July 17: English singer-songwriter Natasha Hamilton - group Atomic Kitten – is 31-years-old today.

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Natasha Maria Hamilton was born 17 July 1982 in Liverpool, England. She started singing and performing from the age of 12 in the Starlight Show Group.

After Heidi Range left the early incarnation of Atomic Kitten, Hamilton was offered the opportunity to replace her and joined in May 1999. With Hamilton as a member, Atomic Kitten has so far released 19 singles and three studio albums including three number one singles, their biggest being the 2001 single "Whole Again."

After taking time away from music to raise her son, Hamilton made a return to music after appearing on the BBC1 television show, Just the Two of Us, which paired celebrities with recording artists to compete in a duet singing showdown. Eight couples competed before a panel of judges and the voting public. Hamilton was paired with Mark Moraghan, famous for his portrayal of Doctor Owen Davies in Holby City, and the pair came second. They performed classic songs like "Over the Rainbow" and "Do You Love Me."

In 2004 the band announced they would be splitting to pursue solo careers although reformed once in 2005 and again in 2008. On 4 March 2012 Hamilton confirmed the band would reform officially to tour.

Hamilton has been working on solo material and will release her first material since she was part of Atomic Kitten. The album will be in Motown-style and has been co-written with Christopher and Anthony Griffiths, Ciaron Bell, among others.

Natasha shot the video for the first single, “Ms Emotional” on 30 January 2010 but had to put the release on hold to focus on her third pregnancy.

Hamilton made her pantomime debut when she played the title role in Peter Pan at the Liverpool Empire. It ran from 7 December 2009 until 3 January 2010. She has now taken over the role of Ms Johnstone in the West End production of Blood Brothers. She is also appearing as the title character in Cinderella in Southport theatre throughout December 2012.

In 2003 Hamilton was winner of the annual Rear of the Year award; a light-hearted British award for celebrities who are considered to have a notable posterior. It was created by publicity consultant Anthony Edwards. It was for several years awarded to women only; now it is usually awarded to one woman and one man. (http://www.rearoftheyearcompetition.com/)

 

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For more about Natasha, visit her Website at –

http://www.natashahamilton.com/

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