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Natalie
Imbruglia
Natalie
Jane Imbruglia (born February 4, 1975) is an Australian
singer-songwriter, model and actress.
In
the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences
as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap
Neighbours (also responsible for launching pop
singers Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Delta Goodrem
and Holly Valance). Two years after leaving the
program, she launched a singing career with the
international hit, "Torn". The subsequent
debut album Left of the Middle (1998) sold 7 million
copies worldwide. While following releases, White
Lilies Island (2001) and Counting Down the Days
(2005), have been unable to match the commercial
success of her debut, the latter became her first
UK #1, and all are critically acclaimed. To date
she has sold more than 10 million records worldwide.
Biography
Second
of the four daughters to a Sicilian (Messinese)
father and an Australian mother, Imbruglia grew
up on the Central Coast, north of Sydney. Imbruglia
studied ballet, tap, and highland dancing as a
child, hoping to make a career out of it. She
also sang in shopping malls and in school performances.
At 14 her dance instructor encouraged her to sing
with an all girl group but once at the audition,
the managers saw that the strikingly pretty youngster
with a beautiful voice could make it on her own.
They wanted to sign her as a solo act but she
refused. "They were like 'we're going to
make you a star...' Even at that age you couldn't
talk to me like that. I was like 'see you later..'"
Early career
Imbruglia
auditioned for Australian TV commercials and appeared
in spots for Coke and the popular Australian snack
Twisties. By age 16, she left high school to start
a career in acting. She soon obtained the chance
to play a regular role on the Australian soap
opera, Neighbours at the age of 16 1/2. Neighbours
has also launched the careers of many other successful
Australian female artists such as Kylie Minogue,
Holly Valance, Delta Goodrem and Natalie Bassingthwaighte.
By
the end of her second year, she left the show
to move to London, immersing herself in the city's
club scene. Refused a work permit, within a year
she became bankrupt. This forced her to go back
to her passion of singing, something which she
had been putting off because she thought everyone
would laugh at her because she'd been on Neighbours.
Her effort paid off and she was signed to BMG
Publishing. She came up with a demo of the song
"Torn" which greatly impressed RCA Records
and got her a record contract.
Music
Natalie
Imbruglia is one of the most successful Australian-born
female singers. She has received one MTV Awards
for Best New Artist in 1998, and 3 constitutive
nominations of Grammy Awards in 1999. She has
sold over 9 million albums worldwide. She was
ranked #11 on Rock on the Net's list of single
artists of the year in 1998, and #76 in 2001.
Torn
Her
first internationally released single, "Torn"
(1997), was a cover of an Ednaswap song. Instantly
the single became one of the biggest hits of the
90s, reaching number-two in the UK Singles Chart
and number-one on airplay around the world and
was number-one on the Billboard Airplay chart
for 14 weeks. The single went on to sell over
a million copies in the United Kingdom alone.
It
was also released as a radio single in the US,
but not in buyable CD-format. The single quickly
hit #1 on the Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart,
where it stayed for 14 weeks. At the time singles
not released commercially were unable to chart
to the overall Hot 100 chart (combined sales and
airplay) so "Torn" made no appearance
on it for a while. By the time the policy was
changed in late 1998 to allow airplay-only songs,
"Torn" was already heading down the
charts, so its peak on the Hot 100 only ended
up being at #42. The single also topped the Top
40 Mainstream/CHR Pop and Adult Top 40 charts.
In
October 1997, it broke the all time airplay record
in the UK for being the most played (more than
2000 plays) for six consecutive weeks. It was,
finally No. 1 for 14 weeks in the UK radio chart,
a record that is being tied by only Simply Red's
Fairground. It was No. 1 radio single in the USA
from March to July 1998. It was knocked down to
No. 2 by Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited".
Rick
Dees, in his Top 40 Chart show also declared Torn
as the 'number one radio single of 1990s' in their
2000 Millennium Countdown show, broadcasted from
KIIS-FM on News Years Eve.
