Natalie Imbruglia put her music career on hold because she felt jaded.
The 40-year-old has had a number of hits since launching her singing career in 1997 with Torn. But after four albums the star decided to go on a hiatus for six years.
“I was jaded. I needed to take the foot off the pedal and do something different, something I really wanted to do,” she explained to the Mail Online. “I didn’t feel I was taking a risk, I actually felt I was taking control. To me it was just very exciting to have time out and do something different.”
Natalie first rose to fame on Australian soap Neighbours before turning to music and selling more than 10 million records worldwide. But by 2009 the star started to feel she was on a production conveyor belt that she needed to get off.
“I think you get into a pattern in life where everything seems mapped out. Someone says, “Now you’re going to start recording the next album,” and you do it. But I had got to the point where I wasn’t enjoying it,” she explained.
During her time out the spotlight, Natalie spent two years studying drama in Los Angeles and also spent time as a judge on the Australian version of the X Factor.
Now she’s back with a new album, Male, and a renewed confidence. In fact, Natalie finally feels confident in her looks as well as her voice, after years of suffering from body dysmorphia.
“There was always so much focus on the way I looked. If I see photographs of myself in my 20s I can see in my eyes that I’m trying to look like I’m having a good time, but I was basically really conscious of having to step up,” she said. “It was pretty confusing to have people always asking about your appearance. The assumption was that I was where I was because of my looks. But now I’m 40 I’m totally over that. I’m not going to apologise any more for being good-looking.”
