Missy Higgins
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Missy Higgins | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Melissa Morrison Higgins | |
| Born | August 19, 1983 | |
| Origin | Australia | |
| Genre(s) | Pop | |
| Years active | 2001-present | |
| Label(s) | Eleven: a music company (2003-present) | |
| Website | Missy Higgins Official Site | |
Missy Higgins (born Melissa Morrison Higgins on August 19, 1983) is an award winning Australian singer-songwriter, best known for her hit single "Scar" and her debut album The Sound of White.
Higgins, who comes from and lives in Melbourne, began her professional music career in mid-2001 while she was still a student at the exclusive Geelong Grammar School, when she won the Triple J 'Victoria Unearthed' competition with her song "All For Believing". After attracting the attention of manager John Watson, she released her first EP with his record label Eleven: a music company in November 2003. Her second EP Scar was released in August 2004, debuting at #1 on the Australian charts. Her first album, The Sound Of White was released in September 2004. Many of her songs are based around her performance on the piano, and so is considered a leading artist in Australian Piano rock.
The Sound Of White was produced in the U.S. by John Porter with audio engineer Jay Newland, noted for his work with jazz singer-songwriter, Norah Jones. Throughout 2004, Higgins had been touring as a support act with Pete Murray and The John Butler Trio, including solo performances at the Hordern Pavilion, The Clarendon, and the Enmore Theatre. With the release of The Sound Of White, Higgins begun another national tour, her first as the headliner.
In 2004 Higgins was nominated in four categories at the ARIA Awards. These included "Best Female Artist" and "Single of the Year". At the awards ceremony on October 17 she received the award for "Best Pop Release".
Following the Boxing Day Tsunami, Missy Higgins appeared at the Wave Aid fundraising concert in Sydney, to raise funds for aid organisations working in disaster affected areas.
In 2005, Missy was nominated for a further seven ARIA Awards, taking out the awards for "Album of the Year" (for The Sound Of White), "Best Female Artist", "Best Pop Release" (for The Sound Of White), "Breakthrough Artist - Album" (for The Sound Of White) and "Highest Selling Album" (again, for The Sound Of White).
Her single "Ten Days", co-written with Jay Clifford of Jump, Little Children peaked at number 10 on the ARIA charts.
She released her third single, "The Special Two", to both critical and commercial acclaim. It became an instant hit on Australian radio and in the charts debuting and peaking at number 2 on the ARIA chart. She continued touring in mid 2005 and released her fourth single, "The Sound Of White", in August of 2005. In late 2005 she teamed up with Ben Lee for a national tour.
As of June 2006, she is touring the United States and United Kingdom along with her band.
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[edit] Criticism
Music critic Daniel Forde has said her music is bland and underproduced.[citation needed] Her voice has been criticised for its folky, obnoxious "strine". Barry Bissell, a popular Australian DJ, has hailed her as a true singer-songwriter due to her ability to pen heart-wrenchingly earnest lyrics.[citation needed]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
1. The Sound Of White (6 September 2004) AUS #1 (7 weeks) Platinum x9
[edit] Singles
From The Sound Of White:
- "Scar" - (02/08/2004) AUS #1 (1 week), NZL #20
- "Ten Days" - (15/11/2004) AUS #10, NZL #39, UK #133 (UK release date - 31/05/2005)
- "The Special Two" - (03/04/2005) AUS #2
- "The Sound Of White" - (14/08/2005) AUS #22
[edit] EPs
- The Missy Higgins EP - (2003) AUS #49
- All for Believing EP (USA) - (24/01/2005)
- The Special Two EP - (03/04/2005)
- Live From San Fransisco - (2005) (iTunes Exclusive)
[edit] DVDs
- If You Tell Me Yours, I'll Tell You Mine - (2005) AUS #1 (1 week)
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] Awards
- 2005 ARIA Awards, Album Of The Year for The Sound Of White
- 2005 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for The Sound Of White
- 2005 ARIA Awards, Highest Selling Album for The Sound Of White
- 2005 ARIA Awards, Best Pop Release for The Sound Of White
- 2005 ARIA Awards, Breakthrough Artist - Album for The Sound Of White
- 2005 APRA Awards, Song Of The Year for "Scar"
- 2005 APRA Awards, Breakthrough Award for "Scar"
- 2005 MTV Australia Video Music Awards, Breakthrough Artist of the Year
- 2004 ARIA Awards, Best Pop Release for "Scar"
[edit] Nominations
- 2006 MTV Australia Video Music Awards, Best Female Artist
- 2005 ARIA Awards, Single Of The Year for "The Special Two"
- 2005 ARIA Awards, Highest Selling Single for "The Special Two"
- 2005 APRA Awards, Song Of The Year for "Ten Days"
- 2004 ARIA Awards, Single Of The Year for "Scar"
- 2004 ARIA Awards, Best Female Artist for "Scar"
- 2004 ARIA Awards, Breakthrough Artist - Single for "Scar"
- 2004 ARIA Awards, Best Video for "Scar"
