Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian
recording artist
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
,
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...
, and
television personality
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
. Born and raised in
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, she began her career in
musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...
. She later pursued an acting career in 1998 with guest appearances in television shows. Bassingthwaighte rose to prominence in 2003 on the Australian soap opera ''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...
'' for her role as
Izzy Hoyland
Isabelle "Izzy" Hoyland is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Natalie Bassingthwaighte. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 1 September 2003. Izzy was introduced as Max ...
, which earned her three
Logie Award
The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...
nominations.
In 2004, she was recruited as the lead singer of Australian
electro-pop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
band,
Rogue Traders
Rogue Traders is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria in 2002 by mainstay James Ash on keyboards. In 1989, Ash met fellow original member Steve Davis in London while both were working as DJs. B ...
. After leaving ''Neighbours'' in 2006 to focus on her music career, Bassingthwaighte released a cover of "
Don't Give Up" with
Shannon Noll
Shannon Noll (born 16 September 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter who first came to prominence as runner-up of the first season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. He has released five top ten albu ...
, which peaked at number two on the
ARIA Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
and was certified platinum. In 2008, she left Rogue Traders to pursue her solo music career. Bassingthwaighte released her debut solo album ''
1000 Stars
''1000 Stars'' is the debut solo album by Australian singer and former Rogue Traders lead singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte. It was released through Sony Music Australia as a digital download on 20 February 2009, followed by a physical release o ...
'' in 2009, which spawned the platinum top-ten hits "
Alive
Alive may refer to:
*Life
Books, comics and periodicals
* ''Alive'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Scott Sigler
* '' Alive: The Final Evolution'', a 2003 shonen manga by Tadashi Kawashima and Adachitoka
* '' Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors'', ...
" and "
Someday Soon". The album was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the
ARIA Albums Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
and was certified gold. After seven years away from the Rogue Traders, Bassingthwaighte returned as the band's lead singer in 2015.
Aside from her acting and music career, Bassingthwaighte co-wrote her first book, ''Sistahood: A Journal of Self-Discovery'', with her younger sister in 2008. That same year, she made her debut as a television presenter, hosting ''
So You Think You Can Dance Australia
''So You Think You Can Dance Australia'' is an Australian version of the American reality dance competition ''So You Think You Can Dance''. The show is hosted by Carrie Bickmore, with judges Paula Abdul, Shannon Holtzapffel, Jason Gilkison and ...
'' for its first three seasons, which earned her another three Logie Award nominations. From 2011 to 2014, she was a judge and mentor on ''
The X Factor Australia
''The X Factor'' is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The first season of the show premiered on Network Ten on 6 February 2005. Ten dropped ''The X Factor'' after ...
'', and briefly joined ''
The X Factor New Zealand
''The X Factor'' was a New Zealand television reality music competition, originating from the original UK series and based on the Australian ''The X Factor'' production format. The show began in 2013 and was open to anyone aged 14 and over. The ...
'' in 2015. That same year, Bassingthwaighte launched her own children's clothing label, Chi Khi. Bassingthwaighte has been married twice; in 1998 she married Graham Wilmott, a chef from Wollongong, for two years. In December 2011, she married her former Rogue Traders bandmate
Cameron McGlinchey
Cameron McGlinchey (born 19 September 1975) is an Australian drummer who serves as one of the members of the alternative rock band Rogue Traders. Originally, McGlinchey only played as a touring member, but by 2005, he joined as an official memb ...
. The couple have two children, a daughter named Harper Rain Sinclair McGlinchey and a son named Hendrix John Hickson McGlinchey.
Early life
![Wollongong city](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Wollongong_city.JPG)
Natalie Bassingthwaighte was born on 1 September 1975 in
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...
, to Betty (born ca. 1953) and Michael Bassingthwaighte (AM) (born ca. 1952).
Betty has worked as a theatre nurse.
Since 1982 Michael has worked as the CEO of a
health care insurance provider.
