Missy Higgins is an Australian songwriter, musician and singer, and ‘The Missy Higgins EP’ is her debut release. It features four songs recorded in stark, bare-bones form – ‘Greed For Your Love’, ‘Falling’, ‘All For Believing’ and ‘The Special Two’. Unlike many other such CDs every one of these tracks is worth experiencing… combined they show the depth and breadth of a truly rare talent. “Even though the four recordings on this EP are pretty raw, hopefully they’ll give people an idea of where I’m coming from”, says Missy. Born in Melbourne twenty years ago, Missy Higgins was raised on a broad musical diet of everything from jazz and classic singer/songwriters to indie rock. She’s lied about her age so she could get into nightclubs and sing Billie Holiday songs with her older brother’s band. Around the house she’s happy to play old Bill Withers albums, but for her recent birthday party she and her friends chose to go out to a gig by Aimee Mann. This multicoloured musical palate has helped shape Missy’s distinctive and evocative vocal style. It’s a voice that, once heard, is rarely forgotten. Her songwriting has also been shaped by these disparate influences. Jazz hues nestle comfortably alongside classic song craft and a contemporary perspective with the unifying thread being her heartfelt and direct lyrics. In mid-2001 this young singer/songwriter was thrust into the national limelight when she won Triple J’s Victoria Unearthed while still at high school. The station playlisted Missy’s winning entry, ‘All For Believing’, and it became one of their most requested songs. A few months later Triple J included Missy with Something For Kate and some other artists on a trip to East Timor where they entertained Australian peacekeeping troops stationed there with the UN peacekeeping force. Missy spent most of 2002 realising her lifelong dream of backpacking around Europe. Since returning home she has been writing songs and playing acclaimed shows with the likes of Bic Runga, John Butler Trio and The Waifs. In the lead-up to the release of The Missy Higgins EP she will tour Australia as special guest of The Waifs. She is also planning further Australian touring over spring and summer in the lead-up to recording her debut album which is planned for 2004. “I’m glad I waited a while before releasing anything”, says Missy. “When Unearthed happened I really wasn’t ready to start doing music full time. Now that I’ve had a chance to travel and to write lots more songs, I’m really looking forward to getting this EP out there and playing my music for anyone who wants to hear it”. |