Interview | Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins talks about music and fame

Last weekend, Missy Higgins took the stage at the brand-new House of Blues Boston alongside Justin Nozuka and Lenka. Already an award-winning Australian singer/songwriter, Higgins recently released her second album, "On a Clear Night" (2007). After touring with Ben Folds last summer, Higgins started her own U.S. tour last month in order to promote her music and attract a larger audience. Her single "Where I Stood" has been featured on numerous popular television shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "One Tree Hill." Her popularity continues to grow as her soulful, strong-woman sound becomes available to a more mainstream audience. Higgins recently took the time to give this interview via e-mail about her music and who she hopes to attract and inspire with it. Catherine Scott: What are some sources of inspiration for your songwriting? Missy Higgins: I'm inspired by people. The way they think... the motivation behind their actions, their fears, their insecurities and their past experiences that have shaped them into the person they are today. CS: Have you always wanted to be a singer/songwriter, or was it a passion, hobby or dream that just took off and that's where your path has led you? MH: It started out as me just wanting to sing. I first realized I could sing in primary school when I was cast as a fairly main character in the school musical "Joseph and the Technicolored Dream Coat." I had so much fun singing in front of an audience for the first time with a microphone in my hand and [everyone] in the palm of my hand that I just knew I wanted to do it forever. It made me feel more alive than ever. Then songwriting came a few years later. CS: What musicians or types of music do you most often listen to and draw inspiration from? MH: I guess I mostly listen to music with powerful lyrics and simple production. Songs that take me somewhere, or suck me right in to the moment they're singing about and I'm unable to come up for air until it's finished. A song that completely takes over my body with its rawness and fragility and pure honesty. CS: Many of your songs are about being a girl or a woman, and the experiences that go along with that. What kind of message do you want to send to other women as a female singer-songwriter, if any? MH: I don't consciously write with any sort of message in mind. I think the best way to affect other people positively is to write unselfconsciously and openly. When there's no pretense it allows the listener to drop their guard as well and then the real connection can be made. The most healing songs are the ones that make you feel as though the singer is teling your story for you in a way that you were never able to articulate yourself. CS: What is the best part about being on tour? What is the worst? Being from Australia, what do you think of touring in America? MH: I get to play music every night. That is hands-down the best part about touring. Losing yourself onstage for an hour-and-a-half makes all the grueling traveling worth it, ten-fold. American audiences are, for the most part, amazing to play for. They're respectful and willing to make you feel really good about yourself on stage. They want to be entertained which, as crazy as it sounds, is not always the case with audiences. CS: What message would you give to young musicians and artists who want to succeed in the music industry? MH: Ask yourself what your idea of success is. Is it fame? Money? A record deal? Playing sell-out stadium tours in Europe? Getting chased by the paparazzi and dating a supermodel? Get it straight in your head. Think about what will really make you happy. Think about what music means to you and if you really need half of those things in order to feel proud of yourself. The amazing thing about music is that regardless of whether you have an audience or not, you can still have music and it will always be just as precious. Sometimes those other things get in the way of that. Be careful and don't worry. Just respect your inner artist, always listen to it and never compromise. CS: If you could take three things to a desert island, what would they be? MH: My guitar, my sister and my brother. CS: My favorite song on "On a Clear Night" was "Sugarcane." What's yours and why? MH: I don't have a favorite song; they all mean different things to me. I have favorite live tracks which change all the time as we change the arrangements. At the moment it's "Secret" because we've developed an interesting line-up of percussion instruments that everyone in the band plays at the front of the stage.