Look up easy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Easy may refer to:

In albums:

• Easy (The Easybeats album)
• Easy (Grant Green album)
• Easy (Grinspoon album)
• Easy (Kelly Willis album)
• Easy (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell album)
• Easy (Ralph McTell album)
• Easy (Cowboy Mouth album), by Cowboy Mouth

In songs:

• "Easy" (Barenaked Ladies song)
• "Easy" (Commodores song), also covered by Faith No More
• "Easy" (Deer Tick song)
• "Easy" (Paula DeAnda song)
• "Easy" (Rascal Flatts song)
• "Easy" (Sugababes song)
• "Easy", by Groove Armada from Lovebox
• "Easy", by Matthew Sweet from Earth

In other uses:

• Enhanced Avionics System (EASy), an avionics suite used on Dassault Falcon business jets
• Easy, a 2003 film starring Marguerite Moreau
• A low difficulty level in video games
• A brand of the UK company easyGroup, including easyJet
• Easy (store) a South American home improvement chain
• Easy, a Swedish studio focused on free online games.
• EASY Card (South Florida), a transport payment card in Florida, United States

See also[link]

• All pages beginning with "Easy"
• Hurricane Easy (disambiguation)
• EZ (disambiguation)
• Ease (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Emma Stone
Emma Stone in March 2012.
Born	Emily Jean Stone (1988-11-06) November 6, 1988 (age 23) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Other names	Riley Stone
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present

Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress.

Stone was a cast member of the TV series Drive, and made her feature film debut in the comedy Superbad (2007). She appeared in The House Bunny (2008) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). She then starred in the horror-comedy Zombieland and the indie comedy Paper Man in 2009. In 2010, Stone voiced the character Mazie in Marmaduke, and starred in the high school comedy Easy A, which earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. In 2011, she starred in the films Crazy, Stupid, Love. and The Help, both of which were well received by critics and commercial successes. Stone will play Gwen Stacy in the Amazing Spider-Man film, a reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise.

Early life[link]

Stone was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, the daughter of Krista (née Yeager), a homemaker, and Jeff Stone, a contractor.^[1] She has a brother, who is two years her junior.^[2] Stone's paternal grandfather was of Swedish descent, and his family's surname was anglicized to "Stone" when immigrating to the U.S. through Ellis Island; some of her ancestors also lived in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.^[3]

While growing up, she was a member of the Valley Youth Theatre, a regional theater in Phoenix, Arizona, where she appeared in her first stage production, The Wind in the Willows, at the age of 11.^[4] Stone attended Sequoya Elementary School and then Cocopah Middle School for sixth grade. She was home schooled for two years, at which time she appeared in 16 productions at Valley Youth Theatre, including: A Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Tail, The Princess and the Pea, Cinderella, The Wiz, Titanic, Honk!, The Little Mermaid, Schoolhouse Rock Live!, Alice in Wonderland, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,^[4][5] and performed with the theater's improv comedy troupe.^[6]

Stone attended Xavier College Preparatory,^[4] an all-girl Catholic high school, as a freshman for one semester. She gave a PowerPoint presentation to her parents, set to the Madonna song "Hollywood", to convince them to let her move to California for an acting career.^[7] She dropped out of high school, and in January 2004, moved with her mother to a Los Angeles apartment, at the age of 15.^[8] She was then home schooled, so that she could audition during the day.^[9]

Career[link]

2004–2011[link]

Stone at the Zombieland world premiere, 2009

Stone launched a career in television after winning the role of Laurie Partridge on In Search of the New Partridge Family (2004), a VH1 talent competition reality show.^[10] The resulting show, The New Partridge Family (2005), only produced a pilot episode. Stone next had appearances in the television series Medium, Malcolm in the Middle and Lucky Louie. In 2007, she had a regular role on the Fox drama Drive, playing Violet Trimble, until the series was cancelled. She also auditioned for Heroes, and overheard in the casting room "On a scale of 1 to 10, you are an 11" — the casting directors were referring to Hayden Panettiere, who was cast as Claire Bennet instead. Stone called this experience "rock bottom."^[11]

Stone made her feature film debut in the 2007 teen comedy Superbad, playing Jules, the love interest of lead character Seth (Jonah Hill). In 2008, she appeared in the comedy The Rocker, with Rainn Wilson. Stone played Amelia, the bass guitarist in a band featuring singer Teddy Geiger. Stone learned to play bass for the role. Also that year, Stone appeared in The House Bunny, starring Anna Faris, alongside Katharine McPhee, Kat Dennings, Rumer Willis, and Colin Hanks.^[12] Stone played the president of a sorority and sang on a single from the film, "I Know What Boys Like," a cover version of the 1982 song by The Waitresses.^[13]

