With the countdown on towards Eurovision Song Contest 2019, including her appearance in the first semi-final Wednesday morning at 5.00am AEST, award-winning singer songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke has released a new single, Ernie.
In a similar vein to her Eurovision song Zero Gravity, Ernie is an intensely personal song for Kate. She explains the song’s creation, saying, “Ernie was originally written for The Hush Foundation, which creates calming music for children’s hospitals and other stressful environments.
“Having a kid for the first time is an incredible rush of emotions. There’s elation, despair, gratitude, guilt, sorrow, hilarity and love. Ernie’s father and I wrote the song about that onslaught of often contradictory feelings. One minute you are the verge of collapse, and the next you will be weeping tears of joy. It’s a love so intense that it can be scary.”
To help fans get into the full spirit of Eurovision, Kate has prepared an exclusive Apple Music Eurovision playlist. “I’ve always loved artists at Eurovision who can pair a great song with a compelling and original performance. Preferably with a lavish sprinkling of theatricality. From Netta to Cezar to ABBA, here are some of my favourites from Eurovision over the years,” Kate said.
Kate Miller-Heidke is one of Australia’s most celebrated artists, a sublime vocalist who effortlessly traverses the worlds of contemporary pop, folk and opera. She has released four studio albums including O Vertigo! which debuted at number 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart, Nightflight, which reached number 2, and Curiouser, which reached double platinum sales and spawned the multi-platinum hits Last Day On Earth and Caught In The Crowd.
Trained as a classical singer at the Queensland Conservatorium, Kate has performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and held several roles for the English National Opera. Her debut opera as a composer, The Rabbits won 4 Helpmann Awards including Best Score and Best New Australian Work.
Kate’s concert with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra at Mona Foma 2016 in Hobart won the Helpmann Award for Best Australian Contemporary Concert and has since been performed in cities around the country. An album of her concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Live At The Sydney Opera House, was released in 2017 and nominated for 2 ARIA Awards including Best Classical Album.
With her collaborator Keir Nuttall, she has written the music and lyrics to Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical, which premiered at the Sydney Theatre Company and will play a return season in Sydney from June 28. It is currently playing in Melbourne and will head to Brisbane from September 19. It won five Helpmann Awards in 2018, including Best Original Score.