians
Persondata
NAME Bedingfield, Natasha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION English singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH 26 November 1981
PLACE OF BIRTH London, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH