Why Natasha Bedingfield didn’t watch ‘The Hills’ despite singing theme song ‘Unwritten’
Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” soared to new heights when the bubbly pop tune became the theme song for “The Hills.”
But the singer-songwriter was more focused on perfecting her craft than watching Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag quarrel on the unscripted 2000s MTV show.
“Maybe I’m the only person who hasn’t really watched, but a lot of times actors don’t watch shows that they’ve been in,” Bedingfield, 41, tells Page Six exclusively in a new interview while promoting Smirnoff Ice’s Relaunch Tour.
“I don’t know. For me, I’m such a songwriter, and I just really, I’m very focused and I try to limit those kind of things,” she adds.
For this reason, the “Pocketful of Sunshine” singer admits she “never really watched reality TV.”
“Isn’t that funny?” she asks. “I really haven’t even watched the Kardashians. That’s weird, right? Like, everyone’s watched those things.”
Bedingfield did, however, cop to currently watching Netflix’s reality dating show “Love Is Blind.”
But she emphasizes that she “loved being associated” with “The Hills,” which ran for six seasons from 2006 to 2010 and followed the drama-filled dating and work lives of Conrad, Montag, Audrina Patridge, Whitney Port and others.
“I think it totally was what ‘Unwritten’ was about, and it’s become so synonymous [with the show],” she tells us.
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The Grammy-nominated artist even keeps in touch with Montag, 36, and the reality star’s husband, Spencer Pratt, who also starred in the series.
“I actually love Heidi and Spencer, and I’m friends with them,” she shares before reiterating, “But I haven’t watched the show.”
Bedingfield famously re-recorded “Unwritten” for the revival series “The Hills: New Beginnings,” which premiered in 2019.
“A lot of times with remixes, people take the original vocals and just change all the chords and the beats around it,” she told MTV at the time. “I wanted to re-sing it. I wanted to take where I’m at now and kind of give it that new spin.”
“New Beginnings” — which starred original cast members including Pratt, Montag, Patridge, Port and Brody Jenner as well as newbies Mischa Barton and Kaitlynn Carter — was canceled in 2022 after just two seasons.
While reality TV isn’t where Bedingfield finds catharsis, songwriting remains her favorite form of self-expression.
“Music is the best way to be vulnerable because you can kind of be mysterious as well,” she tells us. “So you can be super vulnerable, but also nobody really realizes that you’re telling them the truth.
“When you hear it, you get goosebumps. You know, it resonates in a deeper way.”
The “These Words” singer, who last released a studio album in 2019, confirms to Page Six that she is working on a new record.
“I’m hard at work,” she says. “I’m really excited about some of the music that I have right now. I’m in such a good flow, and I’m excited. Just kind of figuring out the right time to put stuff out very soon actually.”
Bedingfield reveals she teamed up with activist Milck to create a new song, which she teases will “probably be the next thing that [she is] putting out.”
She adds, “I haven’t told anyone that.”
Bedingfield has become more involved with activism herself, which is why she decided to partner with Smirnoff Ice and perform for the brand’s Relaunch Tour in Indianapolis alongside DJ duo Two Friends on Thursday, July 27.
“This event … it’s really attractive to me because the proceeds benefit Women in Music,” she says of the nonprofit organization. “It’s like, I can help the people who are coming up, with me or beside me.”
The British-born songstress explains that her goal is to support organizations that help creatives.
“I think we need more creativity, especially now that we have AI [artificial intelligence]. It’s gonna be more important to have human creativity,” she says.
Tickets for the Smirnoff Ice Relaunch Tour are available to purchase online.