Natasha Bedingfield Goes Mobile with Verizon Wireless for the British Sensation's First Ever U.S. Concert Tour

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The UK's biggest female star, Natasha Bedingfield, is launching her first-ever headlining U.S. tour with a 20-city schedule that kicks off in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on May 21. The British songstress, whose albums have sold in excess of 6 million worldwide, has joined forces with Verizon Wireless to further connect with fans via mobile technology. Bedingfield, whose "Unwritten" was the first single by a British female to hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard pop chart in 19 years, has long made female independence and inspiration the subject of her songs. Her tour includes support from two strong female acts, the Veronicas and Kate Voegele. Tickets for Natasha Bedingfield's Verizon VIP Tour are on sale at http://www.livenation.com/. In addition, lucky Verizon Wireless customers who download Natsaha's content via their V CAST-enabled handsets will have a chance to win a pair of tickets sent directly to their phones.

"Nothing is more exciting than taking it to the stage and performing my songs live," Natasha Bedingfield says. "Having toured around the world, I couldn't be more thrilled to finally be embarking on my first tour of the U.S. with Verizon, who is always at the forefront of mobile technology and great new music. It's going to be a wicked summer run."

"This is a tour that spotlights smart, strong young artists doing what they do best," says Ed Ruth, director of digital music for Verizon. "Natasha Bedingfield, the Veronicas and Kate Voegele are representatives of a new generation of talented female artists speaking out on what's important to them, and mobile technology is a big part of that movement. Verizon Wireless delivers the opportunity for all three artists to interact directly with fans, who can download their music, get tickets to the show and create an on-going dialogue with both before and after their performance."

Verizon Wireless extends the Natasha Bedingfield experience before and after each show by delivering the following at each venue:

The Natasha Bedingfield Experience

Twenty customers who download Natasha Bedingfield music, ringtones or ringback tones will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes to win a chance to meet Natasha in person. These lucky winners will enjoy a special session with Natasha as she takes group photos, performs acoustically and answers fans' questions. It's the ultimate backstage experience.

Duet Contest

Fans will have a shot at their 15 minutes of fame with the "Pocketful of Sunshine" Duet Contest. By creating a thirty-second video or audio clip of their rendition of "Pocketful of Sunshine," fans can submit their video online to become one of the finalists at http://www.verizonviptour.com/. Five finalists per concert city will record their duet on Verizon Wireless' mobile recording studio bus. Entries will be judged by Natasha, and the grand prize winner will be selected to record a duet with her and perform live onstage in front of family and friends.

Green Screen

At select shows, fans have the opportunity to star in a music video with an image of Natasha virtually via a green screen. Fans can choose to appear as though they are performing "Pocketful of Sunshine" with Natasha. Video clips will be sent directly to fans via their mobile phones to share with their friends.

Mobile Tickets

Verizon Wireless customers in each of the tour cities who have downloaded any type of Natasha Bedingfield mobile content from V CAST will be entered for a chance to win one of 25 pairs of tickets. These loyal customers and fans will receive a mobile ticket sent directly to their phones that is good for two seats to the hottest show in town.

Song ID

Song ID Stations will be set up at each venue to demonstrate to fans how to use V CAST Song ID to listen to any Natasha Bedingfield song and discover the title, artist and album info for free. Fans can identify any song and then easily purchase it, the matching ringtone or ringback tone with just one click.

The Natasha Bedingfield VIP tour is in support of her latest album, Pocketful of Sunshine, which has already spawned the hit singles "Love Like This" (featuring Sean Kingston) and the title track. Her first album, Unwritten, made her something of an overnight success in the UK and Europe with Top 10 hits, "Single," "These Words" and the title track. Bedingfield has taken the U.S. by storm as well, especially with Pocketful of Sunshine, which was No. 3 on Billboard's Top 200 during its first week, making it the highest album debut of her career. "Unwritten" was the most played song of 2006/2007 and is the theme song for the hit MTV show "The Hills."

The Veronicas, 23-year-old Australian twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso, have become major stars thanks to their catchy pop-punk debut album, 2006's The Secret Life Of ... which has sold over 1 million units worldwide and their latest CD, the electro-rock Hook Me Up, which will be released in the U.S. by Sire Records this summer. With its minimalist beats, killer hooks and sassy vocals, Hook Me Up has already scored two Top 5 singles and gone multi-platinum Down Under. A welcome addition to Natasha's tour, the Veronicas have received raves for their recent live shows in Los Angeles and in New York. As Blender.com noted of an April show in Manhattan, "These girls can sing. And they flip off rock-star moves with the ease of stadium-trained pros."

Entertainment Weekly recently spotlighted Kate Voegele as being among the best of "the new golden age of female singer-songwriters" and Billboard hailed her as "An Artist to Watch in '08." And with good reason: Voegele's MySpace/Interscope debut, Don't Look Away, is generating major heat, going Top 5 on Billboard's Digital Album Chart. In addition, the number of song plays on Voegele's MySpace page has hit the jaw-dropping 15 million-plus mark. Voegele, who has shared stages with the likes of Dave Matthews, the Wreckers and John Mellencamp, performed at two consecutive Farm-Aid concerts and played to packed houses at clubs and theaters nationwide, has a recurring guest-starring role on The CW Network's hit TV series "One Tree Hill." The 21-year-old singer-songwriter/guitarist plays Mia, and over the course of a recent multi-episode arc, performed several songs from her strikingly radiant album, including the lead single "Only Fooling Myself."

Fans can download Natasha's songs, including her latest single, "Pocketful of Sunshine," as ringback tones, true tones and full-song downloads, both over-the-air and on their PCs via V CAST Music. Customers will be charged $1.99 per megabyte for data usage when downloading ringtones or ringback tones. However, megabyte pricing is not charged for downloading music, or text, picture and video messaging.

For more information on mobile music from Verizon Wireless, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/music. For information on Natasha Bedingfield, visit http://www.verizonviptour.com/. For information on the Veronicas, visit http://www.theveronicas.com/. For information on Kate Voegele, visit http://www.katevoegele.com/.

Schedule for the Natasha Bedingfield Verizon VIP Tour, with special guests the Veronicas and Kate Voegele:

Date Location Venue May 21 Myrtle Beach House of Blues May 23 Orlando House of Blues May 27 Atlanta Variety Playhouse June 2 Cleveland House of Blues June 3 Indianapolis Egyptian Room June 4 Detroit St. Andrews June 6 Cincinnati Bogarts June 8 St. Louis The Pageant June 10 Dallas House of Blues June 11 Houston Verizon Wireless Theater June 16 Philadelphia TLA June 17 Baltimore Rams Head Live June 20 Atlantic City Borgata Music Box June 25 New York City Irving Plaza June 30 Denver Gothic July 2 Las Vegas House of Blues July 5 San Diego House of Blues July 7 Anaheim House of Blues July 9 Los Angeles House of Blues July 10 San Francisco Fillmore About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 65.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 69,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: http://www.verizonwireless.com/. To preview and request broadcast- quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.