Natalie Imbruglia releasing new album

Natalie Imbruglia has announced a new album.

The 40-year-old singer is returning with her first record in six years, titled 'Male', while will feature a selection of covers all originally performed and written by men including Daft Punk, The Cure, Cat Stevens, Damien Rice and Tom Petty.

She said: ''I love singing. It's not just all my favourite artists; it's some new artists I discovered. It's like a cathartic album, so I got a lot off my chest and I come out at the end of it feeling strong. I'm really proud of this piece of work. And I'm just excited to share it with my fans.''

The 'Torn' hitmaker - who divorced Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns in 2008 following five years of marriage - explained she was inspired to make the collection because of issues in her own life.

She continued: ''I was drawn toward songs that were dealing with things that were on my mind and stuff that I was processing.''

The lead track from 'Male' will be a rendition of Daft Punk's 'Instant Crush', and Natalie is very happy with the song.

She said: ''It is such a beautiful story ['Instant Crush']. I'm really proud of the way it turned out.''

As well as producing 'Male' - which will be released on August 21 - Natalie will be embarking on a UK tour with Simply Red in December 2015.

Natalie Imbruglia's tour dates with Simply Red are as follows:

December 1 - Dublin, Dublin 3 Arena

December 2 - Belfast, Belfast Odyssey

December 4 - Newcastle, Newcastle Metro Radio Arena

December 5 - Glasgow, Hydro Arena

December 6 - Aberdeen, Aberdeen E&CC

December 8 - Leeds, Leeds First Direct Arena

December 9 - Nottingham, Nottingham Capital FM Arena