A few weeks back Missy stopped by the Spotify offices in Sydney to perform a bunch of songs from her latest album OZ. You can llisten to the live session on Spotify now here.

Enjoy

Missy will be Double J’s Artist in Residence for the month of Nov, presenting a diverse playlist of artists that have inspired her each Sun arvo from 3 – 5pm!

Tune in this week to hear Missy’s chat about her ‘Favourite Female Singer-Songwriters.’

Check out this exclusive acoustic of ‘Shark Fin Blues’ via theage.com.au Missy recorded ahead the last shows in Melbourne this week.

Limited tickets to the final show of the OZ tour at the Regent Theatre this Thu Oct 30 are still available here. It will be Missy’s last show for at least the next 12 months, so jump in quickly if you’re keen. 

Tune into Channel 7 from 9am tomorrow morning to see Missy perform live on Weekend Sunrise!

Playing her version of Don Walker’s ‘The Way You Are Tonight,’ if you’re keen to watch then set the alarm.

Tune into the ‘Friday Night Crack Up’ on ABC TV tomorrow night from 7:30pm to see a special live performance from Missy with Eddie Perfect andTripod!

Yep, don’t miss this one folks. Friday Night Crack Up coincides with World Mental Health Week and ABC’s Mental As week of programming.

The show has a jam packed 2-hour LIVE broadcast featuring a line-up of Australia’s biggest personalities – comedians, actors, sportspeople and musicians all in the name of a good cause – to support mental health research in Australia. 

Further details here

Missy’s OZ eBook is now available at JB Hi-Fi. Check out the link here if you’re looking for a new read.

Missy new album OZ will be the feature album on double j this week! Tune in to hear even more songs from OZ, with a special Missy showcase this Wednesday 17th of Sept from 2pm.

Enjoy!

Tickets for Missy’s OZ tour are selling quickly. 2nd shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns and Geraldton are now on sale.

Grab your tickets soon to avoid missing out from www.missyhiggins.com/shows 

– Missy HQ

Tune into MAX tonight from 9:20pm to see Missy host a one hour special, talking through some of her favourite local tunes. Hmm … wonder if there’ll be a few from OZ in the mix?

Enjoy – Missy HQ

Tickets for Missy’s OZ Tour are on sale from 10am today. These September/October dates will be Missy’s only shows for at least the next 12 months.

Special guest on the tour will be acclaimed young singer/songwriter, Dustin Tebbutt whose evocative songs “The Breach” and “Bones” have made him one of triple j’s most played new Australian artists. Dustin will perform at all shows with the exception of Darwin and WA dates. Also appearing at most dates will be Jherek Bischoff who co-produced OZ. Jherek has worked with leading innovators including David Byrne (Talking Heads) and Amanda Palmer.

These concerts will see Missy combining a mix of songs from OZ the album, along with her own classics to create a special tour not to be missed.

Hope to see you at a show soon,
Missy HQ

MISSY HIGGINS – OZ TOUR
Presented by Max, The Music and Spotify
 GP Tickets on sale 10am today
 
Sat 20 September – Cairns, Cairns Civic Theatre Tickets
Tue 23 September – Townsville, TECC – Auditorium Tickets
Wed 24 September – Mackay, MECC – Plenary Halls A&B Tickets
Fri 26 September – Caloundra, The Events Centre Theatre Tickets
Sat 27 September – Brisbane, BCEC – Great Hall Tickets
Sun 28 September – Toowoomba, Empire Theatre Tickets 
Tue 30 September – Gold Coast, GCAC – Arts Theatre Tickets
Wed 1 October – Lismore, Lismore City Hall – Churchill Auditorium Tickets
Fri 3 October – Newcastle, Civic Theatre Tickets
Sat 4 October – Sydney, Enmore Theatre Tickets
Mon 6 October – Chatswood, The Concourse Tickets
Tue 7 October – Penrith, Joan Sutherland PAC – Concert Hall Tickets
Thu 9 October – Wollongong, Anita’s Theatre Tickets
Sat 11 October – Canberra, Canberra Theatre Tickets 
Sun 12 October – Wodonga, The Cube Tickets
Wed 15 October – Geraldton, Queens Park Theatre * Tickets
Thu 16 October – Perth, Crown Theatre * Tickets
Sat 18 October – Bunbury, Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre * Tickets
Sun 19 October Mandurah, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre * Tickets
Wed 22 October Darwin, Darwin Convention Centre * Tickets
Sat 25 October Adelaide, AEC – Theatre Tickets
Wed 29 October Melbourne, Regent Theatre Tickets
Jherek Bischoff Only *

Missy has just announced a one-off Australian tour called OZ, with dates through September/October to be her only shows for at least the next 12 months.

Tickets for the OZ Tour will be released to the general public at 10am on August 14, or if you’re a member of Missy mailing list there will be a exclusive ticketing pre-sale commencing 9am on August 12. Join up and stay tuned for the ticketing pre-sale password.

OZ the tour will commence in Cairns on September 20, the day after Missy’s new book and album is officially released. The tour will then take her right around Australia before finishing in her hometown of Melbourne on October 29.