In 2009, Stone appeared in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, a romantic comedy directed by Mark Waters, the director of Mean Girls, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner.^[14] Stone played "The Ghost of Girlfriends Past," a takeoff of the Ghost of Christmas Past from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. She starred in the horror/comedy Zombieland, along with Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. The project began shooting in Atlanta in February 2009.^[15] Stone played Wichita, a survivor/con artist from Wichita, Kansas, traveling across the U.S. with her younger sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).^[16] Stone also starred in Paper Man in 2009, alongside Jeff Daniels, Ryan Reynolds and Lisa Kudrow, directed by Kieran and Michele Mulroney.^[17] She played Abby, a babysitter that Daniels' character hires after moving to Long Island.^[18] Stone began filming the independent comedy on November 11, 2008, in Montauk, New York, using well-known local locations.^[19]

Stone at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2010, Stone had a voice role in Marmaduke, a film adaptation of the long-running comic strip about a Great Dane.^[20] She voiced Marmaduke's friend, Mazie, a tomboyish Australian Shepherd.^[21] Stone landed her first leading role that year, starring with Amanda Bynes as a high school student in Easy A, a comedy directed by Will Gluck.^[22] Her character scandalizes her teachers and more conservative religious classmates after a false rumor circulates that she is sexually promiscuous.^[23] The script contrasts the novel The Scarlet Letter and its heroine, Hester Prynne, to the life of the protagonist in the film. Stone read the script before the project was optioned for production, and kept an eye on it along with her manager until preparations were made.^[24] She was attracted to the script because it was "funny and sweet" and her character was "fantastic from the first read" who was "fleshed [..] out so much in the script".^[24] When she found out that the film had gone into production, she met with Gluck to express her enthusiasm about the project.^[24] A few months later, the audition process started and Stone met again with Gluck to be one of the first actresses to audition.^[24] Stone was nominated for the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role.^[25]

Stone appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010, and introduced Linkin Park. She stated in 2008 that she would eventually like to venture into film production, producing her own films, and that her dream was to appear on Saturday Night Live.^[12] Stone hosted the late-night sketch comedy show on October 23, 2010, and again on November 12, 2011.^[26][27]

Stone appeared in Friends With Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, and directed by Will Gluck. The sex comedy began filming in July 2010, in New York, and was released in July 2011.^[28] She also starred in Crazy, Stupid, Love. that year, alongside Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling and Marisa Tomei. The Warner Bros. film, about a husband (Carell) with marital problems and difficulties with his children, began shooting on April 16, 2010, in Los Angeles and was released on July 29, 2011.^[29] Stone starred in The Help, an adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel of the same name, a period piece set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s, which was released in August 2011. She plays Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, an aspiring writer, and employed a Southern dialect for the role.^[18]

2012–present[link]

Stone at the 69th Golden Globe Awards in 2012

Stone joined the voice cast of The Croods, a 3D computer animated caveman comedy by DreamWorks Animation. She will voice the role of Eep, the oldest daughter of Grug (Nicolas Cage) and Ugga (Catherine Keener). Ryan Reynolds voices Gy, the love interest to Stone's character.^[30] The film is scheduled for release on March 22, 2013.

She stars in the comedic short film, "Veronica," alongside Kieran Culkin, directed by Griffin Dunne.^[31] The short is a comedy segment that is part of the anthology film, Movie 43, featuring Kate Winslet, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman, Uma Thurman, Halle Berry, and others.^[32] The feature-film was produced by the Farrelly brothers^[1] and directed by Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill and Steve Carr.^[32]

Stone will star as the female lead in The Amazing Spider-Man, a reboot by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment of the Spider-Man film series.^[33] She plays Gwen Stacy, the 17-year-old love interest of Peter Parker.^[34] Marc Webb is directing the film, which has a release date of July 3, 2012.^[33] The film went into production in December 2010, and was scheduled to last through April 2011.^[35] Stone was considered for the lead in a reboot of 21 Jump Street, alongside Superbad co-star Jonah Hill.^[36] She did not take the role however, after signing on to Spider-Man.^[37]

Stone joined the cast of The Gangster Squad, a film by Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer. She will again play opposite Ryan Gosling in the ensemble crime drama, which also stars Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Peña. Stone plays Jean, a femme fatale caught in a love triangle with Gosling and Penn's character, mobster Mickey Cohen.^[38]

Stone will again work with writer/director Will Gluck, starring in and executive producing an untitled comedy for Screen Gems.^[39] The film studio has given Gluck and Stone full discretion in developing a new project, after the success of Easy A.^[40] She will also star in Little White Corvette, a comedy about a pair of would-be drug dealing siblings, written by Michael Diliberti.^[41] Stone will film the project in Miami in mid 2012.^[42]

