Natalie Jane Imbruglia (born February 4, 1975) is an Australian singer, songwriter, model and actress. The second of the four daughters of an Italian father and an Australian mother, Imbruglia grew up on the Central Coast, north of Sydney. Like Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue, she also played a role in the soap Neighbours before venturing into a singing career. She is known in most parts of the world for her smash-hit, Torn. She is married to Daniel Johns of Silverchair fame. To date she has released three albums, nine singles, and ten music videos.
Imbruglia studied ballet as a child, hoping to make a career out of it. Later, she started auditioning for Australian TV commercials and appeared in spots for Coke and the popular Australian snack Twisties. By age 16, she left high school to start a career in acting. Eventually, she obtained the chance to play a regular role on the Australian soap opera, Neighbours, which launched the careers of many other successful Australian female artists such as Kylie Minogue and Holly Valance. However, by the end of her second year, she left the show to move to London, immersing herself in the city’s club scene.
There, she decided to try her hand at songwriting, something which she had never attempted. Her effort paid off and she was signed to BMG Publishing. She came up with a demo of the song “Torn” which greatly impressed RCA Records and got her a record contract.
Imbruglia became a spokesperson for L’Oreal after the release of White Lilies Island. Even till today, she remains as a model for many cosmetic products by L’Oreal, particularly mascaras and skincare products. Her advertisements have appeared frequently in newspapers, magazines and television all over the world, ranging from places like Italy to Malaysia and the UK.
She made her debut as an actress in the British comedy, Johnny English. Starring alongside Rowan Atkinson, she played a supporting role as Lorna Campbell. The movie also featured another musical talent, Bond, in a cameo appearance. Internationally, the movie did well despite negative reviews from critics.
Torn
Her first internationally released single, was an Ednaswap cover, Torn. It reached number two in the British charts upon debut and broke the record for the most airplay in the UK. It was also released on the airwaves in the US, but not in buyable CD-format. There, it impressed radio audiences and stayed at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay for eleven weeks. Because it wasn’t sold in physical CD single form, it didn’t get on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, which did not count airplay-only singles at the time.
Left of the Middle
Her debut album Left of the Middle followed soon after. The single released after Torn in was Wishing I Was There, but the song did not fare well. However, it did chart in the Hot 100 Airplay chart. Big Mistake followed and it was more successful than Wishing I Was There, but it couldn’t reach the heights of Torn. The final single from Left of the Middle was Smoke, and the reception was much more divided compared to the other singles. It was a hit in the UK and made the top 5, while in Australia it just missed the top 40. Eventually, the album became a million-seller after charting well in many countries and entering the Top 10 in the US and UK. In 1999, she collaborated with Welsh singer Tom Jones and appeared on an INXS cover from his album Reload.
White Lilies Island
Imbruglia’s next album, White Lilies Island, arrived in 2001. Named after one of her summer homes, the writing process took almost three years to complete. The album’s first single, That Day, was very different stylistically from her previous singles, and it did not reach the UK Top 10. The song, which some found reminiscent of Lisa Loeb’s style, did not do well in her home country either. In the US, Wrong Impression was released as the first single and it enjoyed small success, charting in the Hot 100 Singles chart and the Adult Contemporary chart. The track was also released in the UK as a second single, and it did slightly better than That Day. Beauty On The Fire, the final single, experienced minimal success and barely entered charts worldwide. In Australia it did not even make the top 50. Beauty On The Fire, however, was one of the more critically-acclaimed tracks from White Lilies Island and is considered by fans to be her most underrated single. The album still managed to sell around a million copies but failed to repeat the widespread success of Left of the Middle. She got married in 2003 to her long-time boyfriend, Daniel Johns, the lead singer of Silverchair.
Counting Down The Days
In April 2005, Imbruglia released her third studio album Counting Down The Days in the UK with Shiver as its first single. Shiver was a huge success, and it became her longest running single in the UK since Torn. It topped UK airplay charts for several weeks, reaching eighth place in the UK charts. Still, the song’s acclaim and reception paid off and Counting Down The Days became her first album to reach the top spot on the album charts. The second single, the title track Counting Down The Days, was released on July 25th but it did not have as much success in the singles chart as Shiver. It managed to reignite interest in its parent album though, and also received a lot of airplay in the UK. Due to the single, the album managed to re-enter the top 40 in the official UK charts. Imbruglia also did a small European tour in late October and November to promote the album. It looks unlikely that a third single will be released from the album as she will soon be working on a small independent film in Australia. (The track Perfectly from the album received airplay in the UK following Counting Down the Days, but it was never released as a single.)
