In her first new song in five years, ‘Unashamed Desire’, Missy Higgins sings defiantly that "I've got nothing to hide". However until recently the acclaimed singer/songwriter was still keeping one thing secret ..."I quit".
After selling over a million albums and touring the world performing much loved songs like ‘Scar’, ‘Steer’ and ‘The Special Two’, Missy privately decided to turn her back on music. No fanfare, no John Farnham style " This Really Is, After Many Last Tours, The Last Tour".
Missy's decision wasn't made lightly. In 2007 she released her second album ‘On A Clear Night’ in Australia to critical raves and more ARIA Awards. The follow up to her popular debut ‘The Sound Of White’, her second album became the highest selling Australian release for that year. In 2008 Missy relocated to the U.S. to support its release there. Obviously it meant that heaps of touring would be required. After more than a year of hitting the road ‘Where I Stood’ was matchsticks away from being certified gold in the U.S. and Missy was selling out large theatres, but the grind was taking its toll.
"I'd had more success than I'd ever dreamt of and somehow it didn't bring the happiness I thought it would,” Higgins explains. ``I guess I had a bit of an existential crisis - I thought, how do I become happy? If this doesn’t give me fulfilment, what will? And when you let go of something you’ve always attached to as your identity, what do you do? I’d always been the singer or the musician or the songwriter. And when I quit music, it was terrifying. Who am I without it? It was scary but it was also important to find out.”
All will be revealed as to the journey Higgins took when her hugely anticipated third album ‘The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle’ is finally released in June.
