S Poddar
Nearly two decades ago, Natasha Bedingfield first sang those words: “Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten.” The line from her hit song “Unwritten” has remained with those who grew up hearing it, turned into a powerful anthem of self-discovery and possibility. Asked what she thinks of this enduring appeal, Natasha says, “People have really held on to it, and it’s become kind of like a motto.” She will still find people being surprised by it even after twenty years, confessing, “I didn’t even know ‘Unwritten’ would be the song that would have that staying power.”
“Unwritten” stays clear of those pitfalls that so often turn some basically good-feelings songs into clichés by its highly infectious melody and positive messages. This went on to be the most streamed track of hers and really spoke to people, meeting the milestone of entering pop culture history. The single reached number six in the UK charts when it was first released back in 2004 and has recently surged to a remarkable comeback. It spent 20 weeks in the Top 40 — its first time in chart action since 2005 — beginning in January 2024, in part due to its appearance in the 2023 film “Anyone But You” and, perhaps not surprisingly, via its use on TikTok. Almost 700,000 videos have used “Unwritten” as their backing track; from “Get Ready With Me” videos through to proposals, further cementing it as a really popular song.
Natasha acknowledges how modern technology put new life into her music. “We always say that technology is something to worry about, but sometimes there are a couple of great things that come out of it,” she says, thankful for the way that TikTok has kept her back in front of a new generation of fans. “It’s given people a lot more power to talk to their fans directly.
Although her music has just started blowing up in the UK, she has spent much of her recent years in America — where post-“Unwritten” releases found a more welcoming reception. She reflects on her time away from UK charts: “I kind of got a message that people didn’t want me in England,” although she still considers it home. “My music didn’t get heard in England anymore,” she says, so she was shocked when Lewis Capaldi invited her to open for him at the O2 Arena in London last year. The experience was surreal for her because the audience sang the words of every song, proving, in fact, that her music still held a place in the hearts of UK listeners.
It isn’t the first time social media has injected new life into older tracks. Earlier this year, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder On The Dancefloor,” which was originally released in 2001, made a surprise comeback due to a TikTok trend. She feels social media has created a very unusual global connectivity—bringing people together through music in ways previously unimaginable. ‘Because of social media, the whole world is united in such a great way,’ she said.
Natasha recently also teamed up with TikTok for a special performance with Cat Burns for the Team GB athletes in Paris. The performance was shared on the app, reaching fans worldwide. TikTok, official partners of Team GB, with over one million using the Olympics hashtag, say that’s over and above the figures that have been tallied for the Tokyo 2020 games. Natasha was thrilled to be performing in front of the athletes who, to her, were very familiar with just how much music could do for the minds and performance. She shares, “I actually get loads of messages from athletes in my DMs saying that songs like ‘Unwritten’ or ‘Pocket Full of Sunshine’ really get them moving.” One of the most interesting was from Team GB canoeist Kimberley Woods, who got in touch to say she listened to “Unwritten” just before winning a bronze medal. That’s one of those very, very cool examples, Natasha points out, in which a certain number of tracks help people zone in, focus and get a winning mentality. “It’s kind of like winners do go on to win,” she concludes. She repeats the age-old expression, emphasizing that music is connected to mental resilience.
The story of Natasha Bedingfield is that good music never grows old, or how, several years later, it resurfaces and touches the old and the new audience yet again.
