# Natalie Imbruglia
**Natalie Imbruglia** (Natalie Jane Imbruglia, born 1975 in Sydney) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress who became an international pop star in 1997 with the single "Torn" and has since released seven studio albums, most recently *[Algorithm](https://www.edgepedia.org/algorithm-natalie-imbruglia-album)* in 2026[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/natalie-mn0000374126) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jul/18/natalie-imbruglia-singer-actor-new-album-forget-words-on-stage).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975, Sydney, Australia[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/natalie-mn0000374126) |
| Acting start | Beth Brennan on the soap opera *Neighbours*, 1992 to 1994[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/natalie-mn0000374126) |
| Breakthrough | Debut album *Left of the Middle* (1997), sold more than six million copies worldwide[3](https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/natalie-imbruglia-1975) |
| Signature song | "Torn", a cover of a 1995 song by the US band Ednaswap, peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and topped the US Billboard Airplay chart[3](https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/natalie-imbruglia-1975) • [4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/18/natalie-imbruglia-returns-to-music-lucky-me-that-the-90s-is-trending) • [17](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/natalie-imbruglias-official-top-10-biggest-songs__34120/) |
| Awards | Best Song at the MTV Europe Music Awards, two Brit awards, six Australian ARIAs, three Grammy nominations, best new artist at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards[3](https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/natalie-imbruglia-1975) • [4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/18/natalie-imbruglia-returns-to-music-lucky-me-that-the-90s-is-trending) |
| Later albums | *White Lilies Island* (2001), *Counting Down the Days* (2005), *Come to Life* (2009), *Male* (2015), *Firebird* (2021)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/natalie-mn0000374126) |
| Seventh album | *Algorithm*, released 4 September 2026 on her own imprint, 12 songs[5](https://www.tunefountain.com/natalie-imbruglia-algorithm/) • [6](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/natalie-imbruglia/397997) |
| Personal life | One marriage, to Silverchair singer Daniel Johns, divorced in 2008; son Max, born in 2019 through IVF with a sperm donor when she was 44[7](https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/RjOQkr/natalie-imbruglia-om-ivf-prosessen-brutalt) |
## Acting beginnings
Imbruglia first studied dance as a teenager, then turned toward acting, appearing in commercials for [Coca-Cola](https://www.edgepedia.org/coca-cola) and Twisties before she turned 16[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/natalie-mn0000374126). After leaving school in 1991 she appeared in several television commercials and then joined the television soap *Neighbours* as the character Beth Brennan[3](https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/natalie-imbruglia-1975). Accounts of her age at casting differ: the Guardian puts her at 16 in 1992[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/18/natalie-imbruglia-returns-to-music-lucky-me-that-the-90s-is-trending), while a 1998 Billboard profile and Encyclopedia.com say she joined at 17[8](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1998/BB-1998-03-21.pdf) • [9](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/imbruglia-natalie). She stayed with the show until 1994, then relocated to London with the intention of pursuing a singing career[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/natalie-mn0000374126). In later interviews she described a teenage wishlist written in her bedroom in Berkeley Vale on the New South Wales Central Coast: to appear on *Neighbours*, *E Street*, or *Home & Away*, then make music, then be a movie star[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/18/natalie-imbruglia-returns-to-music-lucky-me-that-the-90s-is-trending).
## "Torn" and Left of the Middle
After moving to London she spent roughly two years without work, began writing songs, and signed a record contract with RCA in 1997[9](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/imbruglia-natalie) • [3](https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/natalie-imbruglia-1975). Her debut album *Left of the Middle* was released that year and has sold more than six million copies worldwide[3](https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/natalie-imbruglia-1975); a Guardian profile puts the figure at 7 million[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/18/natalie-imbruglia-returns-to-music-lucky-me-that-the-90s-is-trending).
**The song behind the fame.** "Torn" was not her own composition. It was written in 1991 by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley, and before Imbruglia recorded it, it had already had several lives: a first recording in Danish by Lis Sørensen under the title "[Brændt](https://www.edgepedia.org/torn-ednaswap-song)" in 1993, a release by the American band Ednaswap in 1995, and an interpretation by the Norwegian artist Trine Rein in 1996[10](https://los40.com/video/2026/10/06/natalie-imbruglia-la-mejor-versionadora-de-canciones/). Imbruglia's version became one of the most-played songs ever on UK and Australian radio and sold more than 4 million copies worldwide[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/18/natalie-imbruglia-returns-to-music-lucky-me-that-the-90s-is-trending). A Norwegian report states that in Australia the single was played an average of 75 times a day over the two decades that followed[7](https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/RjOQkr/natalie-imbruglia-om-ivf-prosessen-brutalt).
