Top Of The Pops Interview > 19.03.2005

It's been quite some time since we've seen the lovely Natalie Imbruglia, so when TOTP got the chance to have a chat with her backstage, we thought we'd find out just what the dickens she'd been up to...

TOTP:  Welcome back! It's been a while since you were last on the show - what have you been up to?
Natalie:  Believe it or not, I've been working on this album! I did get married as well, but I have been songwriting forever, it feels like. It took me a while to figure out what kind of a record I was making - I was making something a lot edgier, and probably a lot less commercial. So we needed to get some things out of my system, and then I scrapped a lot of songs and started writing the other half of the record which is the one everyone will hear. It's just been a long drawn-out process, unfortunately, but I think it's been worth the wait.

TOTP:  How would you describe the sound of the new single-slash-album?
Natalie:  I think it's a lot more uplifting and positive than my second album, because I was in a bit of a black hole during that time. I've got a lot more potential singles on this record, and it's just more of a feelgood album. There's still a few sad moments, but overall, it's just probably a bit more straightforward pop.
TOTP:  So would you say it's got more in common with your first album than with your second?
Natalie:  Yeah, I seem to have come full circle!

TOTP:  We've been looking at some of the people you've been working with, like Eg White, who wrote 'Leave Right Now' for Will Young...
Natalie:  Yeah, he's great.
TOTP:  Was there anything in particular that made you choose the people that you've chosen to work with on this album?
Natalie:  Some of the ones were my choice, and some of the ones Hugh Goldsmith - when I started working with him - he put forward. I don't really write anyone off, songwriter-wise. Even if they've worked with artists that aren't necessarily my cup of tea, I think you can always come up with something fresh and new. I'm always up for trying anything as far as collaborations go, but the ones that I chose were Dave Kosten, who releases records under the name Faultline, and he's brilliant, so he's one of the people that I was excited to work with, Gary Clarke is one of my old favourite songwriting partners. Umm...off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone else! Eg is definitely someone who I was interested in working with - I loved that song that he did with Will and I'd heard a lot of his other material and he seems to be very true to the songs as opposed to just churning out generic hits.

TOTP:  Is there anyone you'd like to work with, but haven't had a chance to yet?
Natalie:  I've pretty much worked with everyone! [Laughs.] I don't think so. So far so good. I've got so many different people to choose from these days.

TOTP:  What's your favourite song from the new album?
Natalie:  [Sighs] That's a hard one. There's lots of songs that I like on this record. I think 'Starting Today', which is the first track. I really like it because of what it's about - it's about new beginnings, and how each day you can decide to start fresh, so I really like the sentiment behind that song, and it works really well just acoustically as well, and it's the first one on the record, so it's making a really strong statement. If I had to choose, I'd probably say that one.

TOTP:  The album's called 'Counting Down The Days' - is there any particular meaning behind that title?
Natalie:  : I wrote that song when I was separated from my partner, because he's in Australia and I'm in the UK, so, yeah, there's a bit of a recurrent theme on that front. [Laughs.] When you're in a relationship it tends to crop up in songwriting sessions. The song was just about wanting to be reunited with him, I guess.

TOTP:  Do you feel that there's less pressure on you now that you're on your third album? Your first album was huge, so you must have felt like you had quite a lot to prove with your second album...
Natalie:  I think people were looking more closely, and me being me I tended to go the other way, and rebel against that, and not give them what they wanted. So I feel it's freed me up to enjoy the music I'm making this time around, and the focus doesn't feel like I'm under a microscope this time, and I'm more comfortable in that position. I don't really like when people have too high an expectation! [Laughs.] It's too much to live up to.

TOTP:  You prefer to do it at your own pace, and how you want to do it?
Natalie:  Yeah, people aren't looking so hard, I don't feel eyes burning in the back of my back!

TOTP:  You were at the Brits this year. What was the atmosphere like there?
Natalie:  It was good! It was quite civilised this year, compared to other years. It wasn't as ruckus, it wasn't as rock 'n' roll, which I actually appreciated because I had a bit of a head cold, so it was my first Brits where I didn't have anything to drink! So I don't feel like I missed too much. It was good, it was good fun, and there was lots of interesting people hanging around backstage.

TOTP:  You presented the award for Best International Male, which was won by Eminem. Are you a fan?
Natalie:  I think he's brilliant.
TOTP:  He didn't turn up to the awards; were you disappointed?
Natalie:  Um, I wouldn't say I was disappointed, a lot of the time - actually, most of the time when I get to present things the people aren't there - I think they must choose me on purpose for those ones! I've seen him milling around, he's not a very sociable person. Another Brits I was at, he was there, but there's such a big entourage around him, so yeah, I was quite relieved. [Giggles.] It's a bit scary with all those big muscle guys around him.

TOTP:  Was there anyone that you were really looking forward to meeting, or seeing perform?
Natalie:  Um, I have to say, Joss Stone was extraordinary. I really enjoyed seeing her perform. Who else was there? Scissor Sisters were great, Franz Ferdinand I'm a big fan of, so it was great to see them, and, yeah, that's about it, I think.

TOTP:  Was there anyone that you thought really deserved an award but didn't win on the night?
Natalie:  Yes, Natasha Bedingfield, because I think she's really great, and she's had so much attention all year round, so I thought she should have got a little bit more attention than she did.

TOTP:  You won two Brits back in 1999 - where are your awards now?
Natalie:  Downstairs in the office, I think - so I don't see them! [Laughs.] I don't like to look at awards, they make me feel strange. But it is weird being at them and seeing all these people win awards. I think I've blocked a lot of it out, I think when it happens to you there's a lot of excitement and adrenaline. As the years go by, I realise more and more how lucky I was to have that experience.
TOTP:  So is it now that awards are a nice bonus, but they're not all that important?
Natalie:  I just don't think I took it on, what was happening to me at the time, it was just too much. Too many good things all at once! It's nice, over the years you really acknowledge what you achieved and hopefully, I'll keep achieving more.

TOTP:  If you were given the choice that you could win any kind of award in the world - you could win a Brit, a Grammy, an Oscar, etc. - what would be the perfect award that you could win?
Natalie:  Oh, gosh. I don't know. I've won "worst dressed" award, that wasn't too hot. Probably, I wouldn't mind an Oscar. I wouldn't say no, let's put it that way. [Laughs.]