Kate Miller-Heidke
Encyclopedia
Kate Miller-Heidke icon (born 16 November 1981) is a singer-songwriter
from Brisbane
, Australia. Although classically trained, she has followed a career in alternative pop music. She is signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in the UK.
in 1998. She then 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). 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. 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.
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
).
In 2006, Miller-Heidke was invited by Deborah Conway
to take part in the Broad Festival project, with three other Australian female artists, they performed their own and each other's songs. With Miller-Heidke and Conway were Melinda Schneider
, Mia Dyson
and Ella Hooper
.
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. 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, Port Fairy
and in the Blue Mountains, Miller-Heidke appeared on Australian national television as a guest panelist on RocKwiz
, Spicks and Specks and Q&A. She has performed on ABC TV's The Sideshow
and Q&A, on Network Ten
's Rove, Sunrise
, The Morning Show
and Good News Week
, and twice on the live broadcast of the "Aria Awards".
Signed to Sony Australia, Miller-Heidke released her debut album Little Eve
on 15 June 2007. The album is certified gold in Australia.
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. The album's first single, "Can't Shake It
" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 38 in October 2008, making it Miller-Heidke's first top 40 song. Curiouser was her first top 10 album, debuting at number 8 and peaking at number 2 on the ARIA Top 50 Albums chart.
In mid 2008, Miller-Heidke contributed the female vocals for Ian Carey's classic dance hit "Get Shaky". A role that propelled her into the mainstream and resulted in more media attention (Henderson 2009, 206-211).
In April 2009, Miller-Heidke won critical acclaim for her performance as Baby Jane in Jerry Springer: The Opera
at the Sydney Opera House
.
Miller-Heidke and Nuttall were awarded the $US25,000 grand prize in the 2008 International Songwriting Competition for their composition "Caught in the Crowd
". They were the first Australians ever to win the grand prize. The second Australian single from Curiouser which had peaked at number 33 on the ARIA singles charts in June 2009. "Caught in the Crowd" was re-released in November 2009 and has since been accredited as a Gold single.
Her following single, "The Last Day on Earth
" reached #3 in Australia, her first top 10 hit. 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 Artist Singles Chart at #1. On 19 September 2009, the single "The Last Day On Earth" and the album Curiouser both went platinum.
Curiouser has enjoyed critical success in the US. Sasha Frere-Jones
, the music critic from The New Yorker
, wrote "I got lucky last week and found a gem in the pile; Curiouser. If your favourite American pop star is coming across slightly washed out, you will want to hear Miller-Heidke. Curiouser is a big clutch of pantone swatches."
Miller-Heidke has toured extensively throughout the US, UK and Europe as the special guest of Ben Folds
. Ben Folds is a fan of her, stating "she's one of those people that actually doessic deserve to be called a unique talent." She released her first music DVD, Live in San Francisco.
Throughout 2010/2011, Miller-Heidke played at many festivals around the world including Coachella, Lilith Fair, Rifflandia, Byron Bay Bluesfest
, Southbound and Peats Ridge Festival.
advertisement on US television., and for advertising the Seven Network
, in which actors from various shows mime to the words while walking, ending with Alf Stewart
from Home and Away
yelling the end line "Let's go!".
The album Fatty Gets a Stylist (released as Liberty Bell outside Australia) was written and recorded on a lap top over several months in different locations in between Australia, South East Asia and West London.
Band members
Contributors on Fatty Gets a Stylist album
, consisting of her husband 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 Miller-Heidke and appears to have become a permanent member of the band into 2008.
The current line-up is: Kate Miller-Heidke (piano, vocals), Keir Nuttall
(guitar), Nicole Brophy (acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Nathan Moore (bass, backing vocals) and Steve Pope (drums).
Her 2010 tour of the United States of America features only Miller-Heidke and Nuttall.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia. Although classically trained, she has followed a career in alternative pop music. She is signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in the UK.
Career
Miller-Heidke graduated from St Aidan's Anglican Girls' SchoolSt Aidan's Anglican Girls' School
St Aidan’s Anglican Girls' School is an independent, Anglican, day school for girls, located in Corinda, a western suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
in 1998. She then went on to university, completing degrees in music from Queensland Conservatorium of Music
Queensland Conservatorium of Music
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University was originally an independent tertiary-level institution, called the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.-History:...
and Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
. As a classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
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
Orpheus in the Underworld
Orphée aux enfers is an opéra bouffon , or opéra féerie in its revised version, by Jacques Offenbach. The French text was written by Ludovic Halévy and later revised by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux....
(2000), Venus and Adonis
Venus and Adonis (opera)
Venus and Adonis is an opera in three acts and a prologue by the English Baroque composer John Blow, composed in about 1683. It was written for the court of King Charles II at either London or Windsor. It is considered by some to be either a semi-opera or a masque, but The New Grove names it as the...
(2002) and The Pilgrim's Progress
The Pilgrim's Progress (opera)
The Pilgrim's Progress is an opera by Ralph Vaughan Williams, based on John Bunyan's allegory The Pilgrim's Progress. The composer himself described the work as a 'Morality' rather than an opera, while nonetheless he intended the work to be performed on stage, rather than in a church or cathedral...
(2002). As an Opera Queensland
Opera Queensland
Opera Queensland is an opera company based in Brisbane, Queensland. The company was founded with funding from the Queensland State Government in 1981, then under the name Lyric Opera of Queensland, after the Queensland Opera Company was closed in December 1980.It is after Opera Australia the second...
Developing Artist, Miller-Heidke has performed as an understudy
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
in many productions including Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1936 British film produced and directed by George King.-Plot:The film features Tod Slaughter in one of his most famous roles as barber Sweeney Todd. Sweeney Todd was wrongly sentenced to life in prison. After his release 15 years later, he begins...
, Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The librettist Giovanni Ruffini wrote the Italian language libretto after Angelo Anelli's libretto for Stefano Pavesi's Ser Marcantonio ....
and Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera , is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. The libretto is loosely based on an 1833 play, Gustave III, by French playwright Eugène Scribe who wrote about the historical assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden...
. In July 2005 she made her solo professional operatic debut with Opera Queensland in the role of Flora in Britten's
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw (opera)
The Turn of the Screw is a 20th century English chamber opera composed by Benjamin Britten with a libretto by Myfanwy Piper, "wife of the artist John Piper, who had been a friend of the composer since 1935 and had provided designs for several of the operas". The libretto is based on the novella...
.
She played in several Brisbane bands before going solo in 2002. 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
Pearly Black
Pearly Black is an Australian singer. Her performance style varies widely, performing with several ensembles in different genres and in short-run shows...
, Margret RoadKnight
Margret RoadKnight
Margret RoadKnight is an Australian singer. In a career spanning more than four decades, she has sung in a wide variety of styles including blues, jazz, gospel, and folk....
, Jenny Morris and Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
lead singer Chrissy Amphlett
Christina Amphlett
Christine Joy Amphlett was the lead singer of Australian rock band Divinyls. She is also known as Chrissy Amphlett.She grew up in Geelong as a singer and dancer...
. Miller-Heidke became well known in Brisbane through these performances, and her 2005 appearance in Women in Voice 14 won her the Helpmann Award
Helpmann Award
The Helpmann Awards recognize distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in Australia's live performing arts sectors. The recognized disciplines include musical and physical theatre, contemporary and classical music, opera, and dance, with a comedy category introduced in 2006...
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 her creative collaborator and now-husband, Keir Nuttall
Keir Nuttall
Keir Nuttall is a Brisbane guitarist, singer and songwriter. He performs and records in the band of his partner Kate Miller-Heidke, the Brisbane singer-songwriter and Sony-BMG artist, as well as in the progressive rock trio Transport....
).
In 2006, Miller-Heidke was invited by Deborah Conway
Deborah Conway
Deborah Ann Conway, is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actor. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their surprise top 5 hit "Man Overboard"....
to take part in the Broad Festival project, with three other Australian female artists, they performed their own and each other's songs. With Miller-Heidke and Conway were Melinda Schneider
Melinda Schneider
Melinda Schneider is an Australian country music performer and the daughter of yodeler Mary Schneider. Schneider performed with her mother on the album The Magic of Yodeling at the age of eight. She studied dance as a child and made her acting debut on the popular Australian drama A Country...
