Natalie’s Farewell Tour

Rogue Traders frontwoman Natalie Bassingthwaighte is treating this year’s tour as a farewell tour, as the singer and actress prepares to take an extended break from the band to pursue other career offers.

The former Neighbours star got her start in the music industry with the four-piece band, but will not be touring with them again for a long time, a source close to the band has revealed.

“She’s just got so many different offers right now,” said one insider. “There’s no bad blood between them; they are all closer than ever, but the guys have always understood that Nat will be taking a break to focus on her own career.”

According to the insider, Bassingthwaighte’s split from the Rogue Traders has been in formation since the band’s very first album, with the other members knowing from the start that she would leave to pursue other avenues after the 2008 tour.

While there’s no set timeframe on how long Natalie will be gone from the band, its likely fans won’t see the Voodoo Child singer as frontwoman for the Rogues for the next two years at least.

After this latest tour has come to a close, Bassingthwaighte plans to record and release a solo album - her first since joining the music industry - as well as continuing on with her hosting duties on Network Ten’s hit reality show, So You Think You Can Dance.

Natalie has also had a number of exciting offers from the U.S., which she is said to be “seriously considering.”

“Really, there’s no knowing where Nat will end up,” the insider added.

The Rogue Traders are due to perform under the Big Top at Sydney’s Luna Park on Saturday as part of their 10 shows in NSW.

[Source]