Natasha Bedingfield
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Natasha Bedingfield (born November 26, 1981) is a British pop singer, and sister of pop singer, Daniel Bedingfield. Her debut single, "Single", was released in 2004, followed by the worldwide hit "These Words", which charted at #1 in the UK.
Childhood and beginning
Bedingfield was born in Sussex[link] but raised in Lewisham to New Zealand parents.As a teenager, Natasha, Daniel and younger sister Nikola formed the Christian worship band, The DNA Algorithm. In it they experimented with a variety of music, from R&B to garage rock, and occasionally they would perform small gigs.
After school Bedingfield decided to attend university instead of an art college, as the college noted that she seemed to be more interested in the emotional content of her artwork, leading her to study psychology. Bedingfield commented on her choice stating: "But even then, I was interested in psychology because I knew that'd make me a better songwriter. It'd give me a deeper insight into people. I was sick of empty music - people whip up a melody then any kind of words to fit. I'm not interested in lines that go 'blah blah blah.' I want something that provokes me as well as the listener."
Unwritten
UK Beginnings
On May 3, 2004, the song "Single", was released as Bedingfield’s debut single in the UK. The song performed well, peaking at #3 and spent 10 weeks inside the UK Top 75. A short 3 months later, Bedingfield released her 2nd single, "These Words". The song performed even better than her debut, going to straight to #1.Hot on the heels of the massive success, "These Words", Bedingfield released her debut album, Unwritten, on September 6, 2004. It proved an instant success, debuting at #1. The album has sold over 900,000 copies in the UK to date and is certified 3x Platinum.
The song "Unwritten" was released as Bedingfield’s 3rd single on November 29, 2004. It peaked at a respectable #6 (although it would prove much more successful in the US a year later). She then took an unusually long 5-month break until finally releasing the 4th and final single, "I Bruise Easily". The song under performed, peaking at #12 and getting only 7 weeks inside the Top 75 (It was arguably a minor hit seeing as the album had been out for quite some time. Therefore, physical sales were especially low).
US Beginnings
In May 2005, "These Words" was released to US radio stations as Bedingfield’s debut US single. It was chosen over her UK debut, "Single", due to it’s overwhelming worldwide success on the charts. Finally in June, the video began to receive excessive play on VH1 and MTV. The song was a success, peaking at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 (Although it is one of the lowest positions worldwide for the song, the US charts are composed differently and are based on radio-play as well as digital downloads. "These Words" received little airplay, resulting in a lower position).On July 26, 2005, the Unwritten album was released in the US. Initially, sales were average. The album debuted and peaked at #26, selling 30,000 copies in its first week. It then quickly dropped. It was clear that a new single was needed to boost sales. "Unwritten" was released as the 2nd US single in November of 2005. The song took a while to increase in popularity. 21 weeks after its release, the song reached its peak at #5 (much better than her 1st single due to it’s excessive airplay, downloads, and like "These Words", excessive music video play). It proved to be one of the most successful songs of 2006 selling over 1,000,000 digital downloads (one of the few singles to sell over a million downloads). It is still in the Top 50, with over 30 weeks on the chart.
Like Bedingfield’s US label had hoped, the Unwritten album shot back into the Top 200, and has remained in the lower part of the top 100. To date the album has sold over 600,000 copies in the US and is certified Gold. It is expected to eventually reach a million copies in sales.
The 3rd and current single released in the US is "Single". It debuted at #72 on the Hot 100 (her highest debut yet) and has risen to #57. Unfortunately, in it’s fourth week, the song dropped 2 spots to #59 and the following week fell again to #66. Also, on the VH1 chart, the song has begun to fall out of the Top 20 Videos very soon after it’s debut. Like her previous 2 US singles, "Single" has been receiving a fairly good amount of video play. Her song, 'The One That Got Away', however has become a hit on the US Dance Charts. Peaking at #1 on the US Dance Club Play chart and #4 on the US Hot Dance Airplay chart.
If "Single" performs well, the 4th single expected to be released is "I Bruise Easily".
Blank Canvas
Blank Canvas is the supposed title of Natasha's 2nd album. The first confirmed single is "I Want To Have Your Babies", with a September UK release date. The album will follow shortly.In the US, Blank Canvas is expected to have an early to mid-2007 release.
Discography
- For complete discography and sales information see: Natasha Bedingfield discography
Albums
- Unwritten (2004)
- Blank Canvas (2006)
UK/Etc. Singles
| Year | Single | UK | SE | SW | IRL | NL | GER | AU | CA | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Single" | 3 | 17 | 7 | 78 | Unwritten | ||||
| "These Words" | 1 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 15 | ||
| "Unwritten" | 6 | 32 | 26 | 9 | 5 | 22 | 26 | 4 | ||
| "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (charity single)1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 1 | Single-only release | |
| 2005 | "I Bruise Easily" | 12 | 53 | 17 | 18 | 46 | Unwritten | |||
| 2006 | "I Want to Have Your Babies"4 | 16 | Blank Canvas | |||||||
US Singles
| Year | Single | U.S. | Dance Club Play | Pop | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "These Words (I Love You, I Love You)" | 17 | 35 | 9 | Unwritten |
| 2006 | "Unwritten" | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| "Single" | 57 | 38 | |||
- - indicates the song did not chart.
- a blank box indicates that the song was not released.
- 1 released as a charity single with other British artists under the name Band Aid 20.
- 3 still active on charts
- 4 TBR
References
External links
- [Official website]
- [Official U.S. website]
- [Official German website]
- [Natasha Fan - Fansite]
- [Natasha Bedingfield Central - Fansite]
- [Official MySpace]
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