Bassingthwaighte grew up in the suburb of
Mount Warrigal
Mount Warrigal is a large suburb of Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia. The population, according to the 2016 Australian Census, was 4,909. The suburb is in the Shellharbour City LGA.
Geography
The suburb includes "Native Dog Hill" and it ...
as the second of four girls with her older sister Melinda (born ca. 1974) and the twins, Lisa and Nicole (born ca. 1982).
From a young age, she used to charge 20 cents for family and friends to come and see her dress up and put on mini concerts.
Bassingthwaighte got her first role in a primary school production at Balarang Primary School of ''
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...
'', playing the character
Tinker Bell
Tinker Bell is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan'' and its 1911 novelisation ''Peter and Wendy''. She has appeared in a variety of film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, in particular the 1953 an ...
.
She enrolled at
Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...
and graduated from the Australian College of Entertainment.
After college, Bassingthwaighte successfully auditioned for a job at a theme park,
Wonderland Sydney
Wonderland Sydney (originally known as Australia's Wonderland), was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. Officially opened in December 1985 by the Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, the park was the largest in the southe ...
. She participated in a variety of performances, including 1950s, 1970s, country and Hanna Barbara shows.
After working at Wonderland Sydney, Bassingthwaighte performed for two seasons as lead vocalist and stand-up comic at the Kaos Comedy Theatre restaurant in Sydney.
During that time she auditioned for other musicals. Bassingthwaighte was chosen from over 6,000 people for the role as Mrs. Cohen in the Australian tour of the rock musical, ''
Rent
Rent may refer to:
Economics
*Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property
*Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production
*Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...
'' (1999).
During ''Rent's'' tour, she auditioned for another stage production, ''
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
''. The casting directors were initially dubious given that she was not an A-List dancer, however she won the role of June and understudied the principal role of Roxie Hart.
In 2002, during ''Chicago''s run in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Bassingthwaighte and some cast and crew members decided to visit
The Pinnacles, a limestone formation and tourist attraction about north-west of Perth.
On the way there they became lost and their 4WD broke down; they were rescued by a Navy helicopter.
Her first lead role was in the Asian production ''
Chang & Eng
''Chang & Eng'' is a Singaporean musical theatre production directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham based on the lives of the Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker. The music and lyrics were by Ken Low, with the book by Ming Wong, costumes by Niphon Tunti ...
'', which depicts the biography of the first Siamese twins; Bassingthwaighte portrayed Adelaide Yates in both the
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
seasons of the show.
Music career
2004–08: Rogue Traders
![Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Sydney 2006](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Natalie_Bassingthwaighte%2C_Sydney_2006.jpg)
Bassingthwaighte had considered a music career for some years and had been a member of an
R&B group, but it did not work out, and her interest focused on other options.
By 2004, she had begun working on her own demos: songs with an acoustic-rock sound and, later that year, she was recruited as the lead singer for Australian electro-pop band,
Rogue Traders
Rogue Traders is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria in 2002 by mainstay James Ash on keyboards. In 1989, Ash met fellow original member Steve Davis in London while both were working as DJs. B ...
.
Formed in 2002 with
James Ash
James Ash (born Jamie Graham Appleby; 10 June 1973), is an English-born Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. He is the co-founder and keyboardist of Australian electro-rock group Rogue Traders, where he plays the keyboard and gu ...
on keyboards and Steve Davis on guitars, the group had used a variety of guest vocalists and issued a debut album before seeking a permanent singer. After being presented with the band's music, Bassingthwaighte auditioned for Ash and Davis. The pair had auditioned 15 to 20 candidates, and after she performed their song "
Voodoo Child", she became the band's front-woman.
In May 2005, the band released "Voodoo Child" as their fifth single—the first with Bassingwaighte—which reached number four on the
ARIA Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
and was certified platinum for shipments of 70,000 units in Australia.
"Voodoo Child" also reached number seven on the
New Zealand Singles Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
,
number three on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and number fifteen on the
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...
.
The single won the award for "Best Dance Video" at the 2006
MTV Australia Awards
The MTV Australia Awards (previously known as the MTV Australia Video Music Awards or AVMA's) started in 2005 and were Australia's first awards show to celebrate both local and international acts. The last edition happened in 2009.
