Kate Miller-Heidke is an artist with a track record of turning heads.
Still, even the Brisbane-born singer/ songwriter’s most ardent fans mightn’t have imagined her setting an Australian record for crowdfunding, the PledgeMusic campaign for recent album ‘O Vertigo!’ nailing 226 percent of an unspecified total after reaching its original goal in just four days. It was a striking reminder of the popularity of Miller-Heidke, who has built a career on top of dextrous songwriting and her scaling vocal performances. But more importantly, the campaign marked her debut as an independent artist after seven years with Sony Music.
So, two months on from the release of ‘O Vertigo!’ how much has life changed? “It’s been strikingly similar, actually,” Miller-Heidke says. “But better for me. Better because instead of a whole building of people who maybe gave a little bit of a shit, now I’ve got two or three people who really care, every day. I think it’s a setup that works really well for me and where I’m at.
“It is more work. It’s funny. It feels as though there’s more resting on my shoulders, in a way. I’m definitely more aware of how much everything costs. And also, just fulfilling the pledge rewards — the crowdfunding thing — which went so well, but it’s been a shitload of work making sure everybody gets their stuff.”
Indeed, other than a couple of leftover lounge-room performances and birthday phone calls, Miller-Heidke finished her final pledge obligation — a cover of a Bluejuice song — the day before our interview. And while she admits some aspects have been hard, others have made for an enlivening experience. “Particularly the happy birthday phone calls,” she says. “That’s something that is this really quick and joyful task. They’re usually really surprised, or drunk … That feels awesome, to call a stranger and sing them happy birthday.”
“I saw Kirin J Callinan selling one of his used cum rags in a jar.”
“But I think that’s the key to the whole crowdfunding thing. You can choose to reward people with things that play to your own strengths. I would never inflict my barbecuing on people,” she laughs, referring to Perth band Eskimo Joe’s own crowdfunding campaign. “I saw Kirin J Callinan selling one of his used cum rags in a jar. I think he’s selling it for a thousand bucks or something!”
Of course, selling your music directly to fans by a pledge system is what many up-and-coming artists dream of, but there’s a common argument that you’re simply exchanging one master — a record label — for another — your fans. Miller-Heidke is blunt. “Look, whether you feel that they’re your master or not, they are,” she says.
“They’re the people who allow you not to have a proper job. You can pretend to yourself — any artist — that you’re not beholden to your fans. But I think to a certain degree you’re going to be kidding yourself.”
Regardless, the decision to separate from Sony Music seems to have coincided with plenty of other changes in Miller-Heidke’s wider life, both creative and personal. First, there’s the increasing amount of work in and around the opera world. Something that in the past she’s described as an “extravagant hobby” seems to be making a serious play for her time. “I’m just open to whatever interests me and challenges me,” Miller-Heidke says.
“There’s the whole ageing thing too. It’s harder to be a 40-year-old pop star than a 25-year-old. So I guess there’ll be a natural shift at some stage. I’m writing an opera at the moment for Opera Australia, which is opening next year. That’s been really, really fun to write from the perspective of different characters and think of narrative arcs and all of that. So it’s really good for my brain and my creativity to do something different like that.”
Elsewhere, there’s been her and husband Keir Nuttall’s decision to move to Melbourne in January of this year. “A lot of our friends are down here,” she explains. “My mother was down here. And lots of great musicians and people I’d like to live around are here. And of course all of the amazing culture and food and coffee … But I think Brisbane will always feel like home.” If that’s the case, Miller-Heidke will be back home before too long as she sets out on an extensive national tour. “We’ve done one tour for the album launch, and it’s amazing how quickly the [songs] evolve, then settle, then change again,” she says.
“I’m going to be getting a full band together for this tour, which is going to be very exciting. I love playing in a stripped back setting, but there’s also something about a rhythm section that’s undeniable. It’s like getting to drive a V8 instead of a Suzuki.”
‘O Vertigo!’ is available now.
