In 1997, everyone wanted to look like Natalie Imbruglia in 'Torn'. She wanted to hide herself.

When Natalie Imbruglia released her debut single 'Torn', she had no idea the outfit she wore in its accompanying music video would become so iconic.

The Australian singer released the song in 1997, aged 22, and starred in the film clip wearing an oversized hoodie and army pants.

The pop-rock single topped the charts and earned Imbruglia various accolades, and the video, seen around the world millions of times since, made the androgynous look her signature.

But the outfit choice was never about fashion.

In a recent interview with The Independent, Imbruglia, now 47, shared that as a young woman trying to break into the music industry she was "so body dysmorphic and insecure".

"The army pants weren‘t even cool army pants, they weren’t in fashion or anything," the singer told the publication.

"My intention in wearing that was so that you couldn’t see my silhouette, because I didn’t want anyone to see. But it ended up that there was a power in that because it was like [seen as] androgyny cool.

"But it really came from a place of 'Thank god I don’t have to wear a dress'."

Natalie Imbruglia in 1998, in an outfit that looks relevant today. Image: Getty. 

After leaving school at 16, Imbruglia landed the role of Beth Brennan on Neighbours and appeared on nearly 150 episodes of the Australian soap. 

When she left the show to pursue music in the UK, the young singer racked up significant debt.

"I couldn’t get a work permit and I couldn’t get jobs. When I signed my record deal, my UK visa was about to run out and I owed two grand to my landlord," she told The Independent.

Three years later, Imbruglia got her big break with 'Torn'. But that too came with obstacles. 

"At the start of my career, there was that whole 'one hit wonder' and you know, that was something I had to live with for quite a few years, regardless of what successes I had," she said.

In 2017, the internet learned that the hit single was actually a cover, originally written by American rock band, Ednaswap.

Talking about the revelation, Imbruglia said how "annoying" it is that people are hung up on that fact.

"It seems like everyone else is obsessed with that," she said. 

"But for me, being an artist is about being a good communicator. So I find it really funny and annoying that people trip out on this particular point with me."

"And it's my truth and how I related to what's in the lyrics and how I communicate that," she added.

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Imbruglia also admitted she's "really insecure" as a songwriter, which stems from a serious case of imposter syndrome.

"I had grown up as a stage-school kid – I was a trained performer," she explained about why she feels that way.

"But in some ways, that felt a little bit cheesy compared to what I was trying to do [as an artist]. So I couldn't kind of marry those things in my head."

"And you know, I was in debt and I'd been famous for being on this TV show," she added.

Imbruglia’s 2009 album Come to Life, which she spent three years working on, was not as commercially successful as she had hoped.

Having lost some confidence because of it, she took a six-year hiatus from music. 

In 2015, she released Male - a collection of covers of songs by male artists - and after a writing trip to Nashville, where she overcame her insecurities, she released her album Firebird in 2021.

Personally, Imbruglia welcomed a son named Max in October 2019 via IVF and sperm donor. 

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Read more about Natalie Imbruglia here:

• "He was the love of my life." Natalie Imbruglia and Daniel Johns on their very private split.
• Natalie Imbruglia decided to leave the spotlight a decade ago. Now she’s back.

Feature image: Natalie Imbruglia.