Rise and Shine with Natasha Bedingfield
Whether it’s set against a shampoo commercial, dramatic series, or MTV reality show, turn on the tube and it’s just a matter of time before Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” is emanating from the speakers. The success of the single and album of the same name has paved a golden path for the 25-year-old British pop star, leading to her latest release, Pocketful of Sunshine (Epic).
Like Unwritten, Pocketful of Sunshineis bright, upbeat, and melodic. The sound was inspired by soul, R&B, pop, and reggae, and has a theme that revolves around the search for love. “I’ve got an amazing Prince Charming right now,” she admits. Her sunny smash single “Love Like This” (featuring Sean Kingston) blew up the airwaves last year, and “Soulmate,” another standout track from the new record, made its way onto the tube in the same fashion as its predecessor “Unwritten.”
“I feel that music is very inspiring, and it’s definitely a form of communication that really goes right to people’s hearts.”
After much anticipation, Pocketful of Sunshine will finally hit stores this month, and the stunning blonde bombshell couldn’t be more excited. On a break from a radio promo day in New York, Bedingfield sat down with Foam to talk about her famous collaborators, the new album, and how the beaches of Santa Monica inspired her along the way.
NC: You said that your last album was about your independence and this album is more about finding love. Why did you want to explore that on Pocketful of Sunshine?
NB: I wanted to explore all the different aspects of relationships on this record. My last record was really about independence and optimism, and I feel like there are a lot of experiences from that, which would be fun to write about.
NC: I know that you lived by the beach while you were recording the record. Did the ocean inspire you or affect your songwriting in any way?
NB: I lived right in Santa Monica, and I would run along the beach every morning. I love the beach. I really found a lot of peace by living there and looking out onto the openness of the ocean. The place I was living in had all windows on one side and I would open them up every morning and the wind would come in. It was such a peaceful way to live for six months after being on a hardcore tour for three years and living out of a suitcase for so long. The beach is definitely one of those special things for me, and whenever I go on holiday I like to go somewhere near the ocean and do a watersport of some kind.
NC: Tell me about working with Sean Kingston on “Love Like This.” The song is amazing. Did you guys know you had a hit on your hands when you wrote it?
NB: Thank you. I really felt excited about the song. When I heard the song, I was like, “Wow, I have to sing that,” and then I just had to put Sean Kingston on it because I love his vibe. There’s something about it that really stood out to me.
NC: I saw that you worked Adam Levine from Maroon 5, among many others, on this record. How was your experience with him?
NB: We wrote a song called “Say It Again” together with a guy named Mike Elizondo. We were jamming in the studio and came up with this great song and put it on the album. Adam is a fun person to work with. He’s really gifted musically.
NC: What was it like touring with Justin Timberlake?
NB: I was going through Europe last summer as part of his show. I was the opening act, and it was wonderful. His whole show is set up to be like a big party, so you feel like you’re partying every night. There are amazing lights and the stage is in the center. You have to turn around a lot to see the crowd. It took me a while to get used to not getting too dizzy and to run around in heels a lot. I’m very, very good now at running around in heels!
NC: Do you feel a certain responsibility as a female role model in the music industry?
NB: I feel that music is very inspiring, and it’s definitely a form of communication that really goes right to people’s hearts. I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and say, “Wow, that song really touched me,” or “I put that song on while I work out because it inspires me to go on,” and that’s wonderful. I think that it does make a difference being a girl in the industry. On one side you’ve got women power that really is a great thing, but on the other side, people might treat you a little different for being a girl and not take you seriously. It’s different challenges. I think keeping a balance emotionally as well as physically is important.
NC: Tell me more about Global Angels, the charity your mother started. I know you are very passionate about it.
NB: The charity is called Global Angels and the idea is that everybody can be an angel and anyone can do something in some way. It raises money for projects that help children all over the world, for example, projects that rescue kids from prostitution or slavery or feed kids in areas of starvation. It seeks out projects that are really effective in areas but need funds. They don’t have a big company to raise money for them, so Global Angels does the events and raises money for the projects. Every penny that the public gives goes directly to the source of the projects, not getting lost in advertising, which happens in a lot of charities.
NC: What do you hope to accomplish this year?
NB: Well, I’ve got the release of the album and then an English tour and a U.S. tour coming up, so all that is to look forward to. One of the things that I’ll be doing—and I do actually at the moment as well—is that I film a lot of the things that are going on behind stage. When I was on the Justin tour, I filmed a lot of it and then I put it on my Web site. As I go through America, I’ll be filming stuff in different states and keeping people updated.
- words by Nadine Cheung