History
The M ...
.
The follow-up singles "
Way to Go!
"Way to Go!" is a song by Australian electronic rock band Rogue Traders from their second album, ''Here Come the Drums'' (2005). It was released as the album's second single on 10 October 2005 and is the first release under the famous "Rogue Tr ...
" and "
Watching You" also reached the ARIA top ten and both were certified gold for shipment of 35,000 units.
In October 2005, Bassingthwaighte performed the
Australian national anthem
"Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, sung in Australia as a patriotic song. It first replaced "God Save the Queen" as the ...
at the
2005 NRL Grand Final. Also that month Rogue Traders issued their second studio album, ''
Here Come the Drums
''Here Come the Drums'' is the second studio album by Australian band Rogue Traders, released in Australia on 23 October 2005 by Columbia Records. The album features the Rogue Traders with the then-new vocalist Natalie Bassingthwaighte and so ...
'', which reached number two on the ARIA Albums Chart and spent a total of seventy-four weeks in the Top 50.
It was certified 4× platinum and became their most successful album.
The album received four nominations at the
ARIA Music Awards of 2006
The 20th annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) were held on 29 October 2006 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. Presenters on the night includ ...
for "Breakthrough Artist – Album", "Best Pop Release", "Highest Selling Album" and "Best Group".
While Bassingthwaighte was still a member of
Rogue Traders
Rogue Traders is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria in 2002 by mainstay James Ash on keyboards. In 1989, Ash met fellow original member Steve Davis in London while both were working as DJs. B ...
, she also made solo appearances and releases. In December 2006 she performed a duet with label mate
Shannon Noll
Shannon Noll (born 16 September 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter who first came to prominence as runner-up of the first season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. He has released five top ten albu ...
on their cover version of
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
and
Kate Bush
Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...
's "
Don't Give Up", for the various artists' album ''
Home: Songs of Hope & Journey''. Noll and Bassingthwaighte's version reached number two on the ARIA Singles Chart.
She recorded "
O Holy Night
"O Holy Night" (original title: ) is a well-known sacred song for Christmas performance. Originally based on a French-language poem by poet Placide Cappeau, written in 1843, with the first line (Midnight, Christian, is the solemn hour) that co ...
" for the album ''
The Spirit of Christmas 2006
''The Spirit of Christmas 2006'' is the 13th compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia on 10 November 2006 with proceeds going to The Salvation Army's Red Shield Appe ...
'', a Christmas compilation album for which all proceeds go to
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
in Australia. In 2007 Bassingthwaighte and Noll teamed up again for "
Please Come Home for Christmas
"Please Come Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song, written in 1960 and released the same year by American blues singer and pianist Charles Brown. Hitting the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in December 1961, the tune, which Brown co-wrote with G ...
" on the album, ''
The Spirit of Christmas 2007
''The Spirit of Christmas 2007'' is part of the Spirit of Christmas album series.
Track listing
#"Silent Night" - Jimmy Barnes with Choir of Hard Knocks
#"Island Christmas" - Christine Anu
#"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" - Borne
#"The Coventry Caro ...
''.
In October 2007 Rogue Traders released their third album, ''
Better in the Dark
''Better in the Dark'' is the third studio album by Rogue Traders. It was released in Australia by Columbia Records on 13 October 2007 (see 2007 in music). The album was produced by band member James Ash – who has also produced the band's pre ...
'', which spawned the hit singles "
Don't You Wanna Feel
"Don't You Wanna Feel" is a song written by James Ash and Natalie Bassingthwaighte for the Rogue Traders' third studio album ''Better in the Dark''. It was released on schedule as the album's first single on 29 September 2007. It was leaked onto ...
" and "
I Never Liked You"—both were certified gold, and "
What You're On".
The album debuted on the ARIA Albums Chart at number four and gained a platinum accreditation.
For this album, Bassingthwaighte is credited as a co-composer for five of its twelve tracks, including all three singles.