Video: Natalie Imbruglia's home movie

STUNNING star Natalie Imbruglia certainly hasn't been left Torn by her marriage break-up.

In fact the beauty, as the title of her new album indicates, has Come To Life since splitting from Silverchair singer Daniel Johns.

And, cosying up to Rated in an intimate interview, she says she's never felt sexier since her divorce.

"I'm not just single, I'm VERY single," purrs 34-year-old Natalie, who just lurrvs saying the word. "I'm happy to be single, too. Being a single girl is great."

And her latest collection of songs reflect that joy.

"I wanted to do something sexy," she says. "I'd been through a lot in my personal life and I wanted to show how liberated I felt. I wanted to have fun."

Since her first single Torn was a Top 10 hit in 1997, Aussie Natalie has had three top five albums. But she says she took herself too seriously, making po-faced/dull music before now.

"I had a lack of confidence," admits Natalie over lunch at a restaurant near her home in Notting Hill, West London. "It's so weird that people said my music was so serious, because that's not what I'm like.

"But I'd played it too safe and stuck to what I knew I was good at. I had too many reservations about experimenting."

It's no wonder Natalie's co-writers were surprised when she demanded they help her write raunchier songs like her new single, Want. "At the start of one week last summer, I went into the studio and said 'I need sexy songs'," she laughs.

"My writing team were like, 'Oh! OK. Really?' I knew it was about time my music had a sense of humour-a confidence and a playfulness I was too shy to express before.

"The song Cameo is the really sexy one. I kept saying 'No, no, it's not right. It's not sexy enough. It's not encapsulating how sexy I feel.'"

Natalie is having fun at her concerts too, after previewing the new album with a tour last month.

"When I was on tour before, I'd get an hour into a show and think, 'This is all so slow! Man, I wish I had some fast tunes!'

"Just singing the new songs, where I get to move about, is so much more fun. I feel sexy on stage singing Cameo. And Wild About It is sexy too. I get my band to dress up in drag for that, and my guitarist Tom looks pretty hot in a skirt!"

Want is one of three songs on the new album co-written with Chris Martin of Coldplay.

"I became a total fan-girl when I went to see their first shows," grins Natalie. "I'd be down the front, and just blush and go 'Er, hiya!' when I'd meet them afterwards.

"Chris and I became mates, but I hadn't seen him for years when I got a call from my manager saying he'd written two songs - Lukas and Fun - for me.

"They were meant for Coldplay, but Chris thought they were better for a woman to sing. Why he chose me, I've no idea. I didn't ask him in case he started thinking about it too much and changed his mind.

She even got him to help with her new single. "I'd already written Want but I couldn't get the chorus right. I didn't want to beg Chris for help, but I ended up saying to him, 'Oh, please! You must help me fix this!'

"He's like a mad professor - you can see the sparks fly out of Chris' head when he starts thinking about songs. Within a couple of hours, he'd made it perfect."

Lazy

Despite her divorce, Natalie also credits her ex-husband Daniel for helping her career. "I learned a lot from him," says Natalie. "Mainly persistence and dedication, I think. I was lazy as a songwriter before I met Daniel."

Having shot to fame in the mid 90s as Beth Willis in Neighbours, Natalie is ready to tackle acting again.

Until now, her only big film role has been opposite Rowan Atkinson in the James Bond spoof Johnny English.

"I'm not getting any younger," she admits. "I need to take the risk of going off to do some acting.

"I'm passionate about acting - but I don't know if I'm any good!"

WANT is out tomorrow. Come To Life will be out in February.

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