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 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 five top ten singles in the United Kingdom and, s of [], she has sold over 10 million singles and albums worldwide.
|
NATASHA BEDINGFIELD TICKETS
|
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]
Bedingfield attended a year at the
University of Greenwich, where she studied
psychology,
[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]
Music career
2004–2006: Unwritten
Bedingfield signed a recording contract with
BMG UK & Ireland in 2003.
[11] Her first album
Unwritten
was released in September 2004 and features collaborations with
Steve Kipner,
Danielle Brisebois, Wayne Rodrigues, 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.
Bedingfield's
lyrics focused on independence, opportunism and female empowerment.
[12] Reviews of the album were generally positive and it was described as a "well-made pop album for the new millennium" by
Allmusic.
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 Gold status in the
U.S. [15] The first single released from the album was "
Single", which reached number three on the
UK Singles Chart.
[16] The song's lyrics, and its accompanying
music video, depict Bedingfield's single lifestyle.
[17] "
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.
[18] "
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.
[19] "
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 2004, Bedingfield also appeared on the
Girls Of FHM single,
Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, alongside
Tina Barrett (formerly of
S Club 7) and
Liz McClarnon (formerly of
Atomic Kitten). The single peaked at number ten in the
UK Top 40 charts.
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.
[20]
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
.
[21] The song, however, did not appear on the soundtrack although it was included on her second album.
2007–2008: N.B.
and Pocketful of Sunshine
thumb on 3 October 2007
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. Bedingfield again collaborated with Kipner along with
Eve,
Wayne Wilkins, and
Maroon 5 singer
Adam Levine. The album takes influence from a variety of music styles such as R&B,
reggae and
electronica.
[22] 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".
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.
[23] The song was moderately successful, reaching number seven in the
UK, number eight in
Ireland and the top fifty in various other markets.
[24] "
Soulmate" was released as the album's second single on 2 July 2007 and also peaked at number seven in the
UK.
[25] "
Say It Again" was confirmed as the third single to be released from
N.B.
on 8 October 2007, but this failed to chart.
In July 2007, Bedingfield appeared in 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.
[26][not in citation given] 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" 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.
The song was also released in the UK where it peaked at number 20 in March 2008.
To promote
N.B.
, Bedingfield embarked on the
FutureSex/LoveShow tour in May 2007, supporting
Justin Timberlake [27][not in citation given] and on 1 July 2007, Bedingfield performed "Unwritten" at the
Concert for Diana at
Wembley Stadium in
London.
[28]
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 3 October 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.
The North American version of her second album featured six songs from
N.B.
along with seven new ones. 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, #9 on the Pop 100 and #1 on the US dance chart.
The title track was released as the second single in February 2008 and was played on the season finale of MTV's
The Hills
. The single peaked at #5 on the Billboard hot 100, #5 on the Pop 100 and #1 on the US dance chart.
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.
[29] She recently signed on to become the opening act on the recently reunited
New Kids On The Block Fall Tour of 2008 in the US.
In February 2008, Bedingfield was invited by
EA Games to re-record the single
Pocketful of Sunshine
in Simlish, with a music video released as part of a viral advertising campaign for the release of
The Sims 2: FreeTime
.
[30][unreliable source?] [31][unreliable source?]
The third single taken from the album was "
Angel", which peaked at number #63 on the Billboard Hot 100, #35 on the Pop 100 and #1 on the US dance chart. On 18 September 2008, Bedingfield performed the song on
America's Got Talent
.
A fourth single, "
Soulmate", was released in December 2008 but debuted 2 months before its release at #103 on the Billboard Hot 100, #74 on the Pop 100 and #1 on the US Dance Chart (becoming her fifth #1 dance single).
2009: New album
Bedingfield has stated on her blog that she will start work on her new album in early 2009.
[32] She has confirmed to be writing for the new album while on holiday in New Zealand, she says "
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
".
[33]
She has also confirmed she is working with Brian Kennedy who produced
Rihanna's hit single "
Disturbia" and has been writing songs with him while on tour
[34] [35] with a view to having the album released by the end of 2009.
[36] Bedingfield has also stated that
Wyclef Jean,
Sam Sparro and
Mike Elizondo will also be working on the record,
[37] alongside producers
Printz Board [38][not in citation given] and
Ryan Tedder.
[39] Bedingfield has confirmed that the album will be ready for 2010.
[40]
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
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.
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 and a member of the
(RED) campaign.
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."
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 Bands
Christmas Special,
alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Leon Thomas III. She has recently made guest appearances on the NBC series
Lipstick Jungle''.
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."
[47] Bedingfield is married to Matt Robinson,
[48][not in citation given] a businessman and documentary filmmaker from California. The couple wed in
Malibu on 21 March 2009.
[49][not in citation given]
She lists
Audrey Hepburn,
Debbie Harry and
Brigitte Bardot as her "celebrity style icons".
[50]
Discography
Awards and nominations
Bedingfield's debut album
Unwritten
contains primarily uptempo
pop songs and was influenced by
R&B music.
[51] It enjoyed international success with over three million copies sold worldwide.
[52] 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.
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.
[53] Bedingfield has received four nominations from the BRIT Awards but has won none.
As of July 2008, she has won five awards from eleven nominations.
BRIT Awards
The
BRIT Awards are the
British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. Bedingfield has received four nominations.
[54]
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
|
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.
[55]
Year
| Nominated work
| Award
| Result
|
2007
| Natasha Bedingfield
| Best Pop Artist
| Won
|
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.
