Missy Higgins
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To coincide with the start of a three-month national theatre tour, Missy Higgins unveiled a new song today called “The Second Act”. Not only did this yearning and hopeful ballad inspire the name of her “anniversary tour with a difference” but she has also revealed that ‘The Second Act’ will be the title for her first full length studio album in six years. The confessional collection of new works is available for LP/CD pre-order HERE right now and will be released Friday 6th September on the actual 20th anniversary of ‘The Sound Of White’s’ instore date.
As well as this new single drop, today also marks the release of a deluxe LP/CD and digital Anniversary Edition of her trailblazing debut album which contains previously unreleased live versions of every song and liner notes written by the artist herself. This unusual fusion of past and present music releases – all on the same day – makes sense given that Missy has described ‘The Second Act’ as “a kind of sequel” to ‘The Sound Of White.’
“I wrote all those songs on the first album when I was in my late teens when I never thought anyone would hear them, so they were very personal, like I was writing my secrets in a diary”, Missy explains. “I did less of that on later albums for lots of reasons but lately I realized I’d gone back to that confessional mode of songwriting. I guess it’s been my way of dealing with the end of my marriage. So, I feel like I’ve come full circle … I was starting life from scratch at 20 and now, like lots of people, I’m figuring out how to start life all over again at 40.”
The Second Act Tour hits Canberra and Sydney this week for the first five of 37 sold out dates which will bring this unique live experience to over 70,000 Australians. At each show Missy will take the stage early and perform two sets. The first will be performed largely in solo mode and feature rarely performed fan favourites plus some new songs from ‘The Second Act’ album which will be released after the tour. Then after an intermission she will return for a second set introducing her band to perform ‘The Sound Of White’ in its entirety plus a few of her other hits.
This unusual mix of old and new music, across two separate Acts, makes clear creative sense. The two sets of songs share a strongly introspective focus and lots of recurring lyrical threads. Despite being written two decades apart, these albums see Missy grappling with the same questions from different points in time.
“They’re both looking forward nervously and wondering what comes next. They’re both asking questions like “who am I?” and “who do I want to be?” so I liked the idea of previewing some of this new material in the first act of a live show, then going back to the start of the story in the second act. Plus it will just be fun to play all those old songs again for the first time in ages. At very least it will be something different and if I’ve learned anything over the last year or two it’s that you’ve got to keep embracing new challenges!”
Since being Unearthed by Triple J back in 2002 when she was still at high school then carving a career on her own terms Missy has helped to inspire local female singer/songwriters including Amy Shark, Thelma Plum, Gretta Ray, Gordi and Angie McMahon who have all cited her as a formative influence.
After 20 years, 26 ARIA Award nominations, and three chart topping albums Missy Higgins continues to blaze her own trail – including this new tour which will be one of her biggest ever. Her ‘Second Act’ proves that if great male Australian solo artists can enjoy lifelong conversations with broad audiences then it’s way past time for Australian women to be able to do it too.