The day is finally here - Kate Miller-Heidke’s long-awaited new album ‘Child In Reverse’ has been released!
‘Child In Reverse’ is Kate’s fifth studio album and is her first album in six years, following 2014’s ‘O Vertigo!’. Over the past few months, Kate has released four singles from the eleven-track album - ‘This Is Not Forever’, ‘Deluded’, ‘A Quiet Voice’ and most recently, ‘Little Roots, Little Shoots’.
Although Kate has expertise in many musical fields from opera to musical theatre, ‘Child In Reverse’ is one of her most pop albums yet. That being said, don’t expect thumping basslines and synths turned up to eleven. The sounds of ‘Child in Reverse’ can be described as “pop minimalism”, with sparkling yet simple melodies with at times confronting lyrics showcasing the artist’s vulnerabilities. The album was inspired by events in Kate’s life as well as watching her own four-year-old child Ernie growing up, witnessing his own formative experiences.
As well as being one of Kate’s most pop releases, it is also the one with the greatest number of collaborators. Last year, after experiencing post-Eurovision “writer's block moments” and a number of “false starts” including a very “folky” album inspired by the way she and husband Keir Nuttall play live as a duo, Kate attended APRA SongHubs as an artist for the first time ever. Through her time at SongHubs, Kate decided to collaborate with Evan Klar and Hailey Collier after they wrote ‘Deluded’ together on the first day at SongHubs. Other collaborations on the album include Brisbane musician Mallrat on the song ‘Simpatico’.
Speaking to Jaxsta.com, Kate Miller-Heidke reflected on collaborating with other artists:
“It was something I’d always been scared of, being thrust into a room with complete strangers and being forced to collaborate with them.
"I told myself I was scared it would be inauthentic or lame or formulaic, but actually what I think I was really scared of was revealing myself as a fraud and having bad ideas in public. I’ve felt like that ever since I can remember, which is why I’ve always avoided these co-writing sessions.
"But it was a breakthrough moment.”
Kate had even connected with Australia Decides 2020 alumni Jaguar Jonze to help put together her latest album. The musician told Jaxsta:
“I was having a chat on the last day of SongHubs to Jaguar Jonze, and it’s well documented that she had a really hard childhood, and she was talking to me about it. Again it made me reflect on my own childhood.
“Like many kids I was abused as a child, sexually abused by someone trusted to our family, and I’d never written about that before. But after that conversation I just felt, fuck it. So [the song] 'You Can't Hurt Me Anymore' is about dancing on the grave of an arsehole.”
2020 has certainly been a busy year for Kate Miller-Heidke. From performing as a special guest at Australia Decides 2020, to lighting up Aussie TV screens as the Queen in ‘The Masked Singer Australia’, lockdown was certainly no obstacle for her creativity. In addition to this, on Tuesday, Kate took to social media to announce her ‘Live and Intimate’ shows at the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane.
The November 20th show had been selling out so fast that an additional show on Tuesday 24th November has been added. Be sure to book tickets quickly to avoid disappointment.
'Child in Reverse' is available now on Spotify, Apple Music and iTunes: http://katemillerheidke.lnk.to/ChildInReverse
Official Kate Miller-Heidke merchandise is also on sale here (including some incredibly snazzy face masks!)