Personal life[link]

Although known as a redhead, Stone is naturally a blonde. She landed her first role as a teenager after dyeing her hair dark brown.^[1] Film producer Judd Apatow had her change from a brunette to a redhead for her role in Superbad.^[6] She returned to blonde for her role in The Amazing Spider-Man.^[40]

She began dating actor Andrew Garfield after meeting him on the set of The Amazing Spider-Man.^[43][44]

Stone's low-pitched husky voice is a result of having baby colic, a condition of constant screaming as an infant, resulting in the development of nodules. She has calluses on her vocal cords as an adult.^[45]

Stone chose the name "Emma" when she registered for the Screen Actors Guild as the name "Emily Stone" was already taken. Her family and friends call her Emily.^[40]

Stone moved from Los Angeles to Greenwich Village, New York City in 2009.^[7]

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

Rankings[link]

Discography[link]

• Katharine McPhee – "I Know What Boys Like" (2008), RCA – iTunes Store single with Emma Stone and Rumer Willis from The House Bunny, a cover version of the 1982 single by The Waitresses

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Emma Stone

• Emma Stone at the Internet Movie Database
• Emma Stone on Twitter

Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom in 2007
Background information
Born	Joanna Caroline Newsom (1982-01-18) January 18, 1982 (age 30) Nevada City, California, United States
Genres	Indie folk
Instruments	Voice Harp Piano Harpsichord
Labels	Drag City
Associated acts	The Pleased

Joanna Newsom (born January 18, 1982) is an American harpist, pianist and singer-songwriter from Nevada City, California.

Early life[link]

Newsom grew up in the small town of Nevada City, California. As a child, Newsom was not allowed to watch television or listen to the radio because she was raised by doctors who were "kind of idealists when it came to hoping they could protect us from bad influences, like violent movies, or stupid stuff".^[1] She was exposed to music from a young age. Her father played the guitar and her mother was a classically trained pianist who played the hammered dulcimer, the autoharp and conga drums.^[2][3] Newsom attended a Waldorf school where she studied theater and learned to memorize and recite long poems. This skill helps her to remember lyrics while on tour.^[4]

At the age of five, Newsom asked her parents if she could play the harp. Her parents eventually agreed to sign her up for harp lessons, but the local harp teacher did not want to take on such a young student and suggested she learn to play the piano first. Starting at the age of four, she began playing the piano and later the harp, which she "loved from the first lesson onward."^[5] From her instructor, Joanna learned composition and improvisation. She learned to play on smaller Celtic harps until her parents bought her a full-size pedal harp in the seventh grade.^[6] During her teens, she and the instrument became inseparable, and she describes her relationship with the harp as similar to "an artificial limb or a wheelchair. It’s almost part of me, but more to the point, it serves a purpose, and if it wasn’t there I would wonder what was supposed to fit in its place."^[1]

She studied composition and creative writing at Mills College in Oakland, California. While at Mills, she played keyboards in The Pleased. She dropped out of the school in order to focus on her music.^[1]

Career[link]

In 2002 and 2003, Newsom recorded two EPs, Walnut Whales and Yarn and Glue. These homemade recordings were intended to serve as a document of her early work; she recorded them on a Fisher-Price tape recorder.^[7] These EPs were not intended for public distribution. At the suggestion of Noah Georgeson, her then-boyfriend and recording engineer of the EP, she burned several copies to sell at her early shows.^[7] John Fellman, co-producer of Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival, claims to be the first to have booked a show for her.^[8]

A friend of Newsom's passed one of these CDs on to Will Oldham at a show in Nevada City. Oldham was impressed with Newsom's music and asked her to tour with him. He also gave a copy of the CD to the owner of Drag City, his record label. Drag City signed Newsom and released her debut album The Milk-Eyed Mender in 2004.^[9] Shortly thereafter, Newsom toured with Devendra Banhart and Vetiver and made an early UK appearance at the Green Man Festival in Wales, returning to headline in 2005, 2007 and 2010.

Newsom's work has become prominent on the independent music scene. Her profile has risen, in part, due to a number of live shows and appearances on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC.

Her second album Ys was released in November 2006. The album features orchestrations and arrangements by Van Dyke Parks, engineering from Steve Albini and mixing by Drag City label-mate Jim O'Rourke. On a road trip, Bill Callahan recommended she listen to the album Song Cycle by Parks, which led to his being chosen to arrange her work on Ys.

