We Are Here/Universal
Natasha Bedingfield‘s first new album in nine years, Roll with Me, is out now. It was produced by famed songwriter Linda Perry and released on Perry’s own label, We Are Hear.
Natasha says she teamed with Perry because her “creativity was getting stifled” at her old record company.
“I met Linda Perry about 10 years ago, and we just connect on a lot of similar views about music,” Natasha tells ABC Radio. And when the “major label system” let her down, Natasha says, Linda was there to help her plan her next move.
“I actually left my label and Linda was my friend through that, and was encouraging me, and saying, ‘Yes, that’s the right move.'” When Linda started We Are Hear, she signed Natasha.
Natasha says she planned Roll with Me, which features the released songs “Kick It” and “Roller Skate,” to work well in a live concert setting.
“I don’t call them pop songs, I call them anthems, because they’re songs that you can sing. They’re accessible,” Natasha explains. “It’s not just, like, highbrow, where only a musician can get into it…It’s all about the the energy and making people move and having fun.”
In addition to fun, there are also deeper lyrics about various social issues. Now a mom to son Solomon, almost two, Natasha feels she’s got something to say.
“I’ve always avoided being political because, I guess, I was advised that by my dad,” she laughs. But she’s been inspired by what she calls the “righteous anger” of the current generation of youth.
She explains, “I feel like I’m really been encouraged seeing that, and seeing how — when people are true to themselves, when they really speak up about things — it’s very powerful.”
Natasha’s fall tour starts October 12 in Biloxi, MS.
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