Two years later Daniel would follow her, becoming a judge on New Zealand’s X Factor, joining fellow Noughties pop relic, Melanie Blatt, on the panel.
Natasha became a celebrity judge for Avon Voices, a talent competition from the beauty cosmetics company. Meanwhile, Daniel was working in Tel Aviv with local freak folk band called The Raw Men Empire, after writing music for an eclectic group of artists that included American Idol finalist David Archuleta, Jamaican musician Tessane Chin and Pixie Lott. Tours with Justin Timberlake and a charity collaboration with acts including Beyoncé, Rihanna and Mariah Carey followed.īut two years later, Natasha’s third album, Strip Me Away, was released with little reaction and did not even appear in the UK. Natasha cancelled her British tour twice to continue promoting her Gold-selling second album, which reached number three in the Billboard charts. This level of success rumbled on for a couple more years, especially in America. Unwritten gained double-platinum sales in the UK and gold sales in the US, its Grammy-nominated title track becoming American radio’s most-played song of the year. While she didn’t turn out to be better than Britney, as one enthusiastic broadsheet interview suggested before her first album release, Natasha had dominated both sides of the Atlantic by 2006. Meanwhile, Natasha was roaring up the charts and gathering the celebrity column inches to go with it. His second album, Second First Impression, contained his final – to date – Top 20 singles. It was 2004, and at the beginning of the year, Daniel had survived a near-fatal car crash.īy the time Natasha’s debut album, Unwritten, had been released in August – it would go on to sell 2.3 million copies – Daniel’s time in the spotlight was running out. Less than three years later, Daniel’s younger sister and self-proclaimed “powerful woman” Natasha had won a $1.8 million record deal, her debut track, Single, was at number three in the charts and Daniel had a Brit award under his belt.
Mere months after Bedingfield, then 21, had made the hit with one microphone, a vocal compressor and an ordinary PC in his Lewisham bedroom, his track had been picked up by pirate radio stations and become a UK Garage club staple.īy November, Bedingfield had signed a £400,000 deal, Nokia 3310s were trilling a Gotta Get Thru This ringtone and the relative unknown had beaten PopStars winners Hear’Say, the newly solo Geri Halliwell and S Club 7 to number one. Whether you like it or not, you won't be able to get those tunes out of your head.Aiya Napa, the summer of 2001, and the infectious bassline of Daniel Bedingfield’s I Gotta Get Thru This is shaking the dance floors of sweltering clubs. Unwritten is a textbook quality pop album, lifted by Natasha's strong voice, immaculate production and some absolutely corking singles. Don't worry lads -she's talking about your personality -"I was checking nice things you do standing in the Starbucks queue." It's another quirky and addictive song that you'll end up humming for days. She's accompanied by an orchestra for "Wild Horses", although the song might have benefited from a more delicate vocal approach.Īlso noteworthy is "Size Matters". The very lovely "I Bruise Easily" exposes her delicate side. The funky "Frogs and Princes", meanwhile, wouldn't sound out of place on a Janet Jackson album.īut Natasha can do slow too.
This reappears in the mediocre "Drop Me In The Middle" where she collaborates with Bizarre from D-12.įrom loved-up-pop to hip-hop to feisty rock, all the genre boxes are ticked, and "I'm a Bomb" and "If You're Gonna" both embrace the latter, with Natasha going all Pink on us, but with feisty style.Ī Trumpton-like acoustic guitar permeates the marvellously uplifting title track "Unwritten", with more of those fabulous harmonies and a gospel choir added in for good effect.
Here, Natasha embraces a darker, hip-hop sound. It'sguaranteed to thrill, at least for the first 30 plays.Ĭue a lyrical u-turn with her debut single, "Single", all about not needing a fella. Whether the "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyous" annoy or not is down to individual taste, but there's no denying this is a finely-crafted number with bold, voluptuous harmonies. Things start well with the chart-topping "These Words", which only people living on the moon won't have heard already.
Will his little sister Natasha's debut match his phenomenal success or sound like an embarrassing hand-me-down? The good (or bad) news is that 22 year-old Tash also seems to have inherited the ridiculously catchy pop gene, and with her confident album Unwritten, she's sure not to go unnoticed. People seem to either love or hate Daniel.