SHE still has those doe eyes and that honey-tinged voice, but Australian actressturned- singer Natalie Imbruglia is all grown up – and she wants the world to know it.

So grown up, in fact, that the music video for the first single, Want, off her latest album, Come To Life, sees the 35-year-old frolicking around in a bed, almost nude.

Speaking to my paper from her home in Notting Hill, London recently, Imbruglia said: “It’s a sexy song and I was feeling confident, strong and sexy and wanted to express that.” She added: “Besides, I was wearing tights!”

Perhaps the bold change in direction – a far cry from her typically demure persona – stems from the fact that the bubbly lass has gone through a multitude of personal and professional changes in the past couple of years.

For starters, Imbruglia – who got her start in showbusiness with a role in Aussie soap opera Neighbours – split with her husband, musician Daniel Johns from rock band Silverchair, in January 2008.

The pair divorced after drifting apart because of work schedules, but reportedly stayed friends. On the career front, Imbruglia’s contract with her label, Sony Music, ended.

She said thoughtfully: “Everyone wants to be happy in their work environment, and I wasn’t.”

She also took six months off to clear her head after her divorce. “By the time I got back (to making music), I was in the right head space and ready to go again,” she said.

As for single life, Imbruglia – who first broke out with hit single Torn (off her 1997 debut Left Of The Middle) – admits she is simply “loving it”. Come To Life – her fourth record, which was released in October last year – is an “eclectic” collection of dance and electronic-based tunes.

It also features collaborations with British musician Chris Martin from Grammy-winning band Coldplay. Martin is behind several tracks, including Fun and Lukas. He also tweaked the chorus of Want for the album. Asked about the partnership, the self-confessed Coldplay fan gushed: “He got in touch and had some material he wanted me to hear...then said, ‘Let’s go in the studio.’

I’d have been mad not to.” And while she is certainly proud of her latest works, Imbruglia still regards her past successes – first single Torn, in particular – with extreme fondness.

“I don’t feel defined by that song, but it really had a life of its own,” she said. “Besides, I’d rather be remembered for that than not remembered at all.”

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Come To Life is in stores.

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