Natalie Imbruglia isn't just another pretty face -- she's drop dead gorgeous.| She can sing, too. And act. Just don't ask her to play guitar. "I'm kind of insecure with my guitar playing," she says between bites of vegetarian pizza on the phone from London. But that doesn't really matter, does it? What matters is that her brilliant debut single, "Torn," has shattered U.K. records previously set by such heavy-hitters as Oasis and Elton John by sitting on the top of the pops for 14 consecutive weeks and selling more than one million copies.

Now Imbruglia is coming to America. She's already booked for "Saturday Night Live" on March 7 while receiving major play in MTV's Buzz Bin with the video for "Torn," a grueling three minutes of pent-up sexual frustration that finally explodes with one of the most erotic kisses the network has seen this side of "My So-Called Life." Not too bad for a self-described surfer chick.

Imbruglia's so-called life goes something like this: She grew up in her native Australia where she would "go through hell and high water just to go to the same surf camps as the surfy guys." As it turned out, she was never a very good surfer, but she had beach bumming and a knack for getting into hot water down to a science. "I got suspended from school because I got drunk on a religious excursion," she says. "I was going to Catholic school in Sydney and was staying at a monastery. Not good."

Meanwhile, Imbruglia had been taking singing lessons for two years when she received a scholarship to attend a performing arts school in Sydney, which she subsequently squandered, dropping out to try her hand at acting. Six months later, after a few commercials, she landed the part of Beth, a somewhat trashy, man-eating character on "Neighbors," a highly popular soap-opera that airs in Australia and in the U.K.

After a two year stint on the show, Imbruglia came to London, but struggled to find work. Following a bout of depression, she pulled a Kylie Minogue (remember "Loco-Motion?") and made the switch to pop music. Six months later, RCA Records U.K. had an impressive demo in their hands and Left of the Middle, Imbruglia's debut, soon followed.

While recording "Middle" in Los Angeles, Imbruglia's life took another interesting turn when she began seeing "Friends" poster boy David Schwimmer. Although the relationship ran its course, it undoubtedly boosted Imbruglia's self-esteem. "I think because nobody knew me I had this surge of confidence to, if nothing else, bluff my way in." Coincidentally, there are moments in the "Torn" video where Imbruglia bares a striking resemblance to Schwimmer's co-star and on-air sister, Courtney Cox.

But Imbruglia's favorite friend is her music, which varies on Left of the Middle from Poe-like vocal sways ("Leave Me Alone") to Alanis-like women's lib ("Wishing I Was There," "Don't You Think?"). If there is a theme, it's relationships. "Torn" and the other three standouts, "Intuition," "City" and "One More Addiction," all deal with a loss of faith and feeling trapped in unhealthy situations -- something Imbruglia knows about all too well. "I'm just an insecure bundle of ... insecurity," she sheepishly admits.

Unless, of course, she's impersonating her great-grandmother. "It's my party trick. My great-grandmother had no teeth when she died and she used to laugh in a very funny way. I do an impersonation of her that seems to make people's faces screw up because they can't believe I can look that disgusting," she says. "But you'll never see it."

KEVIN RAUB