Natalie Imbruglia: ‘I forget the words to my own songs on stage. You’d be surprised how few people notice’
Natalie Imbruglia, the Australian singer and actor best known for her 1997 hit Torn, features in the Guardian's regular Q&A column ahead of the release of her seventh studio album, Algorithm, on 4 September. The piece offers a light-hearted, personal glimpse into her life, touching on parenting, mental health, neurodivergence and her career, giving readers insight into the woman behind the music beyond her chart success.
Imbruglia, 51, who was born in Sydney to an Italian father and Australian mother and began her career on Neighbours at 17, discusses forgetting her own lyrics on stage, her admiration for Alanis Morissette, and living with ADHD and dyslexia. She also reflects on juggling single parenthood in Oxfordshire with her career, her dislike of English weather, and lighter topics such as her fear of tinned spaghetti and love of Haribos.
- Natalie Imbruglia answers the Guardian's personal Q&A column.
- New album Algorithm out 4 September; discusses ADHD, dyslexia, parenting.
- Admits to mumbling forgotten lyrics confidently during live performances.
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Natalie Imbruglia is an Australian singer and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s, best known for her hit single Torn, one of the most played songs on radio worldwide. Before her music career, she worked as an actor on the Australian soap opera Neighbours as a teenager, a common launchpad for performers from that era.
Now 51, she is preparing to release her seventh studio album, Algorithm, in September. The interview featured here comes from a regular question-and-answer series in which public figures share personal reflections, and touches on her family life, her diagnoses of ADHD and dyslexia, and everyday details of her life away from performing.