Atomic Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton leaves band to go solo
Atomic Kitten were first formed in 1998. (Getty)
Natasha Hamilton, famed for being a member of the 90s girl band Atomic Kitten, has decided to leave the band after 25 years.
In an Instagram post on Friday (October 11), Hamilton said: “Since 1999, I have been a part of one of the world’s most successful girl bands. I have lived the most incredibly life, travelling the world many times over since then, bringing so much joy to your lives, performing songs that catapulted us into the stratosphere at such a young age.”
“The ride hasn’t always been smooth, but I wouldn’t change a single thing… it’s been incredibly and something I will always cherish.”
“Not the time has come for me to close the book on this one. 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.”
Hamilton added that she would be releasing more solo music in the coming weeks, as well as her 1st solo EP after founding her own record label, and wished her former bandmate Liz McClarnon “all the luck and love in the world”.
In her statement, Hamilton also touched on the struggle she felt juggling the band and being a solo artist, finding it “difficult” to navigate the two worlds.
The 42-year-old singer joined the band in 1999 alongside McClarnon and Kerry Katona after original member Heidi Range left soon after the group formed.
The band is best known for songs such as ‘Whole Again’, ‘Eternal Flame’, and ‘The Tide is High’.
The band have been on various festival line-ups in the past decade including performing in Liverpool during the Eurovision Song Contest in May and at Pride earlier this year but now he future is uncertain for Atomic Kitten with just McClarnon left.
Though die-hard fans can be assured that Hamilton will continue to perform songs from her days in Atomic Kitten at future events as “they have been a huge part of [her] life”.
McClarnon expressed support for her longtime friend and bandmate, writing “Love you” in the comments underneath Hamilton’s post.
Atomic Kitten have been known for being allies of the LGBTQ+ community, saying they would “always show support” for their queer fans.
In 2022, McClarnon and Hamilton wore rainbow armbands during a performance in Croydon to celebrate the World Cup as a statement on the event being hosted in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal.
Atomic Kitten also regularly played at London’s biggest LGBTQ+ club Heaven on numerous occasions over the years, which Hamilton really loved doing.
Back in June, she told Pink News: “We’d come to London and we’d play Heaven, and it was just acceptance. We didn’t have to be anything else other than who we were, three cheeky girls from Liverpool.”
“Life is tough. There’s a lot of sh*t out there. There’s a lot of negativity. You can’t do nothing without someone saying you sound sh*t, you look sh*t, you’re a sh*t person. You do not get that in the [LGBTQ+] community. You get love. You get respect, and you feel accepted. It’s f*cking great,” Hamilton said.
