It’s been rather a big couple of weeks for Missy Higgins fans… First came word of her new album and single, then came the tour announcement just yesterday, along with the official servicing of the single to media and the delivery of the video (below).
Word also broke over the last couple of days that Missy had decided to quit the music industry altogether at the completion of the ‘On A Clear Night’ project. In true Missy fashion, there was no fanfare surrounding the decision – she merely kept it a tightly held secret between her nearest and dearest.
“I’d had more success than I’d ever dreamt of and somehow it didn’t bring the happiness I thought it would,” she says in a statement. “I guess I had a bit of an existential crisis – I thought, how do I become happy? If this doesn’t give me fulfillment what will? And when you let go of something you’ve always attached to as your identity, what do you do? I’d always been the singer or the musician or the songwriter. And when I quit music, it was terrifying. Who am I without it? It was scary but it was also important to find out.”
Naturally some of those feelings form part of the lyrical content on her new album ‘The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle’, due in June.
In the meantime, however, Missy is once again revealing herself layer by layer via her new single (and the video for) ‘Unashamed Desire’.
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auspOp says
Hey Anonymous #2,
We’re assuming it was around 2010. This is what the press release promoting the new single (therein revealing her decision to quit) has to say…;
“It’s a bold clarion call for where she’s at these days. But until recently the acclaimed singer/songwriter was still keeping one thing secret …”I quit”.
After selling over a million albums and touring the world performing much loved songs like “Scar”, “Steer” and “The Special Two” Missy privately decided to turn her back on music.
She did it without farewell tours or press releases. Instead she just told those closest to her that she was walking away from music and she got on with a new life. University. A share house. Some volunteer work. No photo’s in the papers; no raves on the blogs.
This extraordinary decision wasn’t made on a whim. In 2007 she’d released her sophomore album “On A Clear Night” in Australia to critical raves and more ARIA Awards. The follow up to her freakishly popular debut “The Sound Of White”, her second album actually became the highest selling Australian release for that year and in 2008 Missy relocated to the U.S. to support its release there. Naturally that meant lots and lots of touring. After more than a year “Where I Stood” was inches from being certtified gold in the U.S. and she was selling out large theatres but the grind was taking its toll.”
The auspOp team
Anonymous says
How or when did she actually quit? Since On A Clear Night she’s been busy touring around America?? She can’t have quit for long!
auspOp says
Hey Anonymous,
Not sure about her losing her record deal, but we believe she’s currently in the UK recording new material.
The auspOp team
Anonymous says
I like it. Imagine I will like it even more after a few listens. Hope it does well for her.
On the subject of Aussie female singers who fell off the radar, any idea what’s going on with Gabrielle Cilmi? Did she lose her record deal?