Joanna Newsom at the Sasquatch Music Festival, Washington in May 2005

Joanna is known to debut songs impromptu at her concerts. On March 28, 2009, she performed over two hours of new material at a 'secret' concert in Big Sur, California with fellow Nevada City singer-songwriter Mariee Sioux under the pseudonym 'The Beatles's'. Those in attendance reported that about one-third of her new material was played primarily on piano, with a backing arrangement of banjo, violin, guitar and drums.^[10]

Since late 2006, Joanna has performed a solo harp version of the traditional Scottish song "Ca the Yowes Tae the Knowes".^[11]

Several of the songs on The Milk-Eyed Mender have been covered by her peers. "Bridges and Balloons" was covered by The Decemberists on their 2005 EP Picaresqueties. "Sprout and the Bean" has been covered by The Moscow Coup Attempt and Sholi. "Peach, Plum, Pear" has been covered by Final Fantasy (Owen Pallett) on the 2006 EP Young Canadian Mothers, as well as by Straylight Run. M Ward has played "Sadie" at some of his live shows.^[12]

In 2009, she appeared in the music video for the song "Kids" by the group MGMT.^[13]

On January 12, 2010, an entry cryptically entitled "@!?*(%$#!!" was posted on the Drag City website. It contained a link which led to a short comic strip titled "Joanna Newsom 'Have One on Me'" with a date of February 23, 2010.^[14] Later that day, it was confirmed by Spunk, Newsom's Australian label, that the title and date represented the title of Newsom's upcoming album and its release date.^[15] P-Vine Records in Japan announced that Have One on Me, which was recorded in Tokyo in 2009, would be released in Japan on March 3, 2010, as a three-disc CD set, with a total of approximately three hours of new recordings.^[16] Newsom was chosen by Matt Groening to perform at the edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival he curated in May 2010 in Minehead, England.

On February 11, 2010, Pitchfork Media reported that Newsom would be the subject of a tribute book titled Visions of Joanna Newsom which has now been published by Roan Press.^[17] She toured throughout Europe and America in 2010 to promote her latest record, supported by a five-piece band. In December 2010, a tribute album of Newsom covers was released as a digital download. Artists involved include M. Ward, Billy Bragg and Owen Pallett, with all proceeds going to Oxfam America's Pakistan Flood Relief Efforts.^[18]

On July 19, 2011, Newsom's second single, What We Have Known, was released on 12" vinyl. The single was originally the b-side to her first single, Sprout and the Bean.^[19] In June 2011, she filmed her second music video (for the song "Good Intentions Paving Company") with directors Karni & Saul.^[20] Newsom was also chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he curated in March 2012 in Minehead, England.^[21]

In late 2011, Newsom contributed vocals to "The Muppet Show Theme" for The Muppets^[22] and appeared on the cover of the 10th anniversary issue of Under the Radar with Robin Pecknold.^[23]

Newsom began 2012 with television appearances on Austin City Limits (on January 21) and Portlandia (on February 7).^[24][25]

Style[link]

Newsom's earlier work was strongly influenced by polyrhythms.^[26] Her harp teacher, Diana Stork, taught her the basic pattern of four beats against three which creates an interlocking, shifting pattern that can be heard on Ys, particularly in the middle section of "Sawdust & Diamonds." After Ys, Newsom said she had lost interest in polyrhythms. They "stopped being fascinating to me and started feeling wanky."^[27]

The media have sometimes labeled her as one of the most prominent members of the modern psych folk movement. Joanna, however, claims no ties to any particular music scene.^[28] Her songwriting incorporates elements of Appalachian music and avant-garde modernism.

Newsom's vocal style (in the November 2006 issue of The Wire she described her voice as "untrainable") has shadings of folk and Appalachian shaped-note timbres. Newsom has, however, expressed disappointment at comments that her singing is "child-like."^[28]

Critics noticed a change in Newsom's voice on her latest album.^[29][30] In the spring of 2009, Newsom developed vocal cord nodules and could not speak or sing for two months. The recovery from the nodules and further "vocal modifications" changed her voice.^[31][32][33]

Collaborations[link]

In addition to her solo work, Newsom has played on records by Smog, Vetiver, Nervous Cop, The Year Zero, Vashti Bunyan, Moore Brothers, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Golden Shoulders and The Roots^[34] and played keyboards for The Pleased.