[56]
Year
| Nominated work
| Award
| Result
|
2005
| "These Words"
| Best Single
| Won
|
Natasha Bedingfield
| Best Newcomer
| Won
|
Glamour Awards
The Glamour Awards is an annual awards ceremony hosted by
Glamour
, a women's magazine. Bedingfield has won one award.
[57]
Year
| Nominated work
| Award
| Result
|
2005
| Natasha Bedingfield
| UK Solo Artist of the Year
| Won
|
Grammy Awards
The
Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bedingfield has received one nomination.
[58] [59]
Year
| Nominated work
| Award
| Result
|
2007
| "Unwritten"
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
| Nominated
|
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.
[60]
Year
| Nominated work
| Award
| Result
|
2004
| Natasha Bedingfield
| Best U.K. and Ireland act
| Nominated
|
TMF Awards
The
TMF Awards is an annual television awards show broadcast live on
The Music Factory. Bedingfield has received one award.
[61]
Year
| Nominated work
| Award
| Result
|
2005
| Natasha Bedingfield
| Best International New Artist
| Won
|
References
- Johnny Loftus. Review of ''Unwritten''. Allmusic. Retrieved 7 March 2007.
- Stuart Clarke. Staggered Plan for Bedingfield Return. ''Music Week''. 10 June 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
- 2007 Grammy Award Nominations. Grammy Awards. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
- Artist Profile: Natasha Bedingfield. EMI Music Publishing. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
- Natasha Bedingfield. BMI. 22 February 2006. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
- Bill Lamb. Natasha Bedingfield Biography. About.com. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
- Liz Jones. "Is Natasha Bedingfield God's gift to pop music?". you.co.uk. 12 May 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- John Harlow. Bill Gates Puts Bedingfield in His Xbox. ''The Sunday Times''. 26 March 2006. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
- Simon Cage. Sister Doing It For Herself. ''The Scotsman''. 19 December 2004. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
- Tony Cummings.
Hillsong London: Shouting God's Fame and Proclaiming Jesus Is. Cross Rhythms. 12 November 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
- Biography. VH1. Retrieved 7 March 2007.
- Artist Profile. EMI Music Publishing. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
- Unwritten World Charts. acharts.us. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
- Certified Awards. The BPI. Retrieved 20 March 2007.
- Searchable Database. The RIAA. Retrieved 20 March 2007.
- "Single" World Charts. musicsquare.net. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
- Elle J. Small. "Natasha Bedingfield: Capital Gains". ''Blues and Soul Music Magazine''. Issue 997. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
- "These Words" World Charts. musicsquare.net. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
- "Nielsen Issues Most Popular Lists for 2006". nielsenmedia.com. 20 December 2006. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
- Achievements. natasha-b.com. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
- Keith Caulfield. Charting As Easily As 'Bruising?'. Billboard. 10 November 2006. Retrieved 7 March 2007.
- Lizzie Ennever. "N.B." Album Review. BBC. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
- "An Open Letter to Natasha Bedingfield". ''Drowned in Sound''. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies" Charts. ''Music Square''. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
- "New Single - Coming Soon". natashabedingfield.com. 9 May 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2007.
- Videos. esmeeworld.com. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
- "Bedingfield to tour with JT". ITV News. 16 May 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- Performers. concertfordiana.com. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
- "Natasha scraps tour number 2. ''The Sun''. Retrieved 26 January 2008.
- The Sims 2 FreeTime Music Video feat. Natasha Bedingfield on YouTube
- Natasha Bedingfield Interview on learning Simlish on YouTube
- http://www.natashabedingfield.com/gb/news/gb/2008/12/14/a_holiday_note_from_natasha_1
- http://www.natashabedingfield.com/gb/news/gb/2009/01/03/a_new_years_note_from_natasha
- http://www.natashabedingfield.com/global/blog/2008/09/29/engagement_blog
- http://www.ascap.com/playback/2008/FALL/ACTION/kennedy.aspx
- http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-06-voa25.cfm
- http://www.natashabedingfield.com/gb/blog/2009/05/04/update_from_natasha
- http://fr.truveo.com/H2424-Paparazzi-Henry%E2%80%99s-Star-Encounters-21109/id/1068890517
- http://twitter.com/1Republic/status/1777636848
- http://kaysblog.dailymail.co.uk/2009/06/natasha-bedingfield-glad-to-be-back-in-england-although-she-
- "Natasha Bedingfield Becomes An Ambassador for 'Global Angels'". Sony BMG UK. 5 April 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
- Ambassadors. Global Angels. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- Oh Baby! Natasha Bedingfield Comes Back With Super-Cute New Single + Album. Sony BMG Australia. 20 February 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
- http://www.callandresponse.com
- Patrick Garratt. Natasha Bedingfield: EA's Latest Bond Girl. Eurogamer. 8 November 2005. Retrieved 7 March 2007.
- http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071205/bedingfield_preview_071205/20071205?s_name=degrassi2006&no_ads=sky ''CTV.ca''
- Woman We Love. ''Cosmopolitan UK''. February 2007.
- "Dating's all fun and games for Tash". metro.co.uk. 5 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- British singer Natasha Bedingfield weds in Malibu Yahoo News, 22 March 2009
- ''Allure'' magazine, January 2008 issue, page 112.
- Review of ''Unwritten''
- Staggered plan for Bedingfield return
- Artist Chart History
- Brits 2005: The winners
- Bedingfield win at digital awards
- Top Trading Tips
- Glammed up for awards
- 49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List
- Grammy Awards 2007
- Natasha Bedingfield
- Tiesto crowned king of tmf awards