Natalie Imbruglia: 'Torn' Star

For MTV host Matt Pinfield, Imbruglia's dedication is central to her appeal. "Natalie's got her own thing going, and she's been in control of it since day one," he says. "She's just got such a great vibe--it's one of the reasons that [MTV] is so excited about her."

Despite her charismatic openness as a performer, Imbruglia's years as a TV personality have made the singer--who briefly dated Friends star David Schwimmer about a year ago--instinctively protective of her personal life. "I've been doing interviews since I was 17," she points out sweetly but smartly. "I've learned to be that way....Besides, I want people to have their own experience with my music. Whether I had a problem in a relationship is neither here nor there to someone who buys my record. Sometimes I'll think of something that happened to me, then make a story up using a character. The emotion is always true, but the story..." Imbruglia trails off for a moment, a vision of elusive loveliness. "I try not to ask myself too many questions."