Kate Miller-Heidke

We wrote about her back in 2008 when her second album Curiouser had been released, and now we've gotten a few tracks in the inbox this week that we can't wait to share. Kate Miller-Heidke was trained in Opera and was supposed to sing with Opera Australia (the principal opera company in Australia) but decided instead to venture into the pop-electro territory with her partner in life and music, Keir Nuttal. "We had no songs. What we had was a huge burst of inspiration. We went into this album with a vision. We mapped out how we wanted it to sound; the aesthetic, the spirit of it. Experimental, hooky, unashamedly pop...we wanted to exploit everything that's unique about my music."

I was a superfan about Kate's hilarious and infectious "Can