Natalie Imbruglia thinks singing songs originally recorded by male artists are much more fun.
The Australian songstress is releasing her first album in six years, Male, on July 31. The record contains no original tracks, instead featuring covers of songs originally sung by men.
“I realised it was much more fun to do songs by male artists,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “I just found them to be more fun. It’s like when you flip the sex on it. It doesn’t feel like a direct comparison to an experience because obviously you’re coming from a different place.”
Songs featured on Male include Friday I’m in Love by The Cure, Cannonball by Damien Rice and Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Neil Young. All the tracks focus on a similar theme which the 40-year-old couldn’t help but be drawn to.
“The songs on this album are about finding that life partner and that sentiment behind the songs, which I think is beautiful,” she explained.
While Natalie is proud of her new album, she admitted to the outlet that she had had some reservations about recording such a well known song by The Cure.
“I was nervous about doing this one because Cure fans are quite die-hard. But you may as well do something radical,” she continued. “The Cure have that way of making their music feel light and fluffy and then you’re like, ‘Ugh, this is actually really heart-wrenching!’ It’s now the most fun song for me to perform.”
The Torn singer also wanted to make sure elements of her character came through in her cover versions. With Cat Stevens’ The Wind, it was all about spirituality for the star.
“This is the more spiritual song out of the bunch. That’s another element out of my personality that I wanted to include,” she revealed. “I love the way he’s put the experiences of his spirituality into his music.”
