Episode summary
Natalie Imbruglia joins Davina McCall to discuss her forthcoming album Algorithm and a period she describes as dominated by late-night doomscrolling and mental-health strain. Imbruglia says the record also draws on her experience of perimenopause, which she claims left her feeling unlike herself for roughly a year and, at points, considering whether she could continue working. She speaks about neurodivergence, saying she has been diagnosed with ADHD and suspects she is mildly dyslexic, and reflects on how labels matter less to her than coping tools.
Imbruglia revisits her early career, describing leaving school, getting commercials, and being cast on Neighbours while still a teenager. She recalls navigating an adult workplace without a chaperone and says she went unpaid for months because she did not know she had to sign in and out. She also recounts a brief stint travelling with INXS on her first overseas trip and later turning to meditation and Eastern philosophy during a low period in London.
On music industry pressures, she discusses the global success of Torn, saying it brought intense expectation and contributed to agoraphobia. She also claims she was “tricked” into a record deal that led to her covers album Male, and says the promised original-material project did not happen and she was later dropped. In the final section, Imbruglia talks about a years-long journey to motherhood, loneliness during fertility treatment, and her decision to hide her pregnancy for six months before issuing a public statement.
The episode includes a paid Monzo advertisement segment mid-show.
