SameSame.com.au ~ Inside Out Australia

“I can’t tell you whether I’ve kissed a girl and liked it,” Natalie Bassingthwaighte grins after an extended pause. After taking another moment to consider the connotations of her statement, she squeals with laughter.

“It’s a character… maybe that’s my excuse – you can get away with anything in a costume!”

While Natalie’s debut solo album 1000 Stars, which is slated for a 2009 release, is sure to create a buzz, it’s her upcoming feature film Prey, complete with a lesbian shower scene, that already has tongues wagging.

“It’s quite dramatic what happens to these characters on a trip away with each other. These two girls form a special bond throughout the film,” she asserts, attempting to trivialise how hot and steamy that shower really gets. Of course she realises I know better and promptly erupts into more laughter. “Most girls have kissed girls,” she continues. “I think that’s just part of growing up. It’s an experiment… it’s fun.”

Natalie is one of Australia’s most versatile entertainers and brightest stars right now. One minute she’s Ramsay Street’s super-bitch on Neighbours – the girl that everybody loves to hate, the next she’s the lead singer of the electro-pop-rock group, Rogue Traders. Regardless of which stage she’s standing on, the 33-year-old stunner knows how to put on a memorable show – all the while summoning foreign sides of her personality, and indeed sexuality, that wouldn’t typically be expressed.

“It’s like a chance to be able to be whoever you want to be. It’s like dress-ups,” she says.

Natalie has been playing ‘dress-ups’ for some time now. But unlike many of her soap to pop star peers, music, rather than acting, was her first true love. From as early as 1993 Natalie graced the stage in musicals such as Grease, Footloose and Rent.

“Music was there before acting. When I was growing up I sang, I danced and I acted and I didn’t know what that meant I should do, so I did musical theatre… that was my life for ages.”

Natalie ultimately set her sights on a recording contract. Her dream for a solo career, however, came to an abrupt halt.

“I was signed to an independent company and got completely screwed over. So I just went, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’,” she recalls. “Then literally two weeks later the Neighbours audition came up. But I had this fear of being labelled a soapie star… I almost didn’t go for it because I was fearful of what people might think of me.”

Natalie’s management encouraged her to take the chance. This was obviously one gamble that paid off.

“I loved it more than I ever thought I would. The character was brilliant. I learnt that I loved acting… but my heart missed singing,” she says of her time as man eater Izzy Hoyland.

Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle finally fitting into place, Natalie’s vision for a musical career came to fruition when she joined Rogue Traders in late 2004.

Rogue Traders took Australia, the UK and the gay scene by storm with hits such as Don’t You Wanna Feel, Voodoo Child, In Love Again and Watching You. The band went on two critically acclaimed national tours and garnered a total of seven Aria nominations.

“I’d signed a solo album deal two years ago but there was never really time for it. Rogue Traders kept getting bigger and bigger,” Natalie says of the phenomenon.

Rogue Traders secured a legion of loyal fans, but amid the excitement Natalie realised that she had even more to offer. She consequently left the band following their 2008 Better In The Dark Tour.

Parting from Rogue Traders allowed her to successfully explore her other talents. She has since co-written an inspirational book for young teenage girls with her sister, Nicky Moore, aptly entitled Sistahood: A Journal Of Self-Discovery and went on to host the Australian series of So You Think You Can Dance, which she is incidentally, returning to host for its second season.

Along with her forthcoming hosting duties and that juicy lead role in the Australian horror film Prey, the next chapter of Natalie’s eventful career boasts her highly anticipated debut solo album. The final product is the culmination of an intensive three month writing and recording trip in Los Angeles, where Natalie worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Paul Barry (Cher, Tina Turner) and Jimmy Harry (Pink, Britney Spears).

Natalie’s first single is Alive – an infectious and upbeat pop song that signifies a departure from her days in Rogue Traders. But it’s the album’s title track that Natalie is particularly passionate about. So much so, that the lyrical significance prompted her to tattoo a star on her wrist.

“I got it done when I was in LA. It represents a song on the album called 1000 Stars and it also represents my granddad who has passed away… he’s a star in the sky.”

Fans might just have the privilege of seeing Natalie perform some of her new material at Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras next year. She’s already been invited to attend the event and since she insists that most of her friends are gay and lesbian, this will be one party Natalie won’t want to miss.

“It would be a dream. Again, I love dressing up. I think whenever you go to any gay function, event or party it’s a licence to be whoever you want to be – to be wild – to put on whatever frock you would never wear in a million years somewhere else,” she beams. “It’s just your chance to go for it. And the (gay) audience is generally the most fun audience.”

It’s no surprise that Natalie has earned a strong gay following. She’s undoubtedly blessed with an impressive set of pipes, a striking stage and screen presence and let’s face it – good taste in friends! But most importantly, away from the ‘lights, camera, action’ is a charismatic woman with heartfelt dedication and enthusiasm for her craft.

“I’m exhausted, but I’m exhausted with a smile on my face… I think if ever anything gets to the time where it’s not fun anymore, you shouldn’t do it.

“I get to do what I always dreamed of, what I love to do, pretty much 24/7. Whether it’s making a video clip, making music, performing on stage, meeting new people… the whole process of the entertainment industry is pretty great.”

Here’s the clip for Natalie’s single Alive:

Here’s the trailer for the upcoming horror film Prey:

Natalie Bassingthwaighte’s single Alive is out now through Sony BMG.