Kate Miller-Heidke
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| Kate Miller-Heidke | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 16 November 1981 |
| Origin | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Genre(s) | Adult Contemporary Pop music Rock music Alternative |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | singing, keyboards, acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Label(s) | Waterbear Records/Sony BMG |
| Associated acts | Transport |
| Website | katemh.com |
Kate Miller-Heidke (born 16 November 1981) is a singer-songwriter from Brisbane, Australia. Although classically trained, she has followed a career in alternative pop music. Her record label in Australia is Sony Music.
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[edit] Career
Kate Miller-Heidke had always had an interest in performing. She stated in one of her interviews that when she was little she would charge her family members 5 cents for her performances. She started writing songs on the piano at the age of 12. Miller-Heidke formed her first band during her senior years of high school, and played in several more Brisbane bands before going solo in 2002. [1]
Kate Miller-Heidke was lead singer and songwriter with Brisbane band Elsewhere, formed in 2000, which released a self-titled EP of original songs before breaking up in 2001.
Miller-Heidke also performed at the annual cult event Women In Voice in 2002, 2004 and 2005, when she shared the stage with such performers as Pearly Black, Margret RoadKnight, Jenny Morris and Chrissy Amphlett. Miller-Heidke became well-known in Brisbane through these performances, and her 2004 appearance in Women in Voice 11 won her the Helpmann Award for Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert.
In June 2004, Miller-Heidke independently recorded and distributed her first EP, Telegram, a collection of songs, all written by Miller-Heidke herself (except for two songs written by Kate's creative collaborator and now-husband, Keir Nuttall).
Miller-Heidke was to have moved on to singing Gilbert and Sullivan with Opera Australia; instead, she turned her back on classical singing to concentrate on popular music and songwriting when "Space They Cannot Touch", a song from Telegram, became a hit on Australia's national youth radio station, Triple J and named King's Pick of the Week in September 2005. This radio support led to increased national attention for Kate's music (not only did Kate gain thousands of fans, she also went on to sign a record deal, get her first manager Leanne de Souza, and her first agent Dorry Kartabani at the Harbour Agency). Kate then began touring the country with her band.
Kate's live performances are quite renowned, and she has a loyal, dedicated live following. Her stage shows usually feature her band (Keir Nuttall, Nicole Brophy, Ben McCarthy and Steve Pope), and have been extremely successful on the Australian live circuit. The shows, though generally still pop/rock in style, are also noted for snatches of opera-style singing, often for comic effect, for example in parodies of The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" or Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer". In 2005, Miller-Heidke made a limited independent release of her next EP, Comikaze, a collection of comedy songs performed in her stage shows, followed in April 2006 by the EP Circular Breathing.
In 2006 Miller-Heidke was a member of Broad, a touring show that featured a group of female artists with a range of styles and backgrounds. She appeared in the 2006 Australia Day Live Concert from Melbourne, forming a trio with fellow Broad members Mia Dyson and Deborah Conway.
As well as touring throughout Australia and appearing regularly at festivals in Woodford – where she was named Queen of the Woodford Folk Festival in 2002/2003[2], Port Fairy and in the Blue Mountains, Miller-Heidke appeared on national television as a guest panelist on RocKwiz (SBS) and Spicks and Specks (ABC TV Australia). More recently (2007) she performed on ABC TV's The Sideshow and on the Seven Network programs Sunrise and The Morning Show and Good News Week.
Signed to Sony Australia, Miller-Heidke released her debut album Little Eve on 15 June 2007. The album is certified GOLD in Australia.
In the 2007 ARIA Music Awards, Miller-Heidke was nominated for four ARIAs, for Best Female Artist, Best Pop Release, Breakthrough Artist: Album (for Little Eve) and Breakthrough Artist: Single (for "Words").[3] Little Eve producer Magoo was also nominated for Producer Of The Year. Miller-Heidke performed her single "Words" at the televised awards ceremony in October 2007, in a production that featured the yellow dress, children and light bulbs from the video clip.
In February 2008, Kate Miller-Heidke and Katie Noonan appeared as support acts for Cyndi Lauper, in Perth, Western Australia at Kings Park. Cyndi Lauper invited Miller-Heidke, band member Nicole Brophy and Katie Noonan to join her on stage to sing with her on "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".