Imbruglia
made a surprise appearance alongside David Armand
midway through a performance of his supposed 'interpretative
dance' routine to her hit song Torn at Amnesty
International's The Secret Policeman's Ball (2006)
Left of the Middle
Her
debut album Left of the Middle followed soon after.
The second single released in the UK, after "Torn"
was "Big Mistake." The song debuted
at number-two. "Wishing I Was There"
followed and it was less successful than her first
two singles, reaching number 19. However, "Wishing
I Was There" was a smash hit on the UK radio,
peaked at No. 2 in summer 1998, and was a summer
smash hit in the USA radio, peaked at No. 14 on
the Top 40 Show. The final single from Left of
the Middle was "Smoke", and the reception
was much more divided compared to the other singles.
It was a hit in the UK and made the top 5, while
in Australia it just missed the top 40. Eventually,
the album became a million-seller after charting
well in many countries and entering the Top 10
in the US and UK. In 1999, she recorded a cover
of the song Never Tear Us Apart by INXS with Tom
Jones which appeared on his album Reload.
Left
of the Middle was certified platinum by RIAA within
4 weeks of release (3rd April 1998) and was certified
2X platinum in November 1998.
White Lilies Island
Imbruglia’s
next album, White Lilies Island, arrived in 2001.
Named after an island where her English and main
home is situated, the writing process took almost
three years to complete in which she co-wrote
every track. The album's first single, "That
Day," was very different stylistically from
her previous singles, but it did not reach the
UK Top 10. In the USA, "Wrong Impression"
was released as the first single and it enjoyed
small success, charting in the Hot 100 Singles
chart and the Adult Contemporary chart. The track
was also released in the UK as a second single,
and it did slightly better than That Day. "Beauty
On The Fire", the final single, experienced
minimal success and barely entered charts worldwide,
and didn't make the top50 in Australia. The album
still managed to sell over a million copies but
failed to repeat the widespread success of Left
of the Middle.
Counting Down the Days
Imbruglia's
third album was ready in November 2003. Imbruglia's
record label refused to release it due to it being
too rock and not radio-friendly. She was later
given songs to record with Scandinavian pop producers,
which she refused to do. Imbruglia and her record
label parted ways at the beginning of 2004. Four
months later she signed with a new label Brightside
Recordings, which was formed by a former Innocent
Records boss Hugh Goldsmith.
Imbruglia
started working on an album again. In April 2005,
Imbruglia released her third studio album Counting
Down the Days in the UK with "Shiver"
as its first single. "Shiver" was a
huge success, and it became her longest running
single in the UK since "Torn." It topped
UK airplay charts for several weeks, reaching
eighth place in the UK charts. It also became
the most played song of 2005. The song’s
acclaim and reception paid off and Counting Down
The Days became her first album to reach the top
spot on the album charts.
It
was decided that 'Sanctuary' would be second single
from the album. The promo singles were sent to
radio stations. The decision was later changed
to the title track "Counting Down the Days",
with radio stations being asked to play the album
version, because the radio mix was not finished.
The single was released on July 25th but it did
not have as much success in the singles chart
as "Shiver." Though it managed to reignite
interest in its parent album, and also received
a lot of airplay in the UK. Due to the single,
the album managed to re-enter the top 40 in the
official UK charts.
Imbruglia
had a choice to either release 'Perfectly' as
her third single, or use the GBP200,000 funding
from BMG to do a tour. She decided to do a small
European tour (as she had not done a proper tour
since Left of the Middle) in late October and
November to promote the album. Though the album
never entered UK Top 40 again, she proved once
again that she had maintained a dedicated fan
base; several concerts, especially those in London
sold out.
The
album is the 100th best-selling album in 2005,
selling some 200,000 copies in the UK alone.
Glorious: The Singles 1997-2007
Imbruglia
started working on her 4th album in late 2005.
In mid 2007 the plans changed and Natalie's record
company decided to release the single collection
instead. The compilation is a celebration of Imbruglia's
10 years in the music industry. The Singles Collection
debuted at #5 in the UK Music charts, and boasted
5 new songs, including the single "Glorious",
as well as a bonus DVD featuring all Imbruglia's
Music Videos.
