Natalie Imbruglia talks ahead of Birmingham gig
She followed in the footsteps of Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue by kicking off her career in Aussie soap Neighbours. The model, actress and singer-songwriter Natalie Imbruglia then crossed over into music, enjoying a massive hit with her cover of Ednaswap’s Torn.
Her subsequent album, Left of the Middle, sold seven million copies and the Grammy-nominated Natalie hasn’t looked back since.
She’s back on the road with her Natalie Imbruglia Acoustic, which will feature feature songs from her entire catalogue, including her 2015 record, Male. The tour will visit Birmingham’s O2 Institute 2 on Wednesday. She laughs at the idea that it’s a comeback.
“The fabulous word ‘comeback’. I’ve already had about four comebacks. Any opportunity to get on the road and tour, it’s my favourite thing to do. I was just really excited to have the opportunity to do a more intimate show for the fans.”
She doesn’t indulge when she’s on the road, favouring avocado over Champagne.
“Well you know how artists have their rider of all the things they want, mine is so basic. It’s like lemon, honey and . . . avocado, some carrots – I’m quite healthy when I’m on tour, so it’s not very fancy.”
The record industry has changed considerably since Natalie started her career. And with the rise of streaming services and increased competition, she’s simply happy to still be around.
“It’s a very different industry now to when I started, I just feel really grateful that I’m still working and still touring and writing . . . I think if you love what you do then you keep doing it.”
She was proud of her 2015 record Male, which featured covers of male-led tracks. I was in Connecticut working with (producer) Billy Mann. We were making a covers album . . . and I just got the idea to do all-male artists. There’s something about when you flip the gender, it’s a completely different interpretation of the songs. I just found it more interesting and more fun and all the songs I was drawn to were by male artists anyway.”
That doesn’t mean she doesn’t still write her own material. Natalie continues to create her own music and is looking forward to releasing a self-penned album when the time is right.
“I don’t have a problem doing covers from other people but it’s actually really hard to find enough covers for a whole album that actually express who you are and that make sense to you . . . I’ve always ended up writing again anyway just because part of the experience for me is storytelling . . . I’m definitely writing new material and there will definitely be an album coming, hopefully next year.”
l For tickets for the O2 Institute 2 gig go to www.ticketmaster.co.uk