Personal life[link]

Newsom's family includes her brother Pete, a fellow musician, and sister Emily, who inspired her song "Emily" (and contributed backing vocals). She is the second cousin, twice removed, of Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom of California.^[35] She has dated Noah Georgeson, Bill Callahan and is dating Andy Samberg.^[36]

Discography[link]

Albums

• The Milk-Eyed Mender (Drag City, 2004)
• Ys (Drag City, 2006) US #134, UK #41
• Have One on Me (Drag City, 2010)^[37] US #75, UK #28

Early unofficial recordings

• Walnut Whales (self-released, 2002)
• Yarn and Glue (self-released, 2003)

EPs

• Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band (Drag City, 2007) UK #135^[38]

Singles

• "Sprout and the Bean" (Drag City, 2004)
• "What We Have Known" (Drag City, 2011)

Licensing of songs[link]

• In 2004, "Peach, Plum, Pear" played over the credits of the animated short City Paradise.
• In 2004, "This Side of the Blue" was used on a British television commercial for Orange SA.
• In 2006, "Sprout and the Bean" was used in a tourism ad for Melbourne, Australia.
• In 2007, "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" was used in the PBS documentary Following Sean.
• In 2007, "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" was sung by an aspiring musician in the film Great World of Sound.
• In 2008, "Sprout and the Bean" was featured in the film The Strangers.
• In 2008, "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" was used in a television commercial for HSBC.
• In 2008, "The Book of Right-On" was used in an MTV ad for sexual care and education.
• In 2009, "The Book of Right-On" was licensed for the end credits of the Mexican/Italian film The Best of Feelings
• In 2009, "Sprout and the Bean" was used in a Victoria's Secret Bra commercial.
• In 2009, the harp intro of "Cosmia" was used in the Louis Theroux documentary "A Place for Paedophiles."
• In 2009, "Sprout and the Bean" was used again in a tourism ad for Melbourne, Australia.
• In 2009, a shorter edit of "Inflammatory Writ" was used in ads for the Spanish TV channel La Sexta^[39]
• In 2010, "Bridges & Balloons" was used in an LG commercial.^[40]

References[link]

Interviews[link]

• Tiny Mix Tapes (September 2004)
• KCRW (February 2005)
• The Guardian (October 15, 2006)
• The Wire (November 2006)
• Pitchfork (November 20, 2006)
• The Times (February 20, 2010)

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Joanna Newsom

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joanna Newsom

• Drag City

Ian Campbell
Background information
Birth name	Ian Campbell
Born	(1965-03-22) 22 March 1965 (age 47) Hyson Green, Nottingham, England
Genres	Eurodance, Hip-house
Occupations	Rapper, songwriter, painter
Years active	1989–present
Labels	DWA Records Polydor Records
Website	http://icemc.co.uk

Ian Campbell aka ICE MC (born 22 March 1965) is an English hip-house/eurodance rapper.^[1]

Early life[link]

Campbell's parents were from Jamaica, and he grew up in the Hyson Green area of Nottingham. When he was in high school his initials IC quickly got him a nickname ICE (lately he interpreted it as Ian Campbell Esquire). In 1983, he joined a group of breakdancers and started touring Europe with them.^[1]

Singing career[link]

The first albums[link]

In 1989 in Italy, he met Roberto Zanetti - singer, composer (as Savage), and producer (as Robyx). Their first single called "Easy", made in a hip-house style, came out in 1989. It became successful all over Europe, reaching the top 5 in Italy and the top 3 in Germany. The two next singles, "Cinema" and "Scream", and the subsequent debut album, Cinema (released later in 1990), were also successful. In 1992 his second LP, My World, came out but failed to achieve the success of its predecessor.

The most successful hits[link]

His third album, Ice'n'Green, was released in 1994 and featured Alexia on vocals. Three of his most successful songs, "Think about the Way", "It's a Rainy Day" and "Take Away the Colour", made the charts all over the world. Campbell got a new look and new style, known as raggamuffin. The album was also released in the US, where the two biggest singles saw substantial club play and moderate dance music radio airplay. In 1995, Ice'n'Green - The Remix Album was released. This contained various remixes of previous hit singles.

Collaboration with Masterboy[link]

In 1996, ICE MC decided to leave Zanetti and Alexia due to some disagreement between them. Shortly after that a new album, Dreadatour, (produced by Masterboy) was released. The hit from the album was "Give Me the Light", but the album itself was not very successful. Later on in 1998, also with Masterboy, he released two promos, "Busy Body" and "Energy".

At the end of 2002, he decided to return to Italy and to contact Zanetti again. Together they started writing some new material and, at the beginning of 2004, they began recording a new album, Cold Skool. Campbell is also a painter, and sells his paintings via his website.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Natasha Bedingfield
Bedingfield at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of The Russian Winter
Background information
Birth name	Natasha Anne Bedingfield
Born	(1981-11-26) 26 November 1981 (age 30) Sussex, England, United Kingdom
Genres	Pop, R&B, pop rock, soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Phonogenic, Epic (US)
Associated acts	Simple Plan, Charice, Rascal Flatts, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Melissa Etheridge, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis
Website	www.natashabedingfield.com

Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Bedingfield recorded rock and gospel songs for the Hillsong London Church, while Daniel went on to enjoy success with hits "Gotta Get Thru This" and "If You're Not the One".

