G.I.R.L. - Gay Internet Radio Live - AUSTRALIAN SUPERSTAR MISSY HIGGINS TALKS ABOUT HER NEW ALBUM "ON A CLEAR NIGHT," OUT NOW

AUSTRALIAN SUPERSTAR MISSY HIGGINS TALKS ABOUT HER NEW ALBUM "ON A CLEAR NIGHT," OUT NOW

AUSTRALIAN SUPERSTAR MISSY HIGGINS TALKS ABOUT HER NEW ALBUM "ON A CLEAR NIGHT," OUT NOW

AUSTRALIAN SUPERSTAR MISSY HIGGINS TALKS ABOUT HER NEW ALBUM "ON A CLEAR NIGHT," OUT NOW
02/29/2008 (06:12 PM)

MISSY HIGGINS TALKS ABOUT HER NEW ALBUM "ON A CLEAR NIGHT"

HIGGINS TO HIT THE ROAD IN THE U.S. IN MARCH

Acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins is getting set to captivate U.S. music fans with her second record, the recently released ON A CLEAR NIGHT. Retaining the irresistible melodies and piercing lyrics of her critically lauded debut The Sound of White--Australia's best-selling album of 2005-ON A CLEAR NIGHT finds Higgins using a fuller musical palette to convey her newfound self-confidence and emotional maturity.

The album's dramatic first single, "Where I Stood," has been featured prominently on the CW's Smallville and One Tree Hill, as well as the ABC hit Grey's Anatomy. Paste Magazine has called ON A CLEAR NIGHT "heartfelt and insanely melodic." Higgins' music has also received serious support from influential L.A. tastemaker Nic Harcourt via his "Morning Becomes Eclectic" program on KCRW.

Produced by Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Crowded House, Bonnie Raitt), ON A CLEAR NIGHT has been certified triple platinum in Australia, yielding a #1 and top 10 single with "Steer" and "Where I Stood." Higgins also landed the 2007 ARIA Award (Australia's Grammy) as the country's "Best Female Artist" (for the second year in a row).

Higgins swill hitting the road for several sold-out dates next month with more dates to follow. Here, the singer talks about the evolution of her sound, the effects of fame, and her commitment to the environment both on and offstage.

Question: Your first album, The Sound of White, has a real intimate feel-like it's just you in a room at your piano. On a Clear Night has more of a band sound-jangly guitars and a stronger rhythm section. How does the evolution of your sound express the evolution of your songwriting?

Missy Higgins: There are definitely some conscious differences between the first album and this one. I wanted to experiment with sounds, to hear the squeaky tones and the woodiness of the music. I had a lot of fun just mucking about. But mostly, I was just tying to capture the essence of the songs. I guess you're constantly progressing as a songwriter, and the way you hear your music changes.

Q: Your lyrics are very intense and personal, but on this album, the subject matter is bit more philosophical, as if the girl at the piano has left the room and gone out into the world to find meaning.

MH: Well, the subjects touched upon on this album come from a much more mature standpoint. My writing has been very affected by everything that's happened to me in the last few years.

Q: I assume, to some extent, you're talking about becoming so famous in Australia. The new songs "Sugar Cane" and "Steer" seem to touch on the cynicism that can come from being in the public eye. In "Sugar Cane," you call your fame "my peep show booth.'

MH: Since the beginning of things taking off in Australia, I tried to rebel against it, to push it away. I've always been someone who sat in the shadows. I've always been an observer instead of one who's observed. That's where my musical inspiration has come from. But suddenly, the world was watching me-the tables were turned.

Q: How did you deal with that?

MH: I did a lot of self-exploration, and I ended up making peace with it. In "Steer," I'm basically saying that the pressures of fame don't really matter; it's me who gets to decide who I am and which way I want to go. I definitely ended up developing a stronger sense of myself.

Q: Still, you are a big star in Australia. How does it feel to come to the U.S. where you're not as well known?

MH: I definitely feel a sense of relief when I come overseas. I'm starting from the bottom up with no expectations. I enjoy that. It makes me feel more alive.

Q: Are the lyrics in your songs about things that have happened to you in your own life?

MH: For the most part, maybe 80 percent. Even my fictional characters contain elements of me. When I get inside their heads, I can always relate to them. Most of the time, I do write from personal experiences, though. Writing songs about my own experience is very cathartic.

Q: I know that journalists have pointed out that you don't use male or female pronouns when describing relationships in your songs, and you've said that you believe sexuality is a very fluid thing.

MH: I've never been comfortable being put in a box or having a label put on me. As far as my sexuality is concerned, I've never forced myself to decide one way or the other. I leave it up to the universe and how I feel at any moment in time. The inspiration for my songs comes from the relationships I've had with both genders. I don't fit into any category, and it's not because I'm ashamed. I don't want to call myself one thing just because I'm expected to.

Q: In your lyrics, it's clear that you've been hurt by love, but you never come off as cynical or bitter.

MH: I would never call myself bitter. I don't hold grudges. During the process of writing songs, I always come up with some answers as to why things happened the way they did. Hopefully, the songs reflect that I'm a positive person underneath it all.

Q: In the song "Nightminds," from your first album, you're telling a friend that you know what it's like to feel so bad that you just want to let go. But you haven't let go. You've very much held on, haven't you?

MH: That song is about depression. It was written for a friend going through something that I had experienced before. I came out the other the side, but I know how tempting it can be to give it all up and stop trying. When it comes down to it, it's really important to have people to prop you up. I was trying to do that for her.

Q: I know you love to go out on the road and play live for your fans. I read online that all of your tours are carbon neutral. Can you talk a bit about that?

MH: We use electricity from renewable sources. We drive from city to city instead of flying, and we use hybrid cars. We hand out flyers about environmental programs at all of our dates. For our last tour in Australia, we used a program called Climate Friendly, where they calculate your emissions and then let you offset them through carbon credits. We work out how much energy we create during the show, and then we purchase a certain amount of credits.

Q: Where does your environmental consciousness come from?

MH: I guess I felt that my lifestyle was having a big impact on the planet, and I didn't want to be a contributor to global warming. I wanted to do as much a possible without actually having to stop doing what I love, which is touring the world and playing music for people.

MISSY HIGGINS TOUR DATES

Feb 29 2008

8:00P

Plaza Club Vancouver BC - SOLD OUT

Vancouver, British Columbia

Mar 1 2008

8:00P

The Tractor Tavern, Seattle WA - SOLD OUT

Seattle WA, Washington

Mar 4 2008

8:00P

Bluebird Theatre, Denver CO