natalie bassingthwaighte

Natalie Bassingthwaighte was born on September 1, 1975, in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Her career began in musical theatre, playing roles in productions like “Rent” (1999), “Chicago” (2002), “Grease,” and “Footloose.” In 2003, she joined the cast of the iconic Australian television series “Neighbours” as Izzy Hoyland, a role she played until 2007, returning for guest appearances in 2018 and 2022. During her time on “Neighbours,” she was nominated for a Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality and a Silver Logie Award for Most Popular Actress in 2006. She also ventured into film, appearing in “When Darkness Falls” (2006), “Prey” (2009), a 2010 season of “Underbelly: The Golden Mile,” “Brock” (2016), “The Wrong Girl” (2017), and “Elvis” (2022).

Bassingthwaighte’s music career advanced significantly when she became the lead singer for the electro-pop band Rogue Traders in 2004. With the band, she achieved multi-platinum sales across two albums, “Here Come the Drums” and “Better in the Dark,” and was part of several APRA wins and ARIA award nominations. In 2008, she embarked on a solo music career and released her debut album, “1000 Stars,” in 2009, which reached number one on the Australian charts. The album featured platinum-selling singles “Alive” and “Someday Soon.” She co-wrote seven of the album’s fifteen tracks.

Beyond acting and singing, Bassingthwaighte has taken on various television presenting and mentoring roles. She hosted “So You Think You Can Dance Australia” for three seasons (2008-2010), earning Logie Award nominations for her presenting work. From 2011 to 2014, she served as a judge and mentor on “The X Factor Australia” and was a judge on “The X Factor New Zealand” in 2015, where her contestant won the series. In 2017, she participated in “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Australia,” finishing in third place. In 2008, she co-authored “Sistahood: A Journal of Self-Discovery” and in March 2015, launched her children’s clothing label, Chi Khi.