Fanatic Transcript.

Fanatic: Hi...(walking in)

Natalie: Hi MTV (sitting in chair)

F: Hi Natalie

N: How you doing?

F: Nice to meet you

N: Nice to meet you (stands up, hugs fan)

(both sits down)

F: Okay, Natalie I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions.

N: No..go right ahead

F: Okay I was really interested, but what in real life does 'Left of the
Middle' reflect and what does that title mean?

N: What it means basically, people often think it means the music being
left of center but it doesn't; it's about being...feeling extremes
quite often, not having any balance, that kind of seasickness feeling
you know...it's a little bit self-indulgent but..

F: Because the lyrics says something like; "You're getting off the
phone, that's not a game you want to play today."

N: Yeah. So what does that mean?

F: So when you're talking about the game..is that a game of life or is
that...

N: Well it was kinda about a situation I was in with a person..the way I
was feeling was this..cause I don't feel like that all the time. I'm not
always feeling out of balance, but I guess sometimes when you don't have
any clarity and you're in a situation with a person it was just
kinda..how I felt.

F: I know you were born in Australia, how is that adjustment like
coming..having lived in London and now living in the United States?

N: Initially I was so excited about travelling I wasn't scared at all; I
was cushioned by my work cause I was working on television. I was
invited to UK to do promotion for the show, so when I got there - it was
just..it was great, it was exciting, I was comfortable; I had the
support of the show because I was still on television there. So
financially I was fine. My struggle in London came when I started
running out of money, I couldn't get any acting work, and I was confused
about my career, my life and I wanted to do.

F: So it just came to you in London, it just kind of..your intuition
just said you wanted to go into music or you always knew..

N: Yeah, I think after being established myself as an actress, it became
something I thought I couldn't do, because of the strings attached to
it.

F: Right..

N: Not so much in America, but in Australia or the UK it's like 'Oh god,
not another one.' So I let that effect what I wanted to do with my life
and told myself 'You can't sing, you're an actress, that's all you're
allowed to do.'

F: Right..

N: And I guess eventually the passion for it just went out and I
thought, 'I don't really care what anyone says or.. I have to do this
for myself.'

F: I think that's what I really admire about you is that when I read in
one of your interviews is that, you know you were in London trying to
find yourself and then you really did some soul searching and you
realized you really wanted to do music and that was your passion and
being for 23 years old, and me being 21; I'm sorta like looking for that
direction myself - so I really admire your courage and your strength...

N: Thank you.

F: ..definitely as a female artist. You're really speaking to audiences
- people like me.

N: (laughs) This is really..that is really sweet.

F: I, I'm just really thankful. So how do you think it's different your
fame from acting from now to being a musician?

N: I guess the main thing is that I have so much more experience. I was
in the public eye at 17, so I had dealt with a lot of things in what I
call "the first phase" which was the acting - I dealt with being in the
public eye, the pressures of you know being famous, and people knowing
who you are and thinking they know when they don't and all of that
stuff. So any kind of resentment or bitterness I had about these things
I got it out of my system. And then I didn't work for 2 years and nobody
bugged me, I had no money, so I was really lucky to have had it and then
lost it and been able to come back into the industry, wanting to do it
with no bitterness you know. So I feel like I am much more balanced than
I was.

F: I wanted to comment on "Torn" actually, because "Torn" was the first
part of your album that really spoke to me, it really talks about
heartbreak and loss. But the way you sing it is just so comforting and
so compelling that I was very intrigued and almost addicted to your
music from that point on. How does it feel to have written - done such a
popular re-do of "Torn?"

N: I think it was such an instant liking for me when I heard the song
and it's like you know I'm sure anyone of us can think of the song we
love that when we put it on, we feel so passionate about, and for me
that's how I felt about "Torn," you know - it was written by Ednaswap
and Phil Thornalley. And um, I don't know - it's like you can make a
song your own, and to me, it meant so much to me and I got so much out
of it I just wanted to sing it, put all of myself into it. So I don't
know - I just really believed in the song, and um just tried to kind of
make it my own, and sing it with meaning, you know I think that's
hopefully what came across - is that I meant what I was saying.

F: How do you find success. How do you define it?

N: Define it?

F: Um hmm.

N: To me success is more of a personal thing - as opposed you know to
getting a top ten song, it's about have I put 100% into what I'm doing,
and had integrity, and belief in it, and kind of done the very best that
I can. So I think of success as more in a personal feeling as opposed
whether you getting recognition from the rest of the world.

F: Lastly, what's your advice to twenty-something people trying to find
their knitch in life?

N: Probably just to be really steadfast, and focused on what you want
and don't give up. You just kind of have to stay focused and sometimes
things take longer than you want to - but hang in there.

F: Well I just wanted to really thank you again, your music has been
really inspirational. It's captured my mood at this time when I'm about
to graduate from college and sort of try to find myself too and your
music explores feelings of loneliness, loss, and in the end - most of
all some self-assurance. Your music has been a guidance for me. I know
that sounds lame. (laughs)

N: (laughs) No, that's really sweet.

F: I know that sounds cheesy but I really admire your work and I'm sure
a lot of fans out there would love to tell you themselves, but as a fan
I would like to extend that you.

N: Thank you.

F: And I'm sure coming from everyone else I'm sure.

N: Thank you

F: Thank you...Thank you for definitely meeting me.

N: My pleasure.

F: Ok..(laughs)

N: She's lovely (points)

F: Thank you. (goes over to Natalie and hugs her)

--POST INTERVIEW REACTIONS--

Natalie: She's just lovely. I've never actually met a fan like that
before - usually it's like signing autographs on your way out of a
concert or something. I'm really glad I met somebody on that kind of a
level and had a chat.So..so it's good. And I've just walked past my car.
(laughs loudly and turns around)

Fanatic: She's much more than a bag of a chips, more than a bag of
chips. She's just a really real person.