Beautifully Unwritten: Natasha Bedingfield

Natasha Bedingfield is striking. Styled with straight blonde hair, red lips and Egyptian eyes, she reached over for a cup of tea, before removing her shrug to unveil her bohemian outfit of a black bandeau and harem pants. On her summer U.S. tour, Less is More, Bedingfield had just finished her latest show and spent the last half hour signing autographs. Relaxed and friendly, she is exactly what you would expect a self-described “positive” pop singer to be in person. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she said warmly as she walked over to greet me. I smiled and reached out to shake her hand, but no sooner felt that it would have been more appropriate to give her a hug.

At age 29 when we met, Natasha Bedingfield had become the pop singer who is best known for her inspirational lyrics of life, love and human emotions. However, the British singer and songwriter evinces a sense of maturity, self-awareness and honesty when she speaks that extends beyond her public persona of the happy-go-lucky girl. “You always find little stories in my music,” she said pensively of her album Strip Me. “Things that people go through, things that I’ve gone through...just ways that we’re all very similar and… connected by the situations we are in… the desires we have, the ideas we have.”

With her melodic range and raspy voice, Bedingfield catapulted into the American pop scene in 2005 with the U.S. release of her debut album, Unwritten. An international hit, the album turned gold and climbed the charts worldwide, including the American Billboard and the United Kingdom album charts where she landed at number 26 and one, respectively. The title track of her album, “Unwritten,” was picked up as the theme song for the hit MTV series, The Hills, and became a national anthem to a young generation looking to define itself. As the most widely-played single in the U.S. in 2006, the song turned platinum and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2007.

Since then, the New Zealand-born pop singer has released two albums, Pocketful of Sunshine in 2008 and Strip Me in 2010. While Pocketful of Sunshine was mildly successful compared to her debut album, Bedingfield continued to score major hits with singles like “Love Like This” and “Pocketful of Sunshine,” that peaked at number eleven and four on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles.

When we caught up with her, Bedingfield was on Less is More, her tour across the U.S. Less is More borrows from the theme of the album, which is about human emotions and returning to her roots. The whole point of the tour is, in Bedingfield’s words, “to strip it back.”

She has taken away the massive sound stages, multiple costume changes, swirling lights and ten-piece orchestras that audiences would expect from a pop performance with the hopes that her minimalist approach will elevate her music and help her connect with audiences. Even her venue choice is small and intimate.

Mid-tour, Bedingfield took a break to sit down with Meets Obsession to talk about her music, family, life, and fashion obsessions.

MO: The lyrics in songs like “Weightless” and “Strip Me” sound like they are about defining your personal identity to a certain degree, and knowing who you are. And then there are other songs like “Run, Run, Run” and “Touch” that are about love and emotions. How much of this was personal?

Well, my music always gets personal. I feel like this album is more about being human. It’s more about all of us and what life is like… and I think that on the one hand we’re all so diverse and unique and we need to celebrate the uniqueness because it’s crazy because we’re all trying to look the same.

But we should be celebrating being as incredible and different and diverse as we are. At the same time, I think there’s a lot in the world that can be fixed and we realize how similar we are in the areas of what we need and love, fear and desire… Strip away with what we think and do away and we’re left with [knowing]…we’re amazing unique and powerful individuals.

MO: That’s interesting because you do have an organic way of speaking about human emotions that taps into your fans.

Yes. Just think of all the crazy things we face everyday... we all think our situation is the hardest... and it’s crazy and sometimes with music, we talk about those things and there’s a freedom, there’s a validation that comes because it feels like you said it, you said [it] how I feel. I’m not alone in this.

MO: My favorite song from the album is “No Mozart.” Was that about anyone particular?

That’s the only love song from the album. You know I just got married and I think everyone expected for me to write a love song and I was like, no, I don’t need to write another album about that because I’ve written a lot of songs, you know like “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

I wanted it to be about life but that... song is about my husband… I think with men, it’s hard for them to show... or have people see the sides of them [that] they don’t want seen. Well, it’s hard for women, too. I hate that.

I don’t want to show the ugly parts of myself and I think that’s the most incredible thing about marriage. It’s that... you love someone to let them see that part of you and hope that they still love you and trust that they do.

MO: Well, you’re so charming. What negative sides are you talking about?

Well I’m known as [being]… positive. And it’s quite funny because as I got to know my husband, he was like, “well, that’s such a surprise, you’re really a pessimist.” Because I’m English, I’m like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh... and it’s quite funny because I’m like, “Oh, it’ll probably rain… tomorrow.” So that’s how we are in Britain, you don’t get your hopes up. “My song’s number one, but let’s just see how the next one goes.” My husband’s American and I’ve been learning so much from you guys and you guys are like, “go get ’em.”

“Because I’m English, I’m like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.”

MO: You once said that your style icons were Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn and Debbie Harry. I love your choices, but that’s quite a range of style choices. How do you view your style in each of these women?

Well if you want a range of women let’s throw in Grace Jones. I love her. I wish I could look like her…Yea, I guess style icon is someone that’s... your muse, someone that inspires you. I look at some of those women that we mentioned and how they’re willing to take risks, but also who wear things that suit their body and shape... it’s much about that too, like wearing your clothes well.

MO: What are some of your favorite wardrobe items in your closet?

Like the shoes I wore today. Those were Giuseppe Zanotti… Well I’m not wearing them now. These are my comfortable shoes. I can jump in these.

MO: Those are four inch stilettos, and those are your comfortable shoes?

Well these are great. These are from Steve Madden. Go get them. They’re awesome. I also love Alexander Wang and I would buy the whole shop if I could have bags big enough to fit it all.

MO: What are you currently obsessed with?

I just started watching Nurse Jackie a bit later than everyone else. I’m not obsessed with Twitter but I go on a Twitter binge. Like I won’t twitter for a week and then I’ll go on there and do… 20 tweets. And then I’ll be like step away from the tweets. It’s very addictive. And I’m addicted to chocolate as well. I just like finding the best chocolate somewhere like South America or South Africa… [where] you can tell that the beans are being treated very well.

MO: Really, who do you follow on Twitter?

Well some people are really funny and some people aren’t… But Will Ferrell is really funny and he tweeted funny stuff that I retweeted recently.

And I like retweeting things because it makes you look smart. You’re following cool people, you know.

MO: Obviously, you maintain a busy schedule. What is your favorite thing to do on a free weekend?

I like to shop for new make-up, Sephora and stuff like that, find some fun eyelashes or lipstick. I’m obsessed with... Tom Ford lipstick. So expensive but so worth it. I wear it every day.

From the MO print archive: this story first ran in The Premiere Issue of Meets Obsession Magazine. Bedingfield spoke to us on her Less is More tour, behind the album Strip Me. We're running the interview as it first appeared.

• Words: Mei Tan
• Photographer: Rankin