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.
Kate Miller-Heidke had always wanted to be a singer. As a child, she would charge her family members five cents for her performances.[1] She began songwriting at age 14 and performed throughout her teenage years.[2] She formed her first band at 17, consisting of 3 flautists and briefly played keyboards in the Pete Murray band.[3]
Miller-Heidke went on to university, completing degrees in music from Queensland Conservatorium of Music and Queensland University of Technology. As a classical singer, she has won many awards including the Elizabeth Muir Prize (2000), the Donald Penman Prize (2001), the Linda Edith Allen Memorial Prize (2002) and the Horace Keats Prize (2002). Her conservatorium performances include Orpheus in the Underworld (2000), Venus and Adonis (2002) and The Pilgrim's Progress (2002).[4][5] As an Opera Queensland Developing Artist, Miller-Heidke has performed as an understudy in many productions including Sweeney Todd, Don Pasquale and Un ballo in maschera. In July 2005 she made her solo professional operatic debut with Opera Queensland in the role of Flora in Britten's The Turn of the Screw.
She played in several Brisbane bands before going solo in 2002.[6] 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 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 Divinyls lead singer Chrissy Amphlett. Miller-Heidke became well-known in Brisbane through these performances, and her 2005 appearance in Women in Voice 14 won her the Helpmann Award for Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert.[7]
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 her creative collaborator and now-husband, Keir Nuttall).
Miller-Heidke was to have moved on to singing Gilbert and Sullivan tunes 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 network, Triple J and was named Richard Kingsmill's "pick of the week" in September 2005.[8] This radio support led to increased national attention for Miller-Heidke's music: not only did she 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. Miller-Heidke then began touring the country with her band.
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[4], 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, in 2007, she performed on ABC TV's The Sideshow and on the Seven Network programs Sunrise and The Morning Show, as well as Good News Week on Network Ten.
Signed to Sony Australia, Miller-Heidke released her debut album Little Eve on 15 June 2007. The album is certified gold in Australia.[9]
Miller-Heidke's second album, Curiouser, was released in Australia on 18 October 2008. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, with Miller-Heidke working with co-producers Nuttall and Mickey Petralia, who has produced albums for Beck and Flight of the Conchords. The songs on the album were mostly written over a two-month period with creative collaborator and partner Nuttall.[10] 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 Miller-Heidke's first top 40 song. Curiouser was her 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.[11] Miller-Heidke and 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.[12]
Caught in the Crowd peaked at #33 on the ARIA charts, making it Miller-Heidke's second highest-charting single to date. Her following single, "The Last Day on Earth" reached #3 in Australia, her first top 10 hit, due to promotion through Neighbours. Due to the single's success, Curiouser re-entered the top 50 and reached #1 on iTunes for three weeks. The song became her first song to reach #1 in any chart later peaking on the ARIA Australian Singles Chart at #1.On 19 September, 2009, the single "The Last Day On Earth" and the album Curiouser both went platinum.[13]
On 25 September, 2009, in an interview with French musical magazine Hall-Musique, Miller-Heidke announced that 'Caught in the Crowd' will be re-released after 'The Last Day On Earth'
On stage and in the studio Miller-Heidke has usually been backed by Brisbane band Transport, consisting of her husband[15] Keir Nuttall (guitar, backing vocals), Scott Saunders (bass) and Steve Pope (drums).
Until recently the band has 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) is: Kate Miller-Heidke (piano, vocals), Keir Nuttall (guitar), Nicole Brophy (acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Ben McCarthy (bass, backing vocals) and Steve Pope (drums).
Her 2010 tour of the United States of America features only Miller-Heidke and Nuttall.
Awards and nominationsYear Event Award Result 2007 ARIA Awards Best Female Artist[16] Nominated Breakthrough Album (Little Eve)[16] Nominated Breakthrough Single ("Words")[16] Nominated Best Pop Release (Little Eve)[16] Nominated 2009 International Songwriting Competition Grand Prize (with Keir Nuttall) ("Caught in the Crowd")[17] Won APRA Music Awards Song of the Year (with Keir Nuttall) ("Can't Shake It")[18] Nominated ARIA Awards Best Pop Release[19] Nominated Best Female Artist[19] Nominated Single of the Year ("The Last Day on Earth")[19] Nominated Best Video[19] Nominated 2010 APRA Music Awards Song of the Year (with Keir Nuttall) ("The Last Day on Earth")[20] Nominated
Discography Main article: Kate Miller-Heidke discography Little Eve (2007) Curiouser (2008)
