Kate Miller-Heidke Wants You To Help Build Her Australian Open Live Stage Set

It was six years ago that Kate Miller-Heidke released her fourth studio album and a lot has changed in that time.

From being one of the driving forces behind Muriel's Wedding and The Rabbits to having her first child in 2016 and then representing Australia at Eurovision last year, it seems like a lifetime ago that O Vertigo! was released and fans have been eagerly awaiting a follow-up.

“I spent most of January just sort of putting the finishing touches on my new album, which has been quite fun and exciting,” Miller-Heidke begins.

“It’s pretty pop – there are not many real instruments on this one. It’s a pretty modern pop record. There was a lot of collaboration in terms of songwriting.”

It’s quite a shake-up from her previous records, where Miller-Heidke predominantly wrote with long-time collaborator and husband Keir Nuttall. This time around, she’s been working closely with local artist Evan Klar and American talent Hailey Collier, both of whom she met at a songwriting camp last year.

“We just really clicked,” Miller-Heidke recalls. “Once the main aesthetic for the album took shape it kind of happened quite quickly, and we basically made it in a month or so.

“This is the first time that I’ve sort of opened myself up to that more traditional pop style of getting in a room with people you barely know and baring your soul to them and making a song in a day.

“It’s something I’ve always resisted. I think I had weird ideas about authenticity or some crap like that, but it turns out that the pop style of thing really suits me and I love how spontaneous you can be and just how fast the process goes, and not having to labour over things and sort of torture myself for months over one song. You’ve got one day to write and record a song and I think that comes through on the record – that sense of fun and things that haven’t been overthought.”

Fans will be able to get a taste of new music at shows in the coming months, including Miller-Heidke’s set at the Australian Open on January 27, where she’ll be supported by Seeker Lover Keeper.

“I’m in rehearsal today, actually. We’re slowly working more of them into the set which is really fun. I think they’re going to be super fun to play live.

“It’s going to be a really fun, pretty relaxed type of vibe. I’m taking requests on my social media. I’m playing with a full band, too. We’ve played at the tennis before and it’s a lovely place to play.”

After that, Miller-Heidke will head to the Gold Coast in early February to perform her 2019 Eurovision song, Zero Gravity, at the next instalment of Eurovision – Australia Decides, where she’ll also sit on the judging panel.

“I’m really looking forward to being on the other side of that process and getting an insider's perspective on how it works,” she says.

“I definitely have an insight into what constitutes strength and what sort of skills are going to stand you in good stead for that competition. It’s a heightened arena and sort of almost requires a different skillset to just standing up on stage and singing songs to people.”

Given that Miller-Heidke has already gone through that journey, she’s well-placed to offer advice to this year’s contestants, which includes Montaigne, Didirri, Casey Donovan, Vanessa Amorosi, Jaguar Jonze and more.

“Don’t work yourself to death,” she stresses. “You get over there and it’s this crazy circus and all of a sudden you’ve got 11 hours of blog interviews from Estonia. You don’t have to say yes to all of that stuff – you’ve got to focus on your performance.”

For more details on Kate Miller-Heidke’s performance at the Australian Open, head to theGuide.

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