Natasha Bedingfield on the Impact of Fame: “That Culture Keeps You Well-Behaved”

Natasha Bedingfield is opening up about her rise to fame in the early 2000s and the struggles she faced with extra media attention.

The singer, whose hit song “Unwritten,” released in 2004, scored a new jolt in popularity after being featured in the Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell-led rom-com Anyone But You, recently got candid with The Telegraph about the impacts of stardom.

“The paparazzi were always kind to me but they were very mean about my brother, just because they couldn’t have two siblings doing well at the same time,” Bedingfield explained. Her brother Daniel Bedingfield, best known for his song “If You’re Not The One,” also found success with music.

“It’s interesting what that does to a culture because even if they’re not mean to you, there’s a threat that they could be and you end up living in that fear,” she continued. “That culture keeps you well-behaved – in the same way that religion does. There’s a threat of going to hell or someone turning on you and hating you.”

Over time, the “Pocketful Of Sunshine” singer tried to learn not to internalize the criticism.

“My philosophy is that I don’t take anything too seriously,” Bedingfield said. “If people say great things or they say bad things, I just try to take it with a pinch of salt because things can change. More than ever we’re all experiencing that instant feedback now — we’re all famous aren’t we?”

Earlier this year, Daniel shared his perspective on the brutal realities of fame with the Evening Standard.

“It’s really necessary and worthy of pursuit, it just takes a heavy toll,” he said in April. “It’s not the fame that I was pursuing, it’s singing to that many people, having that many people in the concerts, it’s connecting to the crowd and that is worth everything.”

THR Newsletters