Wholesome meaning behind Natasha Bedingfield's Unwritten you probably never noticed

The “wholesome” meaning behind Natasha Bedingfield’s 2004 hit song Unwritten has been revealed and it’s got people “loving it even more”. The British singer and songwriter, now 44, burst onto the scene in 2004 with her debut studio album of the same name.

Unwritten was the third single released from the album, and reached number six on the UK Singles Chart. It achieved further recognition when it was used as the theme song for the iconic MTV reality series The Hills, which ran from 2006 until 2010 and helped usher in a new era of reality stars.

And she wasn't the only hitmaker in the family, with older brother Daniel Bedingfield also enjoying a successful music career, with hits including 2002's Gotta Get Thru This. The origin of the beloved song was recently discussed on YouTube by content creator Mary Mandefield.

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Speaking directly to the camera, Mary began: “You know the song but do you know the story? This one is particularly wholesome. When Natasha Bedingfield was eight years old, her baby brother Josh was born and she instantly felt very protective over him.

“As she was growing up, she started writing music and she could look up to her big brother Daniel, and when Daniel was promoting his music, he was constantly mentioning his sister and how talented she was.

“Daniel’s management eventually, but hesitantly, signed her too. You know how it goes, they fly her to LA, get her in the studio, and they want sexy songs - it’s the early 2000s, and she comes in with a poem.”

The video then cut to footage of Natasha Bedingfield speaking. The singer and songwriter said: “My younger brother Josh is who I wrote Unwritten about. He was 14.”

Mary continued: “She talks about remembering being that age and people pressuring you and asking you, ‘what’re you going to do when you grow up?’ So, in the poem, she wanted to give Josh that reminder that his story is his to figure out. It had been a busy month in the studio and her voice was breaking.”

Again, the footage cut to Natasha who spoke of her famous raspy vocals and said: “Imperfections actually make something interesting.”

Mary then detailed how Unwritten became a complete family affair. She explained: “Next, she knew she wanted the full sound of a choir on the song but limited resources. So, she calls her sister Nikola and her best friend Jessie, and the three of them stack their vocals.

“See how one brother encourages you into the industry, another brother inspires the song, and your sister features on it. Unwritten is a full family project.”

In the comments section, fellow YouTube users were keen to share their thoughts. One person said: “That was always one of my favourite songs ever and now I love it even more.” Another said: “That’s such a wonderful thing to have happened!”

A third commented: “Awwww!! I love this song! This makes me love it even more!!!”

And another added: “This is wonderful. I’m so glad you made this, Unwritten is very nostalgic for me.”