It’s hard to believe that Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten is turning 20 this year. It’s a song that ignites instant happiness within me whenever it pops up on a playlist. Its melodic beat and opening I am unwritten… lyric is immediately recognisable, especially to someone who grew up in the 00s, and it’s a permanent feature in my karaoke catalogue and Spotify Wrapped, year in and year out. But Unwritten isn’t simply a song that’s living in the 00s, it’s now being brought into the present with a recent resurgence.

Bedingfield’s iconic hit is currently sitting at No 13 in the UK singles chart (having peaked at No 6 a few weeks ago) and it’s the first time she’s entered the Top 20 in 19 years. The last time the artist was in the UK charts at all was with her 2007 collaboration with Sean Kingston, Love Like This.

“It’s my belief that songs are this living thing and are never really finished – especially with a song like Unwritten,” Bedingfield tells me when Stylist sat down with the singer in the Sony Music studios. “So, it’s honestly amazing to see new audiences discover and engage with my music. To me, the sign of a good song is when it’s something you can all belt out loud together.”

Bedingfield has had a long and illustrious career. She was named one of VH1’s 100 Greatest Women in Music, has sold over 10 million albums and earned a Grammy nomination for best female pop vocal performance and multiple Brit Award nominations for best British female artist. But why has Unwritten suddenly hit the charts once more in 2024? Well, it’s mostly due to the recent blockbuster romcom Anyone But You.

The film follows Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell), college archnemeses who are forced to reunite years after graduation for a destination wedding. Instead of tackling their issues head-on, though, they decide to pretend to be in love.

In the film, Unwritten isn’t simply a song in the background; it stands firm as its own character in Bea and Ben’s love story. The song features as Ben’s ‘serenity’ song and crops up multiple times during the film. This has kicked off a trend on social media, and especially on TikTok.

“I knew the song would be part of the film, but I had no idea that it would be in there so much. It really did blow me away!” Bedingfield says. “I love seeing people skipping out of watching a romcom and singing my song because that’s definitely the feeling that we had when we first wrote and released it.”

This isn’t the first time that Bedingfield’s songs have popped up in romcoms. You might remember the famous scene in Easy A where Emma Stone’s character receives a musical card with Pocketful Of Sunshine playing, which then inspires her to sing the tune constantly, even in the shower. 

“I think pop songs have an element of comedy in them,” Bedingfield shares. “I co-write my music with other people and it feels like we’re in a Saturday Night Live room – sitting around, making jokes all day. I hope that comes through in the songs and maybe adds something joyous and positive to the romcom genre.

“My friends have written dirty versions of Unwritten. There’s an element of songwriting where there’s no wrong lyric or wrong answer. Everything and anything goes and, in that kind of environment, you end up with some gems along the way.”

Bedingfield isn’t the only artist who’s seeing new success from their old music due to the Hollywood effect. In Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, the iconic final scene sees Barry Keoghan’s character dancing naked to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 single Murder On The Dancefloor. The song was propelled to the No 2 spot in the UK charts – more than 20 years after the song was initially released.

“The great thing about platforms like TikTok is that artists get to see and engage with what these songs mean to people – including new audiences who are just discovering them – and the feeling they get from songs like Unwritten and Murder On The Dancefloor,” Bedingfield says. “It’s one of the favourite parts of my job, I love seeing people share their joy in my songs.”

The last song I played is… “Killing In The Name by Rage Against The Machine. I think it could be my serenity song as sometimes getting really angry is such an amazing relief.”

A song that’s had the biggest impact on me is… “Sade has had a huge impact on my career. I watched her live and saw the regal grace and stage presence she has while performing and it really stayed with me over the years. It’s such a powerful way to perform and engage with music.”

The one thing I couldn’t go a day without is… “Probably my phone. Not only is it a great way to stay in touch with loved ones but it’s also useful practically – whether that’s using it as a torch to get up in the night or playing music from it.”

Something I would tell my younger self is… “You can make mistakes and it’ll turn out OK. You don’t have to be perfect. I needed to release my inhibitions and feel a little less uptight.”

The nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me is… “Pick your battles, because you can’t win every battle. So, if you’re going to fight for something, you need to make sure it’s something you care about.”

The thing that I’m most looking forward to in 2024 is… “That it’s the 20th anniversary of Unwritten. I didn’t really celebrate the first time around because it was all happening so fast. So, I’m very excited about just enjoying it all this year.”

Images: Dayne Malan