The song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and earned Imbruglia Best Song at the [MTV Europe Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/mtv-europe-music-awards)[17](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/natalie-imbruglias-official-top-10-biggest-songs__34120/) • [3](https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/natalie-imbruglia-1975). At the 1998 [MTV Video Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/mtv-video-music-awards) she won best new artist[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/18/natalie-imbruglia-returns-to-music-lucky-me-that-the-90s-is-trending). Her total honors include two Brit awards, six Australian ARIAs, and three Grammy nominations[3](https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/natalie-imbruglia-1975). Other singles from the album included "Big Mistake", "Wishing I Was There", "Smoke", and "Left of the Middle"[6](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/natalie-imbruglia/397997).
## The years after the debut
Success arrived quickly and, by her own account, uncomfortably. She has described her early fame as daunting, and has said that being a global celebrity left her "successful, rich and terribly unhappy"[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/18/natalie-imbruglia-returns-to-music-lucky-me-that-the-90s-is-trending). A low point came in 1998 when, opening for [The Rolling Stones](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-rolling-stones) in Buenos Aires, she was met with a rain of lighters, coins, and [water bottles](https://www.edgepedia.org/water-bottle) from the band's fans and managed barely two songs[11](https://elpais.com/icon/cultura/2022-01-11/del-numero-uno-al-olvido-que-fue-de-estos-artistas-que-dominaron-la-radio-hace-25-anos.html).
Her second album, *White Lilies Island* (2001), followed a period of writer's block after the runaway success of "Torn"; it sold over a million copies worldwide but did not match the Grammy-nominated debut[12](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/natalie-imbruglia-learned-to-make-friends-with-her-own-dark-side). Its singles included "Wrong Impression" and "That Day"[6](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/natalie-imbruglia/397997). *Counting Down the Days* (2005) took a more straightforward pop approach than its predecessor, and its first single "Shiver" reached number eight in the UK, her biggest British single since "Torn"; the album was certified gold there[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/natalie-mn0000374126). In 2009, after years spent working on her fourth album *Come to Life*, she was dropped by her label [Island Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/island-records) before the album received a global release[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/18/natalie-imbruglia-returns-to-music-lucky-me-that-the-90s-is-trending).
**A pause and a return.** From 2009 she took a six-year break from music to concentrate on acting, theater, and film, and she served as a judge for two seasons on the Australian version of *The X Factor*[7](https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/RjOQkr/natalie-imbruglia-om-ivf-prosessen-brutalt) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/natalie-mn0000374126). [Writer's block](https://www.edgepedia.org/writers-block) nearly ended her music career; a trip to Los Angeles to reconnect with acting helped clear it, and a 10-day writing intensive in Nashville in 2018 produced the first track of her comeback album, "When You Love Too Much"[13](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-26/natalie-imbruglia-had-to-quit-music-to-find-her-voice-again-/100488608). She returned with *Male* in 2015, a collection of covers of songs by male singer-songwriters, and *Firebird* in 2021, her first album of original material in over a decade[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/natalie-mn0000374126). In 2022 she won the Australian singing competition *Maskorama*[7](https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/RjOQkr/natalie-imbruglia-om-ivf-prosessen-brutalt).
## Algorithm and independence
*Algorithm*, her seventh studio album, was released on 4 September 2026 after five years without a new record[5](https://www.tunefountain.com/natalie-imbruglia-algorithm/) • [14](https://elpais.com/gente/2026-09-07/natalie-imbruglia-cuenta-que-la-perimenopausia-ha-agravado-su-tdah-me-pongo-nerviosa-y-me-comporto-de-forma-extrana.html). For the first time she released through her own imprint, taking control of both the creative and financial sides of her music; she said she had not previously had the confidence to put a team together and work that way[5](https://www.tunefountain.com/natalie-imbruglia-algorithm/) • [12](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/natalie-imbruglia-learned-to-make-friends-with-her-own-dark-side). The campaign rolled out through the singles "Upside Down", the title track "Algorithm", and "Just Drive", the last co-created with the production duo MyRiot, and the album closes with "Beautiful Love", written with Fraser T Smith and [Snow Patrol](https://www.edgepedia.org/snow-patrol)'s Gary Lightbody[5](https://www.tunefountain.com/natalie-imbruglia-algorithm/) • [15](https://gigshack.co.uk/news/natalie-imbruglias-algorithm-is-out-now-beautiful-love-closes-the-set). The release picked up [BBC Radio 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-radio-2) support and peaked at number 2 on the iTunes pre-order chart, and she promoted it with a UK record-store tour and a headline date at Brava Madrid on 19 September 2026[5](https://www.tunefountain.com/natalie-imbruglia-algorithm/) • [15](https://gigshack.co.uk/news/natalie-imbruglias-algorithm-is-out-now-beautiful-love-closes-the-set). During promotion she spoke publicly about perimenopause, which began about five years earlier, aggravating her ADHD, and about the song "Who Dimmed The Lights", which addresses that period[14](https://elpais.com/gente/2026-09-07/natalie-imbruglia-cuenta-que-la-perimenopausia-ha-agravado-su-tdah-me-pongo-nerviosa-y-me-comporto-de-forma-extrana.html).
## Personal life
Imbruglia has one marriage behind her, to [Silverchair](https://www.edgepedia.org/silverchair) vocalist [Daniel Johns](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-johns); they divorced in 2008 after five years as a married couple[7](https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/RjOQkr/natalie-imbruglia-om-ivf-prosessen-brutalt). She became a mother at 44, in 2019, through assisted fertilization with a sperm donor, and has spoken about how demanding the IVF process was, saying she advises other women to lean on good friends because the process can be very lonely[7](https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/RjOQkr/natalie-imbruglia-om-ivf-prosessen-brutalt). She has also spoken openly about a history of body dysmorphia that began long before she became famous[16](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-17/natalie-imbruglia-journey-singing-fame-overcome-challenges/102841746).
## References
1. [Natalie Imbruglia – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/natalie-mn0000374126)
2. [Natalie Imbruglia: 'I forget the words to my own songs on stage', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jul/18/natalie-imbruglia-singer-actor-new-album-forget-words-on-stage)
3. [Natalie Imbruglia, National Portrait Gallery of Australia](https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/natalie-imbruglia-1975)
4. [Natalie Imbruglia returns to music: 'Lucky me that the 90s is trending', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/18/natalie-imbruglia-returns-to-music-lucky-me-that-the-90s-is-trending)
5. [Natalie Imbruglia takes control on Algorithm and shares 'Beautiful Love', TuneFountain](https://www.tunefountain.com/natalie-imbruglia-algorithm/)
6. [Natalie Imbruglia, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/natalie-imbruglia/397997)
7. [Natalie Imbruglia om IVF-prosessen: – Brutalt, VG](https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/RjOQkr/natalie-imbruglia-om-ivf-prosessen-brutalt)
8. [Australia's Natalie Imbruglia Happily Tears Up Charts With Her Debut, 'Torn', Billboard (1998)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1998/BB-1998-03-21.pdf)
9. [Imbruglia, Natalie, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/imbruglia-natalie)
10. [Natalie Imbruglia, la mejor versionadora de canciones, LOS40](https://los40.com/video/2026/10/06/natalie-imbruglia-la-mejor-versionadora-de-canciones/)
11. [Del número uno al olvido: qué fue de estos artistas, El País](https://elpais.com/icon/cultura/2022-01-11/del-numero-uno-al-olvido-que-fue-de-estos-artistas-que-dominaron-la-radio-hace-25-anos.html)
12. [How Natalie Imbruglia learned to make friends with her own dark side, The Line of Best Fit](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/natalie-imbruglia-learned-to-make-friends-with-her-own-dark-side)
13. [In two decades since releasing Torn, Natalie Imbruglia had to quit music to find her voice, ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-26/natalie-imbruglia-had-to-quit-music-to-find-her-voice-again-/100488608)
14. [Natalie Imbruglia cuenta que la perimenopausia ha agravado su TDAH, El País](https://elpais.com/gente/2026-09-07/natalie-imbruglia-cuenta-que-la-perimenopausia-ha-agravado-su-tdah-me-pongo-nerviosa-y-me-comporto-de-forma-extrana.html)
15. [Natalie Imbruglia's Algorithm is out now, Gigshack](https://gigshack.co.uk/news/natalie-imbruglias-algorithm-is-out-now-beautiful-love-closes-the-set)
16. [How Natalie Imbruglia plotted her journey from girl in the crowd to star on stage, ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-17/natalie-imbruglia-journey-singing-fame-overcome-challenges/102841746)
17. [Natalie Imbruglia's Official Top 10 biggest songs, Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/natalie-imbruglias-official-top-10-biggest-songs__34120/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Pop singers, 1980s and 1990s › Dance-pop and teen pop singers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license