Kate Miller-Heidke

Infobox musical artist
Name = Kate Miller-Heidke


Img_capt = Deborah Conway, Kate Miller-Heidke and Mia Dyson performing at the Australia Day Live 2007 concert.
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name =
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1981|11|16
Died =
Origin = flagicon|AUS Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Instrument = Singing, keyboards
Voice_type =
Genre = Adult Contemporary
Pop
Rock
Alternative
Piano Rock
Occupation = Singer
Years_active = 2000-present
Label = Waterbear Records/Sony BMG
Management = Leanne De Souza
Associated_acts = Transport
URL = [http://katemh.com Katemh.com]
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =

Kate Miller-Heidke (born 16 November 1981) is a singer-songwriter from Brisbane, Australia. Although trained as an opera singer, she has followed a career in popular music and currently records for Sony-BMG Australia.

Miller-Heidke is currently managed by Leanne De Souza

Career

Kate 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 became well-known in Brisbane as an artist through the annual showcase "Women In Voice" in 2002, 2004 and 2005, when she shared the stage with such performers as Pearly Black, Margret RoadKnight, Jenny Morris and Chrissy Amphlett. Her 2004 appearance in "Women in Voice 11" won her the Helpmann Award for Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert.

As a classical singer, she has won many awards including Donald Penman Prize, Elizabeth Muir Prize, The Linda Edith Allen Memorial Prize and the Horace Keats Award. As an Opera Queensland Developing Artist, Miller-Heidke has performed in many productions including Sweeney Todd, Don Pasquale and A Masked Ball. In July 2005 she made her solo professional operatic debut with Opera Queensland in the role of Flora in Turn of the Screw.

Miller-Heidke has regularly been a soloist with the Queensland Orchestra and has performed opposite Todd McKenney and Tom Burlinson in concerts such as Spirit of Christmas (broadcast nationally on the ABC) and Last Night of the Proms.

After completing degrees in music from Queensland Conservatorium of Music and Queensland University of Technology, Miller-Heidke joined Opera Queensland and was to have moved on to singing Gilbert and Sullivan with Opera Australia. Instead, she turned her back on classical singing to concentrate on popular music and songwriting. Her stage shows are still noted for snatches of opera-style singing, often for comic effect, for example in parodies of The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" or Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer". In June 2004, she independently released her first seven-track EP, "Telegram". In 2005, Miller-Heidke made a limited independent release of her next EP, "Comikaze", a collection of comedy songs performed in her stage shows which was followed in April 2006 by "Circular Breathing" EP. Signed to Sony-BMG Australia, Miller-Heidke released her debut album "Little Eve" on 15 June 2007.

In 2006 Miller-Heidke was a member of "Broad", a touring show that featured a group of female artists with a range of styles and backgrounds. She appeared in the 2006 Australia Day Live Concert from Melbourne, forming a trio with fellow "Broad" members Mia Dyson and Deborah Conway.

As well as touring throughout Australia and appearing regularly at the Woodford, Port Fairy and Blue Mountains festivals, Miller-Heidke has appeared on national television as a guest panelist on RocKwiz (SBS) and Spicks and Specks (ABC TV Australia). More recently (2007) she has performed on ABC TV's "The Sideshow" and on the Seven Network programs "Sunrise" and "Morning". Other appearances have included the "Imagine07" concert by schools4schools at the Melbourne Docklands Pavilion in October 2007. [cite web
url = http://www.docklandsmelbourne.com.au/events.htm
title = Events, Attractions, ...
accessdate = 2007-10-21
publisher = Docklands Melbourne]

In February 2008, Kate Miller-Heidke and Katie Noonan appeared as support acts for Cyndi Lauper, in Perth, Western Australia at the King's Park Botanic Gardens, where she told the crowd, "I know you're all here to see Cyndi!" Cyndi Lauper invited Miller-Heidke, band member Nicole Brophy and Katie Noonan to join her on stage to sing with her on Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

In the 2007 ARIA Music Awards, Miller-Heidke was nominated for four ARIAs, for Best Female Artist, Best Pop Release, Breakthrough Artist: Album (for "Little Eve)" and Breakthrough Artist: Single (for "Words"). [cite web
url = http://www.ariaawards.com.au/archives/media-centre/2007/19Sep07%20-%20Finalists%20Announcement.pdf
title = DIVERSITY RULES THE DAY!
accessdate = 2007-10-06
date = 19 October 2007
format = P
publisher = Australian Recording Industry Association] "Little Eve" producer Magoo was also nominated for Producer Of The Year. Miller-Heidke performed her single 'Words' at the televised awards ceremony in October 2007, in a production that featured the yellow dress, the children and the lightbulbs from the video clip.

Miller-Heidke's sophomore album, "Curiouser", is to be released in Australia on October 18, 2008. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, USA, with Miller-Heidke working with producer Mickey Petralia, who has also produced albums for Beck and Flight of the Conchords. The album's first single, "Can't Shake It", was debuted exclusively on Nova radio in Australia on September 21, 2008.

Band

On stage and in the studio Miller-Heidke has usually been backed by Brisbane band Transport, consisting of Keir Nuttall (guitar, backing vocals), Scott Saunders (bass) and Steve Pope (drums).

Until recently the band has also 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 (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).

Discography

Albums

*"Little Eve" (2007) - #11 Australia (Gold)
*"Curiouser" (October, 2008)

EPs

*"Telegram" (2004)
*"Comikaze" (2005)
*"Circular Breathing" (2006)

ingles

*"Words" (2007) - #43 Australia
*"Make It Last" (2007)
*"Space They Cannot Touch" (2008)
*"Can't Shake It" (2008)(Currently being used as the song for a Nova 100, Nova 969, Nova 91.9, Nova 93.7 and Nova 106)

DVDs

*"Little Eve" CD-DVD edition (2008)

Compilation Appearances

*"Escape" (2004) ::Track: "Hot and Cold", performed by Dovetail (Kate Miller-Heidke and Yanto Browning) (2004)
*"Coastal Chill 6" (2005) ::Track: "Space They Cannot Touch"
*"" (2006) ::Track: "River", originally by Joni Mitchell
*"Like a Version" (2006) ::Track: "Little Water Song", originally by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
*"RocKwiz Duets 2" (2007) ::Track: "Careless Whisper", duet with Paul Dempsey, from the SBS TV series, originally by George Michael
*"Spirit of Christmas" (Myer-Salvation Army, 2007) ::Track: "The Coventry Carol", trad., arr. Keir Nuttall

References

External links

* [http://www.katemillerheidke.com Kate Miller-Heidke official website]
* [http://www.sonymusic.com.au/artist/info.do?artistId=107398 Kate Miller-Heidke at Sony-BMG]
* [http://www.myspace.com/katemillerheidke Kate Miller-Heidke @ MySpace.com]
* [http://www.brispop.com/index.cfm?action=dsp_bio&artistID=124 Elsewhere] at BrisPop.com
* [http://www.songmeanings.net/artist.php?aid=137438968917 Kate Miller-Heidke lyrics] at SongMeanings
* [http://www.helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=winners&year=2005 2005 Helpmann Awards]