Special guest on the tour will be acclaimed young singer/songwriter, Dustin Tebbutt whose evocative songs “The Breach” and “Bones” have made him one of triple j’s most played new Australian artists. Dustin will perform at all shows with the exception of Darwin and WA dates. Also appearing will be Jherek Bischoff who co-produced OZ. Jherek has worked with leading innovators including David Byrne (Talking Heads) and Amanda Palmer.

These concerts will see Missy combining a mix of songs from OZ the album, along with her own classics to create a special tour not to be missed.

MISSY HIGGINS – OZ TOUR
Presented by Max, The Music and Spotify
Mailing List Ticket Pre-sale commences 9am August 12
GP Tickets on sale 10am August 14

Sat 20 September – Cairns, Cairns Civic Theatre Tickets
Tue 23 September – Townsville, TECC – Auditorium Tickets
Wed 24 September – Mackay, MECC – Plenary Halls A&B Tickets
Fri 26 September – Caloundra, The Events Centre Theatre Tickets
Sat 27 September – Brisbane, BCEC – Great Hall Tickets
Sun 28 September – Toowoomba, Empire Theatre Tickets
Tue 30 September – Gold Coast, GCAC – Arts Theatre Tickets
Wed 1 October – Lismore, Lismore City Hall – Churchill Auditorium Tickets
Fri 3 October – Newcastle, Civic Theatre Tickets
Sat 4 October – Sydney, Enmore Theatre Tickets
Mon 6 October – Chatswood, The Concourse Tickets
Tue 7 October – Penrith, Joan Sutherland PAC – Concert Hall Tickets
Thu 9 October – Wollongong, Anita’s Theatre Tickets
Sat 11 October – Canberra, Canberra Theatre Tickets
Sun 12 October – Wodonga, The Cube Tickets
Wed 15 October – Geraldton, Queens Park Theatre * Tickets
Thu 16 October – Perth, Crown Theatre * Tickets
Sat 18 October – Bunbury, Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre * Tickets
Sun 19 October Mandurah, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre * Tickets
Wed 22 October Darwin, Darwin Convention Centre * Tickets
Sat 25 October Adelaide, AEC – Theatre Tickets
Wed 29 October Melbourne, Regent Theatre Tickets
Jherek Bischoff Only * Tickets

It’s Australian stories for the ears, the eyes, the head and the heart.

Missy Higgins’ OZ is something different … an eclectic album of Aussie cover versions and a quirky book of related essays. The music and the prose are best experienced together in a beautiful clothbound CD/Book edition but they can also be enjoyed separately in physical or digital forms, and all are released on September 19.

The OZ album features Missy re-imagining 15 Australian songs that were originally recorded by a diverse set of artists including The Angels, Slim Dusty, Something For Kate, Warumpi Band, Paul Kelly and The Drones. In the accompanying OZ book, Missy uses each of those recordings as the starting point for a sprawling series of essays; reflecting on life, love and how not to wear high heels.

“I wanted to try something different this time around”, explains Missy. “I couldn’t decide between making a covers album or writing a book so I decided to do both at once. Musically it’s intended to be a real mixed bag of lollies.

“Obviously part of the reason I called the whole project OZ is that it’s all about Australian songs. Plus, for the first time, I recorded the whole thing in Australia. However the title has a second meaning. I like the idea of songwriters being like the Wizard in “The Wizard of Oz”. Some people think we’re special people who have special powers but really we’re just scared little people hiding in a backroom somewhere, working like crazy to make sure we don’t get found out.”

There are four main threads that bind this disparate collection of tunes. The first is obviously the lyrical and vocal combinations that allow Missy to truly inhabit each of these works as if she had written it herself. The second is the strikingly live production by Missy and American orchestrator Jherek Bischoff (Amanda Palmer, David Byrne, Kronos Quartet).

The third thread that runs through the OZ recordings is the presence of contributions from various friends of Missy’s. Not only does she cover Dan Sultan’s timeless “Old Fitzroy” but the Deadly Award winner (and “Bran Nue Dae” co-star) also adds his unmistakable voice to an ol’ timey rendition of “The Biggest Disappointment”. Kate Miller Heidke and Amanda Palmer are among others to feature prominently.

Finally, the entire collection was mixed by multiple Grammy recipient Jay Newland who also mixed Missy’s breakthrough album The Sound of White.

In other major news, Missy revealed over the weekend that she is due to give birth to her first child in January.

Over the last decade Missy has become one of our most beloved singer/songwriters. Her three previous albums, The Sound of White, On a Clear Night and The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle, have sold more than a million copies. They’ve each gone to #1 on the Australian charts and each has also been recognised with ARIA Awards.

MISSY HIGGINS – OZ

Available for pre-order from Tuesday August 5.

