Who is missy higgins

They made small talk while he did the dishes. Over the next few days, she dropped in to see her "friend" with suspicious frequency. By the end of the week, she'd agreed to perform with Dan's band at a mutual friend's wedding.

Everyone was a bit shocked, they had no idea what had been happening between us. Such glam-rock bravado is a contrast to her off-stage demeanour. Today, she's wearing a plain white shirt and black pants. When I ask a question, she tends to pause, gazing leftward while she considers her answer.

Last year, Missy opened for Ed Sheeran during his Australian tour. Singing in front of 85, people at ANZ Stadium was fine. But if a friend asks her to give an impromptu speech at a party, she'll freeze. Just hearing the word 'impromptu', though, makes me break out in a sweat. There's a certain vulnerability in not being able to prepare. Melissa Morrison Higgins grew up in the affluent Melbourne suburb of Armadale, the youngest of three children to Christopher, a GP, and Margaret, who worked in childcare.

She recalls being "an intense little kid", acutely aware of others' emotions. If a joke popped into her head in class, she'd whisper it to a friend — who'd get the laugh by repeating it out loud. Immediately, she'd regret it; she longed to be the class clown. Songwriting became an outlet in her teen years.

Next to her dormitory at Geelong Grammar was a suite of soundproof music rooms. Each day, she'd open the heavy doors, waiting for the blissful silence to descend as they sealed shut behind her.

Then she'd pound the piano and scream. Or she'd pour her heart into ballads, luxuriating in the way the notes bounced off the walls. It was a refuge from the pressures of boarding school. Her perfectionism, however, was impossible to escape. Towards the end of year 11, with her exams looming, Missy collapsed and was hospitalised. Medication and therapy helped, but by the age of 25 she was in crisis again. No more tours, she told her manager.

And no more records. She was quitting the music industry. But then I'd achieve that goal and go, 'Wait, where's the happiness I was promised?

We think it's money and possessions and external success, but it's not. For me, it's something much closer to home. It's family, it's connecting with a friend, it's a moment of stillness. By allowing music to be the sole measure of her self-worth, it became a burden. But when she nurtured other parts of her life, her love of performing returned.

In between the good songs, I've written so many bad ones — just awful. But there's no way around it. You can't judge yourself when you stumble. You have to get all of that out of your system before you find gold. Photography by Damian Bennett. Styling by Inez Garcia. Hair done by Keiren Street using Wella Professional. Make-up by Naomi McFadden using M.

Please try again later. The Sydney Morning Herald. By Michael Lallo February 3, — Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size. By the end of the week, she'd agreed to perform with Dan's band at a mutual friend's wedding "We did this full-on raunchy performance of I Was Made for Loving You , getting right up in each other faces," she laughs.

License this article. Live music. Connect via Twitter or email. That also became the name of an accompanying book and tour. Produced by Jherek Bischoff Parenthetical Girls , Xiu Xiu , it saw release in September of and went to number three in her home country. She returned in early with the single "Oh Canada," a response to the drowning death of three-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi. Higgins ' fifth studio LP, Solastalgia , followed in April and returned her to the number three spot on the album chart.

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