Biography
Missy Higgins emerged as one of Australia’s leading performers through her gift for crafting emotionally resonant ballads and reflective adult pop, with each of her opening three studio albums—The Sound of White in 2004, On a Clear Night in 2007, and The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle in 2012—claiming the top position on the national chart. Her catalog has also registered on American and New Zealand listings. Working alongside producers John Porter, Mitchell Froom, and Jherek Bischoff, she extended her initial breakthrough with additional Top Five entries, among them the 2014 collection of covers titled Oz.
Her development as a songwriter originated in Melbourne, where attendance at boarding school required dividing attention between studies and musical pursuits. Without her knowledge, her sister forwarded an early composition, “All for Believing,” to Australia’s Triple J radio outlet; the track subsequently won the station’s Triple J Unearthed competition for unsigned artists and thereby launched Higgins’ path as a performer and writer.
Following her signing to Eleven—the Australian imprint previously associated with Silverchair—she released a self-titled EP in November 2003. The Scar EP arrived in August 2004, reached number one on the Australian singles chart, and paved the way for her debut full-length, The Sound of White. Crafted with John Porter, whose prior credits include B.B. King, Bryan Ferry, and Ryan Adams, the album appeared in September of the following year, maintained a two-year presence on the Australian charts, and earned nine-times platinum status. She next targeted the United States, issuing the domestic-only All for Believing EP in January 2005 via Warner Bros.; the set paired the title song with four additional selections drawn from The Sound of White, which received its own American reissue shortly afterward.
Her second album, On a Clear Night, surfaced in 2007 and reached American stores in early 2008. Whereas The Sound of White had showcased her piano work, the Mitchell Froom-produced follow-up shifted focus toward guitar, the instrument she employed to write most of its songs. Lead single “Steer” became her second Australian number-one hit, while the album itself topped the domestic chart and entered the Billboard 200.
Once touring and promotion concluded, Higgins stepped away from music temporarily. In 2010 she enrolled at the University of Melbourne and took an acting role in the Australian film Bran Nue Dae. She remained connected to music, however, and after encountering singer-songwriter Butterfly Boucher during Lilith Fair dates in summer 2010, traveled to Nashville to record her next project with Boucher’s assistance. The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle appeared in June 2012, immediately ascending to number one in Australia—her third consecutive chart-topping album—while also reaching number 22 in New Zealand and number 83 in the United States.
Titled Oz, her subsequent release comprised covers of Australian songwriters such as Paul Kelly and the Drones; the project was accompanied by a book and tour of the same name. Produced by Jherek Bischoff, whose résumé includes Parenthetical Girls and Xiu Xiu, it entered the market in September 2014 and peaked at number three in her home country. Early 2016 brought the single “Oh Canada,” written in response to the drowning of three-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi. The next year she performed in a revival of the musical Miracle City at the Sydney Opera House, and in March 2018 she joined Ed Sheeran for Australian stadium dates. Her fifth studio album, Solastalgia, arrived in April and returned her to the number-three position on the national chart.
Her development as a songwriter originated in Melbourne, where attendance at boarding school required dividing attention between studies and musical pursuits. Without her knowledge, her sister forwarded an early composition, “All for Believing,” to Australia’s Triple J radio outlet; the track subsequently won the station’s Triple J Unearthed competition for unsigned artists and thereby launched Higgins’ path as a performer and writer.
Following her signing to Eleven—the Australian imprint previously associated with Silverchair—she released a self-titled EP in November 2003. The Scar EP arrived in August 2004, reached number one on the Australian singles chart, and paved the way for her debut full-length, The Sound of White. Crafted with John Porter, whose prior credits include B.B. King, Bryan Ferry, and Ryan Adams, the album appeared in September of the following year, maintained a two-year presence on the Australian charts, and earned nine-times platinum status. She next targeted the United States, issuing the domestic-only All for Believing EP in January 2005 via Warner Bros.; the set paired the title song with four additional selections drawn from The Sound of White, which received its own American reissue shortly afterward.
Her second album, On a Clear Night, surfaced in 2007 and reached American stores in early 2008. Whereas The Sound of White had showcased her piano work, the Mitchell Froom-produced follow-up shifted focus toward guitar, the instrument she employed to write most of its songs. Lead single “Steer” became her second Australian number-one hit, while the album itself topped the domestic chart and entered the Billboard 200.
Once touring and promotion concluded, Higgins stepped away from music temporarily. In 2010 she enrolled at the University of Melbourne and took an acting role in the Australian film Bran Nue Dae. She remained connected to music, however, and after encountering singer-songwriter Butterfly Boucher during Lilith Fair dates in summer 2010, traveled to Nashville to record her next project with Boucher’s assistance. The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle appeared in June 2012, immediately ascending to number one in Australia—her third consecutive chart-topping album—while also reaching number 22 in New Zealand and number 83 in the United States.
Titled Oz, her subsequent release comprised covers of Australian songwriters such as Paul Kelly and the Drones; the project was accompanied by a book and tour of the same name. Produced by Jherek Bischoff, whose résumé includes Parenthetical Girls and Xiu Xiu, it entered the market in September 2014 and peaked at number three in her home country. Early 2016 brought the single “Oh Canada,” written in response to the drowning of three-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi. The next year she performed in a revival of the musical Miracle City at the Sydney Opera House, and in March 2018 she joined Ed Sheeran for Australian stadium dates. Her fifth studio album, Solastalgia, arrived in April and returned her to the number-three position on the national chart.
Albums
Singles
