Natalie Imbruglia - ‘I love the wisdom of being in my 50s’

*triggers: This episode includes discussion of depression and mental health crises.

In 1997 Natalie Imbruglia released her first single, Torn, which sold more than 4 million physical copies worldwide. In her homeland of Australia, it became the most played song on the radio, being played an average of 75 times a day over the two decades following its release.

She landed a part in Neighbours in 1985, when she was just 16 years old, and stayed on the hugely popular soap for two years before moving to London. Her first album, Left Of Middle, went multi-platinum. Five further albums followed but it wasn’t always easy: in 2009 she took a six-year break from music to concentrate on acting, appearing on stage and in film and also as a judge on the Australian X Factor. Since then, she has released further music, become a mother to a son and won The Masked Singer.

Now she returns with her seventh studio album, Algorithm.

We talk about how writing this album coincided with the perimenopause, reflect on her time in Neighbours, her experience of dating apps, going through solo IVF to have her son, the sexism she faced in the music industry, plus the wisdom she has found in her 50s.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

03:08 Making Natalie’s new album Algorithm

04:55 Neurodivergence and Menopause

08:59 Death Scrolling

10:47 Dropped by Label

16:07 Neighbors and Rejection

25:35 Dating in Your 30s

27:15 Rejection Builds Clarity

27:37 Choosing Love Over Biology

30:47 IVF Reality Check

34:13 Single Mother Headlines

35:48 Manifesting With Lists

38:11 Living After Torn

43:53 Sexism and Aging Power

💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

It doesn't matter who it is, never give your power over to another human being. Never think somebody knows you better than you know yourself.

I'm quite good at being the underdog. I find it much scarier to be at the top, waiting to fall off a pedestal.

Sometimes the universe is working for you, it just doesn't feel that way at the time.

🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:

Natalie’s latest album, ‘Algorithm’ is to be released on 4th September. Pre-order here: republicofmusic.lnk.to/algorithm

Join the How To Fail community: www.howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Elizabeth’s Substack: www.theelizabethday.substack.com

📚 WANT MORE?

Shania Twain - this episode reflects on a childhood marked by poverty, early fame, loss and self-doubt: swap.fm/l/JyU54nvq2muyBpNFq3B9

Lily Allen - talks about failing to be famous, body image, children, marital breakdown, addiction and songwriting: swap.fm/l/8Otj3tpmbH5SF4xjVHTJ

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