From being 1/3 of the platinum selling girl-group Atomic Kitten. Natasha Hamilton has decided to go solo with her music career after sixteen years away from the spotlight.

We chat to Hamilton about the inspiration behind her new single, creating the iconic music video and she tells us that more exciting things are coming our way!

Hi Natasha! So happy to have you here for ReVamp Magazine! How have you been since the release of ‘Edge of Us’?

I feel like my feet haven’t touched the ground, to be honest, in a good way! It’s been a whirlwind, it’s been a lot of excitement, and lots of hard work but what I’ve loved the most is the reaction. A lot of people weren’t expecting such a comeback. I’ve had a lot of people go “This is a proper comeback!” 

Does it feel strange releasing music by yourself without your Atomic Kitten bandmates?

No [laughs]. Back then I was a little fish in this big pond of new people but as time went on my confidence grew and now I just feel like this is where I belong and I’m enjoying it solo as well. It’s a lot more relaxed when it’s just me because I don’t have to worry about anyone else if that makes sense.

‘Edge Of Us’ is an absolute summer banger, can you tell us more about the song and the inspiration behind it?

So when I went into the studio I was working with my producers Dot Inc and they had a few backing tracks, we were listening for vibes and when I listened to the Edge of Us backing track it kind of sang to my soul because it had that dance vibe, it gave me that Disclosure vibe, it had that grittiness to it and straight away I just felt like pain and anger and I was like “What is this I’m feeling?” and we just started writing.

One of the first parts of the song I wrote was “Thought we made it, kept praying that love was worth saving” and that was it! So, then I realized this was a breakup song and it was about the end of a relationship, not falling out with love but realizing this isn’t working anymore and a lot of people can relate to that. The fear of being alone is so much greater than staying with someone that you shouldn’t be with. It’s kind of like a homage to a relationship that won’t save us anymore and having the strength to say you’re finally walking away and that it isn’t for me anymore.

This project is my first solo project and I want people to celebrate with me when I’m on stage performing these new songs live. I want to be able to dance and sing even when I'm singing about some of the darker moments in my life and celebrate how far I've come.

The music video is insane! From the style of your outfits to the gorgeous sets and dancers. What was the inspiration behind it? Was it weird to do a music video on your own? 

My director Gareth Chan sent me a mood board and a lot of the inspiration came from K-Pop. If you look at the music video with K-Pop in your mind you might see the references. I definitely wanted it to be a performance piece because it’s such a high octane song and I wanted the energy of the visuals to match that. In the opening scene I look and feel like a goddess and I felt untouchable. I wanted a strong warrior stance because even though I'm talking about being on the edge of a relationship and vulnerable, I’m a survivor so it was really important to portray that strong woman character but in a feminine power as well. The dress in the opening scene was designed by Shana Rose who’s a young Liverpool designer, and my stylist Farrah is just amazing! She understands how to dress my body. I’m a curvy girl, I’ve had five kids, I’ve got curves everywhere and she knows how to dress that really beautifully. I wanted light and shade in the video and that juxtaposition of the goddess moment and then the darker edgier looks where I'm giving attitude. Just before we shot the video I had a bit of a meltdown. I'd not long had my baby and I was in mum mode so my manager introduced me to his friend, who does female movement and empowerment classes and I met with her for a class the day before the video shoot. I did this incredible workshop where we channelled our femininity, we did body work, breathing work, we danced, we cried and we screamed - she was amazing. I wanted to feel really ready to step back into popstar mode and be the best version of myself I could be on-set. I was listening to songs by Jessie J and Ariana Grande to hype me up on-set and I'm so happy with how it turned out. My husband and my kids came to visit me on-set and they were so proud of me. It felt so liberating and it really pushed me out of my comfort zone but I'm incredibly proud of what we all achieved.

Will there be an album in the pipeline? If so... will it be all new material or maybe some reworks of Atomic Kitten classics? 

It will be new music! This is the new Tash! I’ve done twenty-six years of Kittens and had a wonderful career but for me, it’s time for pastures new. I’ve sang the same songs for so long now, and as much as I love those songs I'm ready to sing some new ones. Liz and I have done nostalgia gigs for thirteen years and there does come a point where you want to create something new. 'Edge Of Us' is just the first taste of new music for me. Next year I want to be on tour and I'd love to do more festivals next summer.  I’m going to be releasing an EP this summer that will lead into an album next year. I just feel like I need to let the music out because I had a pause in the middle of this project to have my baby and there has been some music that doesn't really represent me as an artist anymore. The EP will be a great indication as to what's to come from the album.

What advice would you give those who want to pursue music and put their songs out there?

Well, coming from experience it’s hard. You get pushed to the edge of all your limits within music because financially it’s difficult when you're an independent artist and It’s finding the right people to work with. It’s also getting the right people to back you and I've been so fortunate so far with launching my own label, Morpho Music Group. Even for me now some places haven’t picked the music up and it’s an amazing song. The music industry can be quite political too. I think some people can't see past me being part of Atomic Kitten and maybe that isn’t seen as cool enough because personally the stuff on the radio is a lot of crap and the 'Edge of Us' is a million times better haha. I could let that bother me or get upset about it, I just have to park it and keep myself mentally resilient and mentally strong. I'm trying not to get caught up in the industry politics too much and just get on with being creative. There are so many things you can do within the industry that aren't just being a popstar or a has-been and that's something I've learnt over the years. Networking is so important and I love meeting new people. I wish we were told in the 90s that if something doesn't work out straight away there are so many other careers on music.

And finally, what’s next for you? 

The second single is coming really soon! We haven’t shot the video yet and it's tough being an independent artist with budget restraints. Morpho Music Group is a brand new record label and it’s gonna be tough for a little while but I see great things for the label in the future. I want to work with and nurture emerging talent and give up and coming artists a real insight into the industry from an artist's perspective. Let these young kids know they have options and give them advice that we were never given back when we started. My EP will out this summer and I'll be headlining Manchester Pride in August too!