"They were very mean about my brother" - Natasha Bedingfield talks about how paparazzi treated her sibling during peak of fame

Singer Natasha Bedingfield opened up about how paparazzi treated her sibling during the peak of her fame. The Pocketful of Sunshine singer discussed her experiences with media attention, in an interview with The Telegraph on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. She explained:

"The paparazzi were always kind to me but they were very mean about my brother, just because they couldn’t have two siblings doing well at the same time."

Natasha shot to fame in 2004 with her debut album, Unwritten. At the time, her brother, Daniel Bedingfield, already boasted a successful music career, with his first single, Gotta Get Thru This (2001), peaking at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. However, Daniel took a hiatus from the industry and moved to the UK after a car accident.

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Natasha Bedingfield on coping with media pressure

While discussing negative media attention, Natasha Bedingfield explained that there is always a threat of negative attention. She elaborated that culture keeps people well behaved. She stated:

"It’s interesting what that does to a culture because even if they’re not mean to you, there’s a threat that they could be and you end up living in that fear. That culture keeps you well-behaved."

The singer likened it to religion keeping people well-behaved, due to a threat of going to hell or "someone turning on you and hating you." To cope with this pressure and judgment, the Unwritten singer revealed she tried not to internalize the comments. She added:

"My philosophy is that I don’t take anything too seriously. If people say great things or they say bad things, I just try to take it with a pinch of salt because things can change."

Natasha Bedingfield is best known for her songs These Words, Soulmate, and Single. Additionally, she has also written songs for other artists, including Nicki Minaj, The Corrs, and Kimbra. Her work has earned her several awards and nominations.

In April 2024, Daniel Bedingfield spoke to the Evening Standard about fame. He explained that while it might be a "necessary and worthy pursuit," it takes a heavy toll. He explained:

"It’s not the fame that I was pursuing. It’s singing to that many people, having that many people in the concerts, it’s connecting to the crowd and that is worth everything."

According to the Independent, citing a separate interview with Loose Women (April 2024), Daniel Bedingfield confessed that he had a change in perspective after his accident, stating that his first memory after waking up was thinking that, he'd like to try something very different. He added that he has experimented with farming and homesteading.

Earlier this year, Natasha Bedingfield released her new single, These Words, in collaboration with producer Badger, who reworked her original single. The song is marketed as a new composition and not a remix. It debuted at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and is available on Spotify.