Bedingfield released her first album, Unwritten, in 2004. The album contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music;^[1] it enjoyed international success with more than 2.3 million copies sold worldwide^[2] and she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the title track "Unwritten".^[3] Bedingfield's second album, N.B. (2007), was less successful but yielded the UK top 10 singles "I Wanna Have Your Babies" and "Soulmate". N.B. was not released in North America, but six tracks from it were included with seven new ones and released in 2008 as her third studio album Pocketful of Sunshine, with the singles "Love Like This" and "Pocketful of Sunshine" earning success on the charts. In December 2010, Bedingfield released her third album in North America named Strip Me.

In 2012, VH1 ranked her #66 on the list of 100 Greatest Women in Music.^[4]

Early life[link]

Bedingfield was born in Sussex (later moving to the Lewisham, south London) to New Zealand-born Molly and John Bedingfield who worked in the international charity sector focused on inner-city projects in education, reconciliation, addiction rehab, and longterm community development, alongside local government initiatives and faith-based communities in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Natasha has three siblings: brothers Daniel, Joshua and a younger sister Nikola. Her interest in music was encouraged by her parents and she took guitar and piano lessons when she was younger.^{[5][not in citation given]} When Bedingfield was a teenager, she and her siblings, Daniel and Nikola, formed the dance/electronic group, The DNA Algorithm.^[6] The group provided Bedingfield with the opportunity to explore different musical genres and expand her songwriting abilities.^[7] She provided vocals for the group which primarily performed dance-pop music about independence and empowerment, themes that would later be found in her own solo compositions. At age 14, Natasha sang vocals on Origins Refined Intricacy (Steelyard Records).

Bedingfield attended a year at the University of Greenwich, where she studied psychology,^[5][8] then left to concentrate on singing and songwriting. At first she recorded demos in the garages of friends who had recording studios, which she presented to record companies.^{[9][not in citation given]} Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Bedingfield composed and recorded songs for the Hillsong London Church. In 2004, her recordings appeared on the church's live album Shout God's Fame and the children's album Jesus Is My Superhero by Hillsong Music Australia.^[10]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2003–06: Signing to Phonogenic and Unwritten

Bedingfield performing in 2006

Bedingfield was introduced to Phonogenic founder and A&R Paul Lisberg by the artist's manager Gary Wilson.^[11] Lisberg was not convinced by the demo songs presented, which had so far failed to attract any label interest, later telling HitQuarters: "[They] were good but weren’t right for us ... They were a bit like Holly Valance and Shakira, which we felt was too lightweight. She would probably have had hits with them, but I don’t know if she ever would have established herself as a true artist."^[11] Instead, it was when, at a meeting together, Lisberg heard her singing ability and creative vocal ad-libbing first-hand that he became excited by Bedingfield's potential. Label interest was later confirmed when a trial studio session together with writers Steve Kipner and Andrew Frampton produced songs that were in keeping with Lisberg's vision for Phonogenic.^[11] Bedingfield signed a recording contract with BMG UK & Ireland, through its imprint Phonogenic Records, in July 2003.^[11][12]

Her first album Unwritten was released in September 2004 and features collaborations with Steve Kipner, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lachey, James Reilly, Andrew Frampton, Wayne Wilkins, Kara DioGuardi, Guy Chambers, Patrick Leonard and the rapper Bizarre. The album contained uptempo pop rock songs and influences from R&B music.^[1] Bedingfield's lyrics focused on independence, opportunism and female empowerment.^[5] Reviews of the album were generally positive^{[citation needed]} and it was described as a "well-made pop album for the new millennium" by Allmusic.^[1] The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number one and reached the top thirty in the United States.^[13] It sold well, reaching multi-platinum status in the United Kingdom^[14] and Gold status in the US^[15] The first single released from the album was "Single", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart.^[16] The song's lyrics, and its accompanying music video, depict Bedingfield's single lifestyle.^[17] "These Words" was released as the album's second single. The song became Bedingfield's first UK number one and US top twenty single.^[18] "Unwritten" was released as the album's third single in 2004, the song reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and it also became the most played song on US radio in 2006.^[19] "I Bruise Easily" was released as the album's fourth single, it did not perform as well as its predecessors but was still a moderate success, reaching number twelve on the UK Singles Chart.