, Mia Dyson
Mia Dyson
Mia Dyson is an Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She shot to fame with her 2003 album Cold Water and her subsequent follow-up album, Parking Lots, which won "Best Blues & Roots album" at the 2005 ARIA Awards....
and Ella Hooper
Ella Hooper
Ella Keighery Hooper is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter. Hooper is the lead singer of Killing Heidi, which she has fronted, with her older brother Jesse Hooper, since its formation in 1996...
.
Miller-Heidke was to have moved on to singing Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
tunes with Opera Australia
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
; instead, she turned her back on classical singing to concentrate on popular music and songwriting when "Space They Cannot Touch
Space They Cannot Touch
"Space They Cannot Touch" is the third single to be taken from Kate Miller-Heidke's debut album Little Eve. Like the second single, "Space They Cannot Touch" failed to chart.-Song history:...
", a song from Telegram, became a hit on Australia's national youth radio network, Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
and was named Richard Kingsmill
Richard Kingsmill
Richard "The King" Kingsmill is an Australian radio announcer and music journalist.He is best known for his work at national youth broadcaster triple j. His career at the station started in 1988 as a producer for station presenters George Wayne, Tracee Hutchison and Tim Ritchie...
's "pick of the week" in September 2005. 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
Woodford Folk Festival
The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music festival held near the small country town of Woodford, 72 km north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia....
– where she was named Queen of the Woodford Folk Festival in 2002/2003, Port Fairy
Port Fairy, Victoria
Port Fairy is a coastal town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, west of Warrnambool and 290 km west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean.-History:...
and in the Blue Mountains, Miller-Heidke appeared on Australian national television as a guest panelist on RocKwiz
RocKwiz
RocKwiz is an Australian television quiz show series, focused on rock music, and broadcast on SBS One. It premiered in 2005.-Summary:The forty minute program airs on Saturday at 9:20 pm, and is hosted by Julia Zemiro. It is shot in The Gershwin Room at St Kilda's Esplanade Hotel, commonly...
, Spicks and Specks and Q&A. She has performed on ABC TV's The Sideshow
The Sideshow
The Sideshow was an Australian television programme that was broadcast on ABC TV in 2007. The show was a mixture of stand-up comedy, sketches, live music, circus stunts, cabaret and burlesque. The hour long show was hosted by Paul McDermott...
and Q&A, on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
's Rove, Sunrise
Sunrise (TV program)
Sunrise is an Australian breakfast television program, broadcast on the Seven Network. On weekdays the programme follows Seven Early News, and runs from 6am through to 9am.-History:...
, The Morning Show
The Morning Show (TV program)
The Morning Show is an Australian morning talk show that premiered on the Seven Network on 18 June 2007. The show airs between 9am and 11:30am weekdays and follows Seven's breakfast news program Sunrise, with both programs closely interlinked....
and Good News Week
Good News Week
Good News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...
, and twice on the live broadcast of the "Aria Awards".
Signed to Sony Australia, Miller-Heidke released her debut album Little Eve
Little Eve
-Double CD edition:-CD/DVD edition:-Singles:*"Words"*"Make It Last"*"Space They Cannot Touch"-Release history:-Charts:Little Eve spent a total of 7 weeks in the Australian Top 50 Albums chart.-Certification:...
on 15 June 2007. The album is certified gold in Australia.
Miller-Heidke's second album, Curiouser
Curiouser
- Singles :Curiouser has featured more successful singles than Little Eve.* "Can't Shake It"* "Caught in the Crowd"* "The Last Day on Earth"- Chart performance :...
, 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
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
and Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
. The songs on the album were mostly written over a two-month period with creative collaborator and partner Nuttall. The album's first single, "Can't Shake It
Can't Shake It
"Can't Shake It" is the first single released from Australian singer Kate Miller-Heidke's second album Curiouser. The song was highly promoted throughout Australia on Radio station Nova, including its use in a Nova television commercial.-Track listing:...
" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 38 in October 2008, making it Miller-Heidke's first top 40 song. Curiouser was her first top 10 album, debuting at number 8 and peaking at number 2 on the ARIA Top 50 Albums chart.
In mid 2008, Miller-Heidke contributed the female vocals for Ian Carey's classic dance hit "Get Shaky". A role that propelled her into the mainstream and resulted in more media attention (Henderson 2009, 206-211).
In April 2009, Miller-Heidke won critical acclaim for her performance as Baby Jane in Jerry Springer: The Opera
Jerry Springer: The Opera
Jerry Springer: The Opera is a British musical written by Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee, based on the television show The Jerry Springer Show. The musical is notable for its profanity, its irreverent treatment of Judeo-Christian themes, and surreal images such as a troupe of tap-dancing Ku Klux...
at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
.
Miller-Heidke and Nuttall were awarded the $US25,000 grand prize in the 2008 International Songwriting Competition for their composition "Caught in the Crowd
Caught in the Crowd
"Caught in the Crowd" is the second single to be lifted from Kate Miller-Heidke's second album Curiouser. It was written by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall. Initially, it only charted at 54 on the Physical Singles Chart but when it was later released as a digital download, it reached 33 on the...
". They were the first Australians ever to win the grand prize. The second Australian single from Curiouser which had peaked at number 33 on the ARIA singles charts in June 2009. "Caught in the Crowd" was re-released in November 2009 and has since been accredited as a Gold single.
Her following single, "The Last Day on Earth
The Last Day on Earth
"The Last Day On Earth" is the 3rd single released from Australian singer Kate Miller-Heidke's second album, Curiouser, and is Miller-Heidke's first platinum-selling single...
" reached #3 in Australia, her first top 10 hit. 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 Artist Singles Chart at #1. On 19 September 2009, the single "The Last Day On Earth" and the album Curiouser both went platinum.
Curiouser has enjoyed critical success in the US. Sasha Frere-Jones
Sasha Frere-Jones
Sasha Frere-Jones is an American writer, music critic, and musician. He has written for Pretty Decorating, ego trip, Hit It And Quit It, Mean, Slant, The New York Post, The Wire, The Village Voice, Slate, Spin, and The New York Times...
, the music critic from The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, wrote "I got lucky last week and found a gem in the pile; Curiouser. If your favourite American pop star is coming across slightly washed out, you will want to hear Miller-Heidke. Curiouser is a big clutch of pantone swatches."
Miller-Heidke has toured extensively throughout the US, UK and Europe as the special guest of Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
. Ben Folds is a fan of her, stating "she's one of those people that actually doessic deserve to be called a unique talent." She released her first music DVD, Live in San Francisco.
Throughout 2010/2011, Miller-Heidke played at many festivals around the world including Coachella, Lilith Fair, Rifflandia, Byron Bay Bluesfest
East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival
The East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, also known as Byron Bay Bluesfest, is an annual music festival held for five days over the Easter long weekend at Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia...
, Southbound and Peats Ridge Festival.
Fatty Gets a Stylist
In June 2011, Miller-Heidke released an album by her side project band Fatty Gets a Stylist, another collaboration with Keir Nuttall. Their first single "Are You Ready?" is currently being used in a New York LotteryNew York Lottery
The New York Lottery began in 1967 as the third modern U.S. lottery, after Puerto Rico's began in 1934, and New Hampshire's in 1964. It provides revenue for public education, and is based in Schenectady.-History:...
advertisement on US television., and for advertising the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, in which actors from various shows mime to the words while walking, ending with Alf Stewart
Alf Stewart
Alfred Douglas "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. The character debuted on-screen during the serial's pilot episode on 17 January 1988...
from Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
yelling the end line "Let's go!".
The album Fatty Gets a Stylist (released as Liberty Bell outside Australia) was written and recorded on a lap top over several months in different locations in between Australia, South East Asia and West London.
Band members
- Kate Miller-Heidke – vocals
- Keir NuttallKeir NuttallKeir Nuttall is a Brisbane guitarist, singer and songwriter. He performs and records in the band of his partner Kate Miller-Heidke, the Brisbane singer-songwriter and Sony-BMG artist, as well as in the progressive rock trio Transport....
