Natalie Imbruglia - ‘I love the wisdom of being in my 50s’

Natalie Imbruglia - ‘I love the wisdom of being in my 50s’

June 10, 2026 · 52 min · Season 20 · Episode 167

About this episode

Natalie Imbruglia discusses her music career, personal experiences, and the wisdom gained in her 50s.

*triggers: This episode includes discussion of depression and mental health crises. In 1997 Natalie Imbruglia released her first single, Torn, which sold more than 4 million physical copies worldwide. In her homeland of Australia, it became the most played song on the radio, being played an average of 75 times a day over the two decades following its release. She landed a part in Neighbours in 1985, when she was just 16 years old, and stayed on the hugely popular soap for two years before moving to London. Her first album, Left Of Middle, went multi-platinum. Five further albums followed but it wasn’t always easy: in 2009 she took a six-year break from music to concentrate on acting, appearing on stage and in film and also as a judge on the Australian X Factor. Since then, she has released further music, become a mother to a son and won The Masked Singer. Now she returns with her seventh studio album, Algorithm. We talk about how writing this album coincided with the perimenopause, reflect on her time in Neighbours, her experience of dating apps, going through solo IVF to have her son, the sexism she faced in the music industry, plus the wisdom she has found in her 50s. ✨ IN THIS…

People in this episode

Host: Elizabeth Day

Guest: Natalie Imbruglia

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sony Music Entertainment, Australian X Factor

Books & works: Torn, Left Of Middle, Algorithm

Places: Australia, London

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