At the 2005 Brit Awards, Bedingfield was nominated for four awards, though did not win any of her nominated categories. She was also nominated for an award at the 2006 Brit Awards, and in 2007 she was nominated for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" at the 2007 Grammy Awards, though was again unsuccessful in winning in any of her nominated categories. Her Song Unwritten is the theme tune of MTV's the hills^[3][20]

[edit] 2007–08: N.B. and Pocketful of Sunshine

Bedingfield performing in Georgia in 2008

Bedingfield's second album N.B. was released in Europe in April 2007. In North America (the US and Canada), the album was released under the title "Pocketful of Sunshine" in January 2008. The album received mixed reviews by critics and peaked at number nine in the UK. "I Wanna Have Your Babies", the album's lead single, was about finding the right man to father her children and was criticised by fans and critics alike.^[21] The song was moderately successful, reaching number seven in the UK, number eight in Ireland and the top fifty in various other markets.^[22] "Soulmate" was released as the album's second single on 2 July 2007 and also peaked at number seven in the UK.^[23] To promote N.B., Bedingfield embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour in May 2007, supporting Justin Timberlake.^{[24][not in citation given]}

The North American version of her second album featured six songs from N.B.. The album was released on 22 January 2008, after the lead single, "Love like This", was released in September 2007 and charted at #11 on the Billboard hot 100.^{[citation needed]} The title track was released as the second single in February 2008. The single peaked at #5 on the Billboard hot 100.^{[citation needed]} On 18 January 2008, Bedingfield's UK tour was cancelled for the second time, one month before it was supposed to start, so she could spend more time promoting her album in the U.S.^[25] In August 2008, Bedingfield and other singers including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Melissa Etheridge, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, and Mariah Carey recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up" produced by Babyface and L. A. Reid, to support "Stand Up to Cancer". On 5 September, the singers performed it live on TV.^[26]

[edit] 2009–2011: Strip Me and Strip Me Away

Bedingfield at Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 2009

Bedingfield stated on her blog that she would start work on her new album in early 2009.^[27] She was confirmed to be writing for the new album while on holiday in New Zealand; she said "I'm here for a couple of weeks to do a bit of writing. It is such an inspiring place to write music. I love coming here as often as I can, usually once a year to fuel up on ideas for my next album".^[28] She also confirmed she was working with Brian Kennedy, who produced/co wrote Rihanna's hit single "Disturbia" and was writing songs with him while on tour^[29][30] with a view to having the album released by the end of 2009.^[31] Bedingfield also stated that Wyclef Jean, Sam Sparro and Mike Elizondo would be working on the record.^[32]

Bedingfield confirmed that the album would be ready for fall 2010.^[33] In an interview with IN:DEMAND Producer, Ryan Tedder said "I'm gonna try and bring Natasha Bedingfield back here in the UK with some quirky, kinda weird stuff".^[34] On 18 March Natasha stated on her official site that she was in L.A. and she was putting the finishing touches on her album.^[35] "Touch", the lead single from the album, was made available as a digital download 18 May 2010. Bedingfield performed the song on the The Ellen Degeneres Show on 24 May 2010.^[36] "Touch" was officially sent to US radio stations on 29 June 2010.^[37][38] On 15 July Bedingfield announced via Twitter that the title of her new album would be Strip Me. The album was originally scheduled for release on 9 November 2010, but was released on 7 December.^[39] The second single, also titled "Strip Me", was sent to US radio on 30 August 2010 and it became available as a digital download on 21 September 2010.^[40] It was written by Bedingfield, Ryan Tedder and Wayne Wilkins.Bedingfield appeared on rapper Nicki Minaj's debut album Pink Friday on a track called "Last Chance", and on Rascal Flatts' new album Nothing Like This on a track called "Easy", released as the album's third single. On 31 December 2010 / 1 January 2011, Natasha appeared on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

In 2010, Natasha joined forces with Avon as a celebrity judge for Avon Voices,^[41] Avon’s first ever global, online singing talent search for women and songwriting competition for men and women.

On 6 April 2011, Natasha visited Radio Hamburg and confirmed that the song "Pocketful of Sunshine" (originally the second single from her US album "Pocketful of Sunshine") will be the first European single from the forthcoming European release of Strip Me. The European version of Strip Me will be called Strip Me Away. The lead single "Pocketful of Sunshine" was released on 13 May in Germany. The album "Strip Me Away" will be released in June.^[42]

Bedingfield was featured on Simple Plan's new single from their new album Get Your Heart On!, released on 21 June 2011. The song, "Jet Lag" was released on 26 April 2011 as the band's first single from their fourth album.^[43]

On 5 July, Bedingfield performed her song "Weightless" from her "Strip Me" album on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Filipina singer Charice confirmed that Bedingfield has written a song for her called "Lighthouse", which is included on her second studio album Infinity.^[44]

On 9 November 2011, Bedingfield wowed American audiences when she joined Rascal Flatts to perform "Easy," on the Country Music Awards show on ABC.

