Natasha has been a beloved figure in the music industry for over two decades. From her early days as an Atomic Kitten member to her dynamic solo endeavours, Natasha has continually evolved as an artist, captivating audiences with her soulful voice and relatable lyrics.
Her new track “You Don’t Know Me’ aims to empower people and shines a light on the judgment we all face in society. It addresses the exaggerated versions of ourselves that others often construct, challenging these perceptions by highlighting the truth of our individual experiences.
“This song is my “two fingers up” to the haters, the judges, the jealousy and the damn right rude! Go live your life, work on you, you don’t have anything to prove to anyone but yourself.”
Tell us about this new single ‘You Don’t Know Me’ and the new chapter of your career it marks
I’ve spent more time in the public eye and under scrutiny as an artist than I ever did just being a civilian and I’ve gone through a lot of experiences over the past 26 years when it comes to social judgment. I just feel like the more we have social media, the worse it gets.
I’ve also got to a point with social media where I actually find it quite comical because, yes, we’re all entitled to our own opinion but it’s almost become like a pantomime. Like the things people say… It’s like who can say something for the best reaction.
There’s been many a time when I’ve opened my social media and gone like, what the fuck? What is wrong with these people? Who thinks it’s OK just to slip into someone’s DMs and say something so utterly horrendous? It’s crazy.
You can be the nicest person in the world and you open your mouth and you’ve got this view on something and everyone just wants to jump in and attack you. Also people love to make an exaggerated version of who you are to fit their narrative, especially if they see you as a threat or like there’s jealousy involved. Like they create this ugly caricature of who you are to make them feel better.
And then there was the crossover when it comes to relationships, because I have been in relationships where you fall in love and your partners think you’re the best thing.
But then as time goes on, they start picking at you or, you know, your accent’s too harsh or, you know, you’re too loud or why are you doing this? Why are you dressing like that? And it’s like the things that they fell in love with, they’re starting to change.
So in my last single there’s a lyric referencing the fact that you can’t break me as a woman and you can’t change me. And the main line for me within the song. The song starts and ends with it. It’sis “only I can save me.”
And that was a lesson hard learned by myself because I spent so many years looking externally. It took me having a total mental breakdown and hitting rock bottom and realizing, oh, OK, I have to do this. I have to do it the hard way. I have to look at myself in the mirror and accept the good, the bad and the ugly. I’ll fix the parts that need fixing.
How do you think this industry changed after social media exploded?
Yeah, I mean, it’s weird because in some ways times have really changed and in other ways they really haven’t. I’ve been in the industry 26 years, but it’s also like I’m having to start all over again because some people can’t see past my past as, oh, you’re Natasha from Atomic Kitten.
And I’m like, well, I’m Natasha Hamilton, a 42 year old woman with a lot of life experience. This is my new music. And you always see how people want to put you in a certain category.
It’s like you can’t be other things. You just have to be this one thing like that girl.
But on the flip side, I feel like I’m learning a lot, like there’s a lot going on. You have to really sell yourself. Back in the day, it wasn’t social media, it was the press. If the press liked you, they kind of sold you. They sold you in a good way or a bad way. But they used to say any press is good press.
Whereas now people really know how to sell themselves. You have to get business savvy. And I’m learning new things all the time. Now I have a social media manager and we have content creation days. And I have to admit, I kinda hate it haha
Once I’m doing it and I can get to grips with it and feel like I put my own spin on things, it becomes enjoyable. But it’s not something off the back. I’m like, oh, yeah, I can’t wait to do this.
I post stuff about my music on social media and it’s like, meh. And then I’ll do a TikTok with my daughter to this trending song. And it gets thousands of views. I guess that’s the internet for you!
Did you have any mentors along the way that helped you learn the hard truths?
I think when you’re young there’s a fearlessness within you. Because you’re so naive to how big, bad and ugly the world can be. I just threw myself out there and there was no actual business plan. I was just winging it.
And when I look back, I’m like, man, I wish I had a mentor. I wish I did see the job as a business because I would have created so much more longevity.
Like, remember, we’re children when we started. We were kids, but we were living in this adult world and we were just worn out. It was like we were this machine that just gave 100 percent all the time. Looking back, the story could have lasted so much longer and it could have been something that wasn’t so traumatic too.
But unfortunately, it didn’t pan out that way. I didn’t have a mentor. I literally left home at 17.
I was probably earning more money than my own parents at 17. I never knew what a financial advisor was.
My parents were probably my biggest mentors. They were the ones who always had my back and tried to keep me safe. And were telling me you needed to come home when they knew I was not in a good place.
I do vaguely remember Mel C giving us girls a good chat because we were Virgin Records. And she would sit down and say, you know, girls, savor every moment, enjoy it, you’ll look back on this in so many years. And she was just trying to tell us to make the most of it.
But you need to be seeing someone every week. You need help processing all these incredible yet crazy experiences that you’re going through. You need to be able to speak to someone in a safe place when the media are tearing you down.
And you’re only a teenager and you’ve said something that gets totally twisted. And now you’re public enemy number one. But you just go home, close the door and cry for hours on end.
There was no mentoring at all but because of that since I’ve actually started releasing my new music through my own record label, Morpho Music Group I decided I am going to become a mentor to the labels artists.
I think that is so important. I’m a massive advocate for mental health. I’m a massive advocate for young people learning how to look after money and creating a life that lasts more than just a few years. Yeah, I was going to ask you if you ever wanted or had been a mentor for anybody. So that’s actually good.
