Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born November 26, 1981) is an English pop singer. She is the sister of pop singer Daniel Bedingfield. Her debut song, "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 but raised in Lewisham to New Zealand parents.

As a teenager, Natasha, Daniel, and younger sister Nikola formed the Christian rock band, The DNA Algorithm. In it, they experimented with a variety of music — from R&B to garage rock — and would occasionally perform small gigs.

After school, Bedingfield decided to attend a university instead of 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."

As a member of Hillsong London church, Bedingfield was one of the congregation’s worship leaders. She also co-wrote several songs recorded on the church's album Shout God's Fame as well as the song "All I Do" featured on an album called Blessed by Hillsong Music Australia. A different version of the song (along with another co-written by Bedingfield "You Are My Rock") can be found on Hillsong Kiev’s album Революция (Revolution), and Bedingfield is a co-performer of both songs. Two other songs she co-wrote also appear on Hillsong's album for children Jesus Is My Superhero.

 Unwritten

 UK Beginnings

On May 3, 2004, "Single" was released as Bedingfield’s debut song in the UK. The song peaked at #3 and spent 10 weeks inside the UK Top 75. Three months later, Bedingfield released her second single, "These Words." The song performed even better than her debut, going straight to #1.

After the success of "These Words," Bedingfield released her debut album, Unwritten, on September 6, 2004. It debuted 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 third single on November 29, 2004. It peaked at a #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 fourth single, "I Bruise Easily." The song underperformed, peaking at #12 and getting only seven weeks inside the Top 75. It was arguably a minor hit seeing as the album had been out for quite some time.

 US Beginnings

In May 2005, "These Words" was released to American radio stations as Bedingfield's debut single in the United States. It was chosen over her United Kingdom debut, "Single," due to its worldwide success on the charts. In June, the American version of the music video began to receive excessive play on VH1 and MTV. The song peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It became her first top 20 hit in that country.

On July 26, 2005, the American version of Unwritten album was released in the United States. Initially, sales were below average. The album debuted and peaked at #26, selling 30,000 copies in its first week. It then dropped. It was clear that a new single was needed to boost sales. "Unwritten" was released as the second American single in November. The song took a while to increase in popularity. Twenty-one weeks after its release, the song reached its peak at #5 (much better than her first single due to its heavy radio rotation, downloads, and like "These Words," extensive music video play). It became one of the most successful songs of 2006 selling over 1,000,000 digital downloads (one of a handful singles to sell over a million downloads). It spent over 40 weeks on the chart.

Like Bedingfield's American label had hoped, Unwritten made its way back into the Billboard 200, and remains there to date with more than 720,000 sales. The album is certified Gold. "The One That Got Away" was released to radio and became a minor hit, yet topped the dance charts. It peaked at #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, and #4 on the Hot Dance Airplay chart.

The third official single released was "Single." It debuted at #72 on the Hot 100 (her highest debut yet). Despite the high debut, the video and song received much less play than her previous two. "Single" became her lowest charting single in the US, peaking only at #57. A reason for the failure of "Single" can be attributed to the massive success of "Unwritten." It actually remained in the chart for the entire duration of "Single" at a higher position.

"Unwritten" is the theme song for MTV's reality show "The Hills." It is played in the film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and is featured on the movie’s soundtrack. It is also played in promos for ABC's "Ugly Betty" TV show. It is used in Pantene shampoo commercials, as well. "Wild Horses" is one of the soundtracks in Tim McGraw's movie, Flicka.

At the request of Sylvester Stallone himself, she has recorded the title song to Rocky Balboa, "Still Here," written by Diane Warren. She was also asked by the star to appear on screen.

 Live in New York City

Live In New York City captures Bedingfield's first sold-out concert in the US. It was filmed on 8 June 2006 in the heart of Times Square at The Nokia Theatre. This DVD features Bedingfield passionately performing a two-hour set, including such infectious and inspirational songs as "Unwritten," "These Words," and "Single"; as well as a special rendition of Coldplay’s haunting track, "The Scientist."

In addition to the concert footage, Live In New York City includes numerous bonus features: A five-song acoustic performance filmed at Clear Channel's Stripped, and a behind-the-scenes documentary of Bedingfield in New York City. Other highlights include a never-before-seen director's cut of the music video for "These Words," as well as the video for "Unwritten."

 Blank Canvas

Blank Canvas is the supposed title of Bedingfield's second album. The first confirmed single is "I Want To Have Your Babies," with a UK release-date of January 2007. The album would 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

1. Unwritten (2004)
2. Blank Canvas (2007)

 UK/EU/Etc. Singles

 US & Canadian Singles

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