Will Natalie be the next gay icon?

She may be a sultry songstress but Natalie Bassingthwaighte is also a naughty little vixen.

Although the part-time actress has recently filmed a lesbian shower scene in her movie debut, it’s her love for the GLBT community that’s stirring the pot.

The entertainer has recently made headlines with rumours of a float and a guest performance at next year’s Mardi Gras. She’s set to join the ranks of Kylie Minogue and Olivia Newtown-John as a gay icon -” at least, she’s hoping to.

Bassingthwaighte said there’s no denying she would love to perform at the popular party and that she even has a soft spot for the community.

Someone asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would like to do Mardi Gras and I said -˜that would be a dream’ as it’s one of the best parties in town, Bassingthwaighte told Sydney Star Observer.

It’s when I can go to the full extreme and wear the most fabulous costumes that I could imagine and get away with it.

I have a lot of gay friends and always have and it’s a world that I’m a part of where anything comes out. I think being a gay icon sounds so exciting. When you go to an exciting event like that everyone is out to have the best time of their life.

Bassingthwaighte has had a diverse career with many twists and turns, including stints in musical theatre, Neighbours and Rogue Traders. She has recently emerged for the first time since leaving the band with a new pop princess image and album.

It took me a while to figure out who I was. I had a holiday and could really be free and experiment with sounds -” the album is quite eccentric, Bassingthwaighte said.

Her new single, Alive, recently debuted on the ARIA charts.

It was the last song that was written on the album. I really needed something that was just fun and it didn’t have to be deep, she said.

It’s a song you can have a groove to and makes you feel good. We really didn’t want to make it about a boy and it’s so hard to not write a song that’s not about a partner of some sort. So there is an element of meeting someone and taking a chance with them -” ultimately it’s about freedom and living life.

The untitled album is scheduled for release early next year. Although Bassingthwaighte looks up to the likes of Pink, Gwen Stefani, Kylie Minogue and Madonna, she didn’t channel them while she was in the recording studio.

When you co-write songs, people always want a guideline focusing on -˜who do you want to be like?’ And I wanted to be me and not like anyone else and able to experiment without having that guideline, she said.

There are theatrical moments on the album because that’s what I am but rocky and stripped-back stuff as well. It’s one that I think if you listen to it from beginning to end you can imagine a stage show and that’s what I wanted.

info: For more details go to www.natbassingthwaighte.com.