Natasha Hamilton has announced she is leaving her band Atomic Kitten after 26 years.
The 42-year-old singer, who was an original member of the pop group alongside Liz McClarnon and Kerry Katona, joined the band in 1998. She announced the career update in a detailed Instagram post on Friday afternoon (October 11).
“Twenty-six incredible years, writing so many wonderful chapters, but now the time has come for me to close the book on this one,” she began in the social media post.
“The ride hasn’t always been smooth but I wouldn’t change a single thing. I’ve laughed and cried many a time with the girls, experienced so many surreal moments and been blessed with a career spanning 26 years – it’s been incredible and something I will always cherish.”
However, she revealed that she had been struggling behind-the-scenes. She wrote: “Since 2013 myself and Liz have been on the nostalgia train, and we have performed non stop since then (apart from the global pandemic) where we came back even stronger, with more demand for our infectious pop songs.
“At the beginning of the year I didn’t know how to juggle being a Kitten, whilst also trying to break out as a solo artist, but I gave it a go and I have to say, it’s been tough.”
“This Sunday marks my final Atomic Kitten gig for the foreseeable future. I will step down from all AK duties to concentrate on me and ventures new.”
She also revealed that she will be releasing more solo music in the coming weeks, along with her debut solo EP after launching her own record label. Hamilton extended her best wishes to Atomic Kitten bandmate Liz McClarnon, sending her “all the luck and love in the world.”
Read her full statement in her Instagram post below.
McClarnon showed support for her friend and bandmate by commenting “Love you” under Hamilton’s post.
Over the past decade, Atomic Kitten appeared at various festivals, including a performance in Liverpool during the Eurovision Song Contest in May and at Pride earlier this year. In recent years Atomic Kitten gained praise for their track ‘Southgate You’re The One’ – the football-related re-working of their hit ‘Whole Again’.
During the 2022 World Cup, Atomic Kitten wore rainbow armbands during a performance in London ahead of a match between England and Wales. The band played ‘Southgate You’re The One’ Boxpark Croydon before the match. During the performance, they showed their support for the LGBTQ+ community after it was announced last week that England, Wales and five other nations would no longer wear ‘OneLove’ armbands at the Qatar World Cup.
Atomic Kitten considered officially recording ‘Southgate You’re The One’ back in 2018. Andy McCluskey, the writer of the original ‘Whole Again’, said at the time: “The Kittens are really chuffed and are actually considering remaking the single with the England lyrics.
“Any time something you’ve created becomes widely accepted is humbling and touching. I wonder who made that first connection by starting to sing it, and suddenly everyone was doing it.”
Earlier this year we quizzed Hamilton, as part of our Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells? series, and asked her about Atomic Kitten’s journey, Britney Spears, and Home and Away.
In one story about Spears, she said: “Britney Spears wanted to release [our song] ‘Whole Again’ in America and we said: ‘Not a chance! That’s ours!” It had been a hit in the UK, but we hadn’t been over to America yet, so we had to say: ‘[Joking tone] Back off, bitch!’ [Laughs].”