TRACKLISTING:
1. You Only Hide (Something For Kate)
2. Old Fitzroy (Dan Sultan)
3. NYE (Perry Keyes)
4. Shark Fin Blues (The Drones)
5. Was There Anything I Could Do (The Go-Betweens)
6. Back To The Wall (Divinyls)
7. Don’t Believe Anymore (Icehouse)
8. The Biggest Disappointment feat. Dan Sultan (Slim Dusty)
9. Everybody Wants To Touch Me (Paul Kelly)
10. Curse On You (The Blackeyed Susans)
11. No Secrets (The Angels)
12. Before Too Long feat. Amanda Palmer (Paul Kelly)
13. Blackfella/Whitefella feat. Crystal Itjuwalyi Butcher (Warumpi Band)
14. Calm And Crystal Clear (Neil Murray)
15. The Way You Are Tonight (Don Walker)

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National Gallery of Victoria are staging a new music, art & conversation series at NGV Aust this winter.

Join emerging & established artists including Missy, Paul Dempsey, Bob Evans, Melody Pool & New Gods as they perform in the iconic Australian art spaces on Sundays from 6 Jul … all for free!

Curated by Jae Laffer, the series will showcase ten of Australia’s best loved songwriters over ten weeks, set amongst classic Australian works in the NGV’s Ian Potter Centre. Each Sunday afternoon the public have the chance to hear about the background of a great Australian work of art, followed by a performance from an Australian musician who will play a handful of songs and also discuss some of the themes and inspirations for their songs. Discussion will focus on comparisons to each week’s selected visual work of art, and show the similarities between the two art forms.

• Sun 6 Jul Bob Evans
• Sun 13 Jul New Gods
• Sun 20 Jul MT WARNING
• Sun 27 Jul Melody Pool
• Sun 3 Aug Adalita
• Sun 10 Aug Georgia Fair
• Sun 17 Aug Glenn Richards
• Sun 24 Aug Jae Laffer
• Sun 31 Aug Paul Dempsey
• Sun 7 Sep Missy Higgins

Cost Free, places are limited, no bookings
Venue The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Level 2

Click here for more on Unplugged.

Missy will appear at The Byron Bay Writers Festival this August, participating in two intimate spoken sessions across the three day event. The festival boasts showcases with more than 130 writers, thinkers and creative spirits and a world of ideas over the action-packed days.

On Fri August 1, Missy will be joined by Darren Hanlon speaking on ‘The Art of Songwriting’ chaired by Anneli Knight, followed on Sat Aug 2 by an ‘In Conversation’ session featuring Simon Marnie, at  which Missy will make a special announcement …

Missy will also participate with ‘Liner Notes presents David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust: a spoken word tribute,’ at the Byron Bay community centre on Fri Aug 1.  A stellar line-up of writers, poets and musicians explore their personal connection to Bowie, including Missy, Andrew Denton, Andy Griffiths and Benjamin Law with Maxine Beneba-Clarke, Asphyxia, Omar Musa, Luka Lesson, Emilie Zoey Baker and Sean M Whelan.

The Festival runs at North Byron Beach Resort from 1- 3 August with workshops commencing on 28 July. For more Festival information or to purchase tickets visit www,byronbaywritersfestival.com or call 1300 368 552.

Friday 1 August, 1.45pm – 2.30pm
The Art of Songwriting
Darren Hanlon
Missy Higgins
Chair: Anneli Knight

Friday 1 August, 8:00 – 9:00pm
Liner Notes presents David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust: a spoken word tribute
Info & ticket info here

Saturday 2 August, 10.15am – 11.00am
Missy Higgins
In conversation with Simon Marnie (including special announcement)

Missy will be heading to WA on August 22nd for the North West Festival in Port Headland! Should be a fun weekend with an awesome line up of artists www.northwestfestival.com.au

Tickets on sale May 19.

Art of Music returns to the Art Gallery of New South Wales this Saturday June 14, and will feature a special performance from Missy, along with a stack of other incredible musicians including Don Walker and Sunny Amoreena.

The event combines the mediums of visual art and music, with eleven  prominent contemporary visual artists from Australia coming together to create a uniquely music inspired exhibition. Each artist choosing an iconic piece of Australasian music, using it as inspiration for their own  original artwork, culminating in the Art of Music Charity Auction and Gala Dinner, packed with special guests and live entertainment.

For the full list of the artists, as well as their chosen piece of music and event visit www.artofmusic.com.au.

Tickets to this special event are available now and the booking form is available here.

Missy recently won 2nd place in the Adult Album Alternative category in the 2013 International Songwriting Competition for ‘Set Me On Fire!’

With nearly 20,000 entries from 120 countries, that’s a pretty cool result huh. Big thanks to all who voted!

Check out the full list of winners here

Sounds For The Reef is an album created to raise awareness and funds for the plight of the Great Barrier Reef.

21 artists including Missy, along with a lot of other talented people, have brought their songs together on the album to fundraise for the “Fight For The Reef” campaign of WWF-Australia and Australian Marine Conservation Society.

By buying this album, or just a few songs, you will help tackle legal fees in the two ongoing court challenges against the granted government development permits.

Listen up and help out, music is the weapon!!

Get ‘Sounds for the Reef’ here

– Missy HQ