Natasha Bedingfield, singer, songwriter
During the early 2000s, my brother Daniel achieved three number one songs. In each interview, he would kindly mention me and say, “Don’t forget about my sister – she’s also talented!” This helped me gain some recognition and opportunities in the music industry. I was able to secure a record deal by showcasing some demo recordings I had created. One executive even told me, “We’re not impressed by your music, but we are impressed by you.”
I was taken to Los Angeles to collaborate with mentors in songwriting, which improved my skills but unfortunately resulted in me being absent for my younger brother Joshua’s 14th birthday. Due to not having had the opportunity to send him a present, I opted to compose a song for him instead. “Unwritten” was specifically crafted with a 14-year-old in consideration.
During that stage in life, there is a strong desire to be seen as mature, yet simultaneously, people are constantly inquiring about your plans for the future. There is a significant amount of stress to plan out your entire life. The inspiration for Unwritten initially came from a poem. I then met Danielle Brisebois, a talented songwriter who had a wealth of experience as a child actor and in the band New Radicals. With her help, we explored the concept that every child possesses the potential to shape their own destiny.
The recording took place in Venice Beach. When writing the verse, I drew inspiration from the Beatles’ Indian era. The gospel choir portion is influenced by my childhood, as my family had the privilege of attending an incredible African-Caribbean church in London led by the Wade brothers, who nurtured children’s musical talents. While working on Unwritten, I had envisioned using an actual choir, but my sister Nikola happened to be in LA at the time. In collaboration with my friend Jessi Collins, we layered the vocals instead.
Initially, Unwritten reached the Top 10. It wasn’t my most successful song at the time, but it has gained popularity over time and has been used to inspire sports teams and similar situations. Last year, the director Will Gluck included it in the script of the romantic comedy Anyone But You as the character Ben’s “soothing song”. This led to a trend on TikTok. I never anticipated it would return to the Top 20 in its 20th anniversary year, but it is a very uplifting song so perhaps one does not tire of it.
Danielle Brisebois is a co-producer and songwriter.
As a child, I learned to dance at a studio near the Brill Building in Manhattan. I would eavesdrop outside the rooms to hear how they composed those amazing songs. Then, when I was cast in the original Broadway production of Annie, I would hide under the piano as Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin used it to write songs for the show. This allowed me to witness the birth of the songs Maybe and Easy Street, and I was captivated.
I had been writing for a long time when I met Natasha. She stayed on my couch for a few months. One day, Wayne Rodrigues, the co-producer of “Unwritten,” came over and created the drum beat – and it immediately clicked with me. I had always wanted to write a song about the unpredictability of life. I had had three different careers and experienced financial ups and downs, even living in a garage at 20 years old. I never saw Natasha’s poem for her brother, but I did notice the word “unwritten” on her computer. As soon as I started singing the melody, everything fell into place. Collaborating with Natasha was like a game of tennis – we bounced ideas back and forth. It was an exhilarating time.
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For the chorus, I remembered a day when I didn’t have enough money to take the bus and it started teeming with rain. But I thought I was the lucky one because all these people in taxis were missing out on the experience of feeling rainfall on their skin. For the intro, I hummed a quirky, almost Irish drinking tune riff and my husband, Nick Lashley, played it on his acoustic guitar. The take on the record is actually him learning it – the microphone was in the wrong place, but it sounded perfect. Similarly, Natasha’s big note at the end of the gospel section is from the demo. “We’re not rerecording it,” I said. “It’s not quite perfect, but it has the magic!”
At the time of its production, there were not many female producers, but I worked on it as a co-producer. Natasha’s performance of Unwritten is incredibly sincere because the song is personal to her. It’s all about taking hold of the future without hesitation. It’s incredibly fulfilling that the song is played at important events like graduation ceremonies. Initially, my fellow band member Gregg Alexander wrote Murder on the Dancefloor for his band New Radicals, but he decided to give it to Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Now, after twenty years, both of our songs are experiencing a resurgence in popularity on a global scale. What are the chances of that?
Source: theguardian.com
