Member of iconic noughties girlband says she was treated like a ‘pop puppet’.

An iconic noughties popstar has revealed how she was treated like a ‘puppet’ when she was dominating the charts as part of a girl band and now wants to take control of her own identity as she re-launches her solo career.

Atomic Kitten racked up an impressive thirteen Top10 singles, having huge success at the height of pop bands with huge tunes such as Whole Again, Eternal Flame and The Tide Is High. However, one former member of the girl group has revealed how it wasn’t all hits and awards ceremonies as the girls never felt they were in the driver’s seat.

Natasha Hamilton, who was a founding member of the band alongside Kerry Katona, Liz McClarnon, told the Daily Star: “I lived life as a puppet for many years.

“I’m not gonna say that I didn’t enjoy that but that was all I knew, that was my life, I sang somebody else’s music for 25 plus years, which now I go, ‘oh, that’s absolutely mental, that’s crazy’.

“And I feel like when that is your role you put the blinkers on to all the other possibilities.”

The 43-year-old believes that music executives wouldn’t get away with controlling their artists these days because social media has changed the landscape.

She continued: “The puppet pop thing is well and truly gone, I think we saw that with the Simon Cowell thing, 1,100 people turned up to like a nationwide plus Irish, Ireland, auditions. And you think, ‘oh my God, like that’s crazy’.

“People want to be in the driver’s seat and be in control of their destiny, and music is artistry, it’s expression.

“So to be told how to express yourself now, because we live in the world of the internet and of social media, that wasn’t around back then – So it was easy to contain a young person and say ‘this is how you should be and we think this is gonna work really well’.

“And the people at the top aren’t stupid, they know what they’re doing.

“But I think now to be that puppet and to see everyone else expressing, you’re gonna feel a bit trapped.”

Natasha has taken back her control and re-launched her solo career with explosive new single Numb, which she calls a “rebirth”.

She said: “Numb was written in that space where you realise survival isn’t the same as living.

“It’s about noticing when you’ve shut down emotionally and deciding to feel again, even when it’s uncomfortable. This song marks a turning point for me creatively. It’s honest, grounded and exactly where I am now.”

Fans believe that the Atomic Kitten star has stepped back into the spotlight as Monkey Business on ITV’s The Masked Singer.

When asked about the theory, she smiled and replied: “I can neither confirm nor deny that I am Monkey Business.”

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