Natalie Imbruglia has recently shared that she grapples with two undisclosed health issues that significantly impact her well-being. Despite her public image as a successful Australian singer and actress, behind the scenes, the 51-year-old faces challenges.
In modern times, the identification of adults dealing with various conditions like ADHD, autism, and OCD has surged due to improved diagnostic capabilities compared to previous decades.
Natalie belongs to a large group of adults who were diagnosed with these conditions later in life. Rather than viewing these diagnoses negatively, she considers them her strengths, although they do pose challenges for her.
In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Natalie expressed her love for performing on stage, which brings her immense joy. However, she admitted feeling dreadful just moments before going on stage due to her conditions.
Having been diagnosed with ADHD and OCD in her midlife, Natalie views these labels as mere descriptors and embraces them as her unique abilities. Nevertheless, she finds it challenging to cope with her neurodiversity, especially when facing pre-show nerves compounded by perimenopause.
During her struggles with perimenopause, Natalie sought advice from Davina McCall to manage her feelings of anger and anxiety. She used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) creams to alleviate her symptoms and appreciates the increasing openness around discussing menopause-related issues.
While Natalie gained fame as an actress, notably for her role as Beth Brennan on Neighbours, she achieved global success as a musician. Her hit song “Torn,” released in 1997, dominated the US Billboard charts for 11 consecutive weeks in 1998 and recently surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.
Despite the track’s monumental success, Natalie still finds it challenging to articulate its impact on her life. At 22, when “Torn” was released, Natalie’s life has evolved significantly since then, and she continues to attract fans across multiple generations, including Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z.
Currently, Natalie is gearing up for the launch of her upcoming album, Algorithm, after a five-year hiatus. She describes this record as the most enjoyable project she has worked on, drawing inspiration from artists like David Bowie, Robyn, and David Byrne to create a pop-centric album with emotionally resonant lyrics.
One of the album’s lyrics, “beast of my dreams,” may seem to reference a romantic interest, but Natalie clarifies that it pertains to her late-night phone habits. Revealing her tendency to scroll through her phone extensively at night, she humorously acknowledges getting lost in online distractions that lead to darker emotional spaces.
Despite the upbeat melody of her lead single “Upside Down,” which debuted in April, Natalie confesses struggling with motivation to push through challenging times. Fans can already pre-order Algorithm before its official release on September 4.