Natalie

Caption: Rogue Singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Source: TV Week 04/06/05 - 10/06/2005
Author: Jackie Brygel
Page: 14 and 15
Images: here

Rogue Singer
Neighbours' Natalie Bassingthwaighte is about to rock your world with the band Rogue Traders

She's sporting a striking jet black wig and heavy goth make-up. But why does the female member of electro-rock band Rogue Traders look just a little familiar? It's because she's none other than highly versatile Neighbours star, Natalie Bassingthwaighte!

As Ramsay Street's sexy bad girl, Izzy Hoyland, Natalie has quickly built up a loyal following. And now the 29-year-old actor and singer, who is currently starring in the new stage production Grease - The Arena Spectacular, has added yet another string to her bow. She has joined the popular Melbourne-based Rogue Traders, alongside DJ producers James Ash and Steve Davis.

And it's safe to say that the usually blonde Natalie is almost unrecognisable in the clip for the band's latest single, "Voodoo Child", released through Sony BMG. But that's exactly the way Natalie wanted it to be. "It was my idea and we all spoke about it," she explains. "We don't want anyone to instantly go, 'Oh, that's Natalie', or, 'That's Izzy'. It's Rogue Traders and we really wanted the band to stand on its own two feet and get recognized for the song itself. Over the years," Natalie continues, chuckling, "my friends will tell you I've always loved dressing up. I've got a bit of a wig collection, if I dare admit it! We thought the look definitely suited the song."

Despite her high profile in the entertainment industry, Natalie still had to try out for James and Steve. "They were already having auditions and I just went along. I'd heard the music and thought it sounded like fun. It's hard at times to get my head around how different this is to something like Grease. Grease is very melodic and sweet, and Rogue Traders is just electro-rock. There are dance elements there, but vocally it's very rock and that's what I like most about it. I get to put on a different hat for both jobs. I'm loving it."

Adds James: "Every single that we'd released before had a different singer on it. The one we're most well-known for is the reworking of INXS's 'One Of My Kind' (which won the Best Dance Release ARIA in 2003). But we needed to establish our own identity. It's hard to find the right person to fit into a band, and to be honest, we weren't looking for anyone with an established profile, like Natalie has." James admits that he really didn't know what to expect when Natalie first arrived at his studio. "We all got on really well right from the start. The she started singing and that's when I thought, 'We might have something here!'," he recalls. "What it came down to was that Natalie was the best person we'd seen. She is one out of the box. We've got an album pretty much in the can. It's definitely going to be the biggest year that Rogue Traders has ever had."

That said, the trio initially decided to keep the news of Natalie joining the band under wraps, in order to allow "Voodoo Child" to be judged on its own merits. It was a decision that clearly paid off. "Before anyone actually knew about Natalie joining our band," says James, "the song was already Number 2 on the ARIA Club Chart and was the fourth-most-added song to radio that week. Then we thought, 'OK, we can probably tell people now!'"

"For seven months, it was the best-kept secret," smiles Natalie. "I couldn't believe I could hold it in for that long. It's a great song and the guys are amazing at what they do. I hope people still recognize it at that. I feel lucky to be able to work with James and Steve. They're incredibly talented and have given me a whole new appreciation of dance music."

But it seems no one could have been more pleased about Natalie's new career move than London-born James's mother. As James recalls: "When I rang my mum in England and said, 'We've got a singer for the band and she's great and she's from Neighbours', she just went quiet. When I told her it was Natalie Bassingthwaighte, she went 'Izzy!' and then told everyone. I was very popular in England for a while there," he reveals, with a laugh.