Miller-Heidke's second album, Curiouser, was released in Australia on 18 October 2008. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, USA, with Miller-Heidke working with co-producers Keir Nuttall and Mickey Petralia, who has also produced albums for Beck and Flight of the Conchords. The songs of the album were mostly written over a two-month period with creative collaborator and partner Keir Nuttall.[4] The album's first single, "Can't Shake It", debuted exclusively on Nova Radio in Australia on 21 September 2008. "Can't Shake It" debuted on the Aria Singles Chart, on the first week at number 38, making it Kate Miller-Heidke's first top 40 song. 'Curiouser' was also Kate's first top 10 album, debuting at number 8.
In April 2009, Miller-Heidke won critical acclaim for her performance as Baby Jane in Jerry Springer: The Opera at the Sydney Opera House. [5]
[edit] Caught In The Crowd
In April 2009 Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall were awarded the $US25,000 Grand Prize in the 2008 International Songwriting Competition for their composition "Caught in the Crowd" which had been released in Australia as the second single from Curiouser.[6]
'Caught in the Crowd' won the prize due to a unanimous vote by judges including Tom Waits, Robert Smith (The Cure), Weird Al Yankovich, Neil Finn, Ray Davies (The Kinks), Jerry Lee Lewis and more.
'Caught in the Crowd' peaked at #33 on the ARIA charts, making it Kate's highest-charting single to date.
[edit] Band
On stage and in the studio Miller-Heidke has usually been backed by Brisbane band Transport, consisting of her husband[7] Keir Nuttall (guitar, backing vocals), Scott Saunders (bass) and Steve Pope (drums).
Until recently the band has also included a violinist-vocalist, originally Emma Dean who left the band in 2006 to pursue a solo career. Emma was replaced by Sallie Campbell, who also played keyboards. Early in 2008, Sallie Campbell left to focus on her own band Speed of Purple, and Nicole Brophy joined on guitar and vocals.
From April to June 2007, with Transport working in the US and UK, Miller-Heidke's touring band was Mark Angel (guitar), Ben McCarthy (bass, backing vocals) and Joachim Alfheim (drums), along with regular vocalist-violinist Sallie Campbell. Both Angel and Alfheim went on to play for Kristy London & The Other Halves. Ben McCarthy stayed on with Kate Miller-Heidke and appears to have become a permanent member of the band into 2008.
The current line-up (as of 2008[update]) is: Kate Miller-Heidke (piano, vocals), Keir Nuttall (guitar), Nicole Brophy (acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Ben McCarthy (bass, backing vocals) and Steve Pope (drums).
[edit] Awards/Nominations
| Year | Event | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ARIA Awards | Best Female Artist[8] | Nominated |
| 2007 | ARIA Awards | Breakthrough Album (Little Eve)[8] | Nominated |
| 2007 | ARIA Awards | Breakthrough Single ("Words")[8] | Nominated |
| 2007 | ARIA Awards | Best Pop Release (Little Eve)[8] | Nominated |
| 2009 | International Songwriting Competition | Grand Prize (with Keir Nuttall) ("Caught in the Crowd")[9] | Won |
| 2009 | APRA Music Awards | Best Song (with Keir Nuttall) ("Can't Shake It")[10] | Nominated |
[edit] Discography
[edit] References
- ^ Kate Miller-Heidke Band (interview) (PBS 106.7FM)
- ^ http://www.abc.net.au/oztrax/stories/s1115664.htm ABC, OZtrax, 2004
- ^ "DIVERSITY RULES THE DAY!" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 19 October 2007. http://www.ariaawards.com.au/archives/media-centre/2007/19Sep07%20-%20Finalists%20Announcement.pdf. Retrieved on 6 October 2007.
- ^ Interview with Kate Miller-Heidke at YouTube (8:51)
- ^ Blake, Elissa (17 April 2009). "Jerry Springer: The Opera". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/arts-reviews/jerry-springer-the-opera/2009/04/16/1239474986049.html?page=fullpage. Retrieved on 22 April 2009.
- ^ "ISC: 2008 Grand Prize Winner". International Songwriting Competition. http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.htm. Retrieved on 4 May 2009.
- ^ Mengel, Noel (17 October 2008). "Kate Miller-Heidke finds a songwriter in her heart". The Courier-Mail. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24501196-5003421,00.html. Retrieved on 8 November 2008.
- ^ a b c d Aria Awards: Kate Miller-Heidke
- ^ "ISC: 2008 Grand Prize Winner". International Songwriting Competition. http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.htm. Retrieved on 4 May 2009.
- ^ "2009 APRA Music Awards: Nominees Announced". APRA-AMCOS. http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/news/allnews/2009APRAMusicAwardsNomineesAnnounced.aspx. Retrieved on 29 May 2009.
[edit] External links
- Kate Miller-Heidke Official website
- Kate Gig Diary Kate Miller-Heidke official forum
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