Bedingfield has released a Christmas song 'Shake Up Christmas',^[45] which has been confirmed to be on the 2011 Coca-Cola Christmas television advertisements.^[46]

[edit] 2012–present: Upcoming fourth studio album

As of April, 2012, Bedingfield announced that she's working on her fourth studio album, mentioning her plans to release the album worldwide,^[47] not just focusing on America.

Non-musical projects[link]

Bedingfield has donated time and money to organizations such as the Global Angels, an international children's charity founded by her mother, Molly Bedingfield.^[48][49] She became associated with the organization in 2006 and said she hoped to help "people around the world, particularly children, who live in conditions that would horrify us".^[50]

Bedingfield is now an ambassador for Global Angels and in November 2006 she visited India for three weeks in support of the charity. She visited an orphanage in Kolkata and a refugee camp for former child prostitutes in Mumbai to learn more about the situation and the conditions in these areas. Bedingfield later expressed her shock at what she had witnessed.^[51] Video diaries filmed during her trip were posted on her official website in early 2007.^{[52][not in citation given]} She is also an advocate for Stop the Traffik, a global coalition which works to end human trafficking^[48] and a member of the (RED) campaign.^[5] In a 2008 rockumentary, Call+Response, headed by Justin Dillon, Bedingfield performed acoustic versions of "Unwritten" and "Soulmate" in support of the film's cause: a movement against current slavery and human trafficking.^{[53][not in citation given]}

In 2004, Bedingfield showed interest in acting and made her début in the James Bond video game From Russia with Love in November 2005. She voiced the character Elizabeth Stark, the British Prime Minister's daughter who is kidnapped in the opening sequence.^[54] Bedingfield commented that she would like to do more acting, but only if the film "was good enough, and it was a role that [would] fit me."^[54] Bedingfield has yet to be offered any more acting work.

She has made an appearance in the seventh season finale of the hit Canadian television series Degrassi: The Next Generation.^[55] Bedingfield also guest starred on Nickelodeon's mockumentary series The Naked Brothers Band's Christmas Special, alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Leon Thomas III. She has made guest appearances on the NBC series Lipstick Jungle.^[56] More recently, she guest starred on Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP in November 2009. She sang the song "These Words".

In 2012, Bedingfield made an appearance in the fourth season of Web Therapy.^[57]

Personal life[link]

In 2006, the media incorrectly reported that Bedingfield was dating Nick Lachey and Maroon 5 lead singer, Adam Levine. Referring to the media reports, Bedingfield commented that "Adam is lovely but I didn't date him or Nick. As soon as you talk to a famous guy, you're immediately linked with him."^[58] Bedingfield is married to Matt Robinson,^[59] a businessman from California. The couple wed in Malibu on 21 March 2009.^[59]

She lists Audrey Hepburn, Debbie Harry and Brigitte Bardot as her "celebrity style icons".^[60]

Discography[link]

Worldwide releases

• Unwritten (2004)

North American releases

• Pocketful of Sunshine (2008)
• Strip Me (2010)

European releases

• N.B. (2007)
• Strip Me Away (2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

Bedingfield's debut album Unwritten contains primarily uptempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music.^[1] It enjoyed international success with over three million copies sold worldwide.^[61] In 2007, she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the song "Unwritten", the third single from the album of the same name.^[3] Bedingfield's second album N.B. yielded the singles "Soulmate"; "Say It Again"; and "I Wanna Have Your Babies", written and produced by Natasha Bedingfield, Wayne Wilkins, Andrew Frampton, and Steve Kipner.^[62] Bedingfield has received four nominations from the BRIT Awards but has won none.^[63] As of July 2008, she has won five awards from eleven nominations.

BRIT Awards[link]

The BRIT Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. Bedingfield has received four nominations.^[63]

BT Digital Music Awards[link]

The BT Digital Music Awards honour music distributed digitally by methods such as mobile devices, online downloads, and blogging. Bedingfield has won one award.^[64]

Capital FM Awards[link]

The Capital FM Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Capital 95.8, a London radio station owned by GCap Media. Bedingfield has won two awards from two nominations.^[65]

Glamour Awards[link]

The Glamour Awards is an annual awards ceremony hosted by Glamour, a women's magazine. Bedingfield has won one award.^[66]

Grammy Awards[link]

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bedingfield has received one nomination.^[3][67]

MTV Europe Music Awards[link]

The MTV Europe Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1994 by MTV Europe. Bedingfield has received one nomination.^[68]

TMF Awards[link]

The TMF Awards is an annual television awards show broadcast live on The Music Factory. Bedingfield has received one award.^[69]

References[link]