– programming and production
Contributors on Fatty Gets a Stylist album
- Justin Meldal-JohnsenJustin Meldal-JohnsenJustin Meldal-Johnsen is an American musician and bassist, best known for his work with Grammy Award-winning artist Beck. He served as the touring bassist for Nine Inch Nails during their final tours.-Recording career:...
– bass player (Air, BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
) - Pete McNeal – drummer (CakeCake (band)Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi, the band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan voice, DiFiore's trumpet parts, and...
) - Mickey Petralia – engineering and percussion (Flight of the ConchordsFlight of the ConchordsFlight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
, BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, The EelsEels (band)Eels is an American indie rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E...
) - Cenzo Townshend – mixing (Florence and the MachineFlorence and the MachineFlorence and the Machine is the recording name of English musician Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul...
, Bloc PartyBloc PartyBloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
, Editors)
Band
On stage and in the studio Miller-Heidke has usually been backed by Brisbane band TransportTransport (band)
Transport is a three-piece independent rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, made up of Keir Nuttall , Scott Saunders and Steve Pope .-History:...
, consisting of her husband Keir Nuttall (guitar, backing vocals), Scott Saunders (bass) and Steve Pope (drums).
Until recently the band has included a violinist-vocalist, originally Emma Dean
Emma Dean
Emma Kate Dean is a musician from Brisbane, Australia. Dean uses a soprano singing voice, and has played violin, mandolin, keyboards and piano for Bittersuite , Kate Miller-Heidke Band or her own Emma Dean Band.Emma Dean Band was formed in 2005 with her brother, Anthony Dean, on drums and Dane...
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 Miller-Heidke and appears to have become a permanent member of the band into 2008.
The current line-up is: Kate Miller-Heidke (piano, vocals), Keir Nuttall
Keir Nuttall
Keir Nuttall is a Brisbane guitarist, singer and songwriter. He performs and records in the band of his partner Kate Miller-Heidke, the Brisbane singer-songwriter and Sony-BMG artist, as well as in the progressive rock trio Transport....
(guitar), Nicole Brophy (acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Nathan Moore (bass, backing vocals) and Steve Pope (drums).
Her 2010 tour of the United States of America features only Miller-Heidke and Nuttall.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Event | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Age EG Awards | Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Concert | |
| 2007 | ARIA Awards ARIA Music Awards of 2007 The 21st Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 28 October 2007 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. Rove McManus was the host of the event... |
Best Female Artist | |
| Breakthrough Album (Little Eve) | |||
| Breakthrough Single ("Words") | |||
| Best Pop Release (Little Eve) | |||
| 2009 | International Songwriting Competition | Grand Prize (with Keir Nuttall) ("Caught in the Crowd") | |
| Age EG Awards | Best Female | ||
| APRA Music Awards APRA Awards of 2009 The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2009 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards ceremony occurred on 23 June at the Peninsula in Melbourne, they were presented by APRA and the... |
Song of the Year (with Keir Nuttall) ("Can't Shake It") | ||
| ARIA Awards ARIA Music Awards of 2009 The 23rd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards took place on 26 November 2009 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. The ceremony was telecast on the Nine Network at 8:30pm that night... |
Best Pop Release | ||
| Best Female Artist | |||
| Single of the Year ("The Last Day on Earth") | |||
| Best Video | |||
| 2010 | APRA Music Awards APRA Awards of 2010 The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2010 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards... |
Song of the Year (with Keir Nuttall) ("The Last Day on Earth") |
Discography
- Little EveLittle Eve-Double CD edition:-CD/DVD edition:-Singles:*"Words"*"Make It Last"*"Space They Cannot Touch"-Release history:-Charts:Little Eve spent a total of 7 weeks in the Australian Top 50 Albums chart.-Certification:...
(2007) - CuriouserCuriouser- Singles :Curiouser has featured more successful singles than Little Eve.* "Can't Shake It"* "Caught in the Crowd"* "The Last Day on Earth"- Chart performance :...
(2008) - Fatty Gets a Stylist (Liberty Bell outside Australia, 2011)