Other recordings
In
1999 Natalie released the single "Identify",
written by Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins.
The dark, brooding song — an artistic departure
for Imbruglia — appeared on the soundtrack
for the movie Stigmata.
Imbruglia
also wrote a song with Nick Seymour and David
Biegel in 1999 called Troubled By The Way We Came
Together which was part of the soundtrack for
the movie "Go".
Imbruglia
recorded the song "Cold Air" for the
Mexican movie "Y tu mama tambien", which
also appeared as a B-Side on Beauty on the Fire.
Film career
Johnny English
Imbruglia
made her big screen debut as an actress in the
2003 British comedy, Johnny English. Starring
alongside Rowan Atkinson, she played a supporting
role as Lorna Campbell. The movie also featured
another musical talent, bond, in a cameo appearance.
Internationally, the movie did well despite negative
reviews from critics. It topped box offices in
22 countries and grossed around $150m.
Elise
Since
2004, Imbruglia has been preparing for the small,
self-financed lead role of Elise Silverton in
the Australian independent film Elise. Filming
wrapped in November 2007. There is no yet known
release date or schedule.
Television
Neighbours
Imbruglia
made her first regular TV appearance in popular
Australian soap Neighbours at the age of 16 in
1991. She played the role of Beth Brennan on the
show.
L'Oréal
Imbruglia
became a worldwide spokesperson for L'Oréal
after the release of White Lilies Island. She
was a model for many cosmetic products by L'Oréal,
particularly mascaras and skincare products. She
also appeared in several TV commercials for L'Oréal.
In July 2007, her five-year contract with L'Oréal
expired and was not prolonged, because, in her
words during an apperance on The Graham Norton
Show, she's "apparently ... not worth it
anymore". (The quote refers to the company's
slogan "Because I'm Worth It".)
Celebrity Deathmatch
Imbruglia
was featured in the 6th episode of 2nd season
of Celebrity Deathmatch, in which Mel Gibson and
Paul Hogan fought.
Personal life
On
New Years Eve 2003, Imbruglia and her boyfriend
of three and a half years, Silverchair frontman
Daniel Johns, were married in a beach ceremony
in Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia. While
Imbruglia lived mainly in Windsor, Berkshire,
UK, on an island named "White Lillies"
(also the name of her second album), Johns lived
in Newcastle, Australia. On January 4, 2008, Imbruglia
and Johns released a statement announcing their
divorce, citing the tyranny of distance as the
main reason.
She
is currently dating Sam Branson, son of Sir Richard
Branson.
Personal causes
* Imbruglia is an ambassador for Virgin
Unite and supports campaigns to end poverty
and to bring attention to the disease known as
obstetric fistula.
* She appeared in a sketch at the Secret Policeman's
Ball for Amnesty International on October 31,
2006.
* She has also spoken publicly of suffering from
clinical depression to raise awareness about the
disorder.
Looks and fashion
Imbruglia
was named 6th most naturally beautiful woman of
all time in 2004.Audrey Hepburn topped the poll
in which only experts like fashion editors, model
agents and make-up artists could vote. The voting
was decided on the "most naturally beautiful
woman, inside and out". She was ranked 90th
on the VH1 100 Sexiest Artists.
She
has been seen fashioning tattoos of Sanskrit/Hindi
inscription "Shreya" on her neck, Chinese
word for courage on her left foot and Sanskrit
Aum on her lower back, and has her left nipple
pierced.
Imbruglia
stated that she has never had any plastic surgery
but added "I wouldn't rule it out because
I don't know how I'll feel in the future."
She also stated she'd like to "grow old gracefully,
wrinkles and all".
Besides
modelling for Loreal, Imbruglia also modelled
Sass and Bides "The Mad Ones" dress
to raise money for cancer. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
Websites
Natalie
Imbruglia official website
Natalie
Imbruglia official MySpace
Virgin
Unite
News
Google
News search for Natalie Imbruglia
March
2008 - Natalie Imbruglia may have been dating
Sam Branson, musician,
explorer and son of Sir
Richard Branson
Profiles
Music
Media Man Australia does not represent Natalie
Imbruglia
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