Natalie Imbruglia’s musical journey began at age five when her father gifted her California Dreamin’ by the Mamas & the Papas on vinyl. She recalls saying, “Oh thanks, Dad,” but internally thinking, “Who is this weird bunch of people?” It was clear the gift was intended for his own enjoyment. Later, she begged her mother to purchase Michael Jackson’s Beat It at a record shop in the suburbs of Sydney, marking an early milestone in her personal taste.
The singer admits that karaoke remains a delicate balance. She avoids performing to prevent appearing like she is showing off, though she might be persuaded to sing her hit Torn at parties if sufficiently encouraged by friends. For tour bus singalongs after a few gins, she turns to John Farnham’s You’re the Voice, a track she knows by heart.
Some songs, however, are tainted by memory. When she was 17, a man presented her with the lyrics to Coyote by Joni Mitchell, claiming he had written the poem himself. At the time, she thought, “My God, he’s a poet.” Years later, upon hearing the original album, she realized the deception and now views him as a creep. When it comes to party hosting, she relies on Tom Tom Club’s Genius of Love to satisfy any crowd, though she firmly rejects the idea of using her own music for intimate settings, exclaiming, “Have I tried having sex to my own music? God, no!”
Imbruglia remains pragmatic about her life-changing single, Torn. Despite being a cover, the song has been a source of constant scrutiny. She frequently faces comments from people stating, “You didn’t write Torn,” to which she replies, “So what? I know I didn’t.” A recent meme titled “The way you feel when you find out Torn’s a cover” reignited the discourse, leading her to think, “For fuck’s sake, I just got over that!”
Her morning routine requires the gentle sounds of Jacob Collier’s Little Blue, while she finds Donny Hathaway’s A Song for You to be the most moving love song. For her eventual funeral, she has selected Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust, transitioning into Don’t Stop Me Now.
Natalie Imbruglia’s album Algorithm is out on 4 September. While she continues to navigate the public’s fascination with her past, she remains focused on her evolving sound and the music that continues to define her career. The report also notes that this guy wrote out the lyrics to Coyote by Joni Mitchell and told me he’d written a poem about me, the song I can no longer listen to When I was 17. The report also notes that the best song to play at a party Any time it’s afters at mine, I always think: “What am I gonna put on?” I’m not the most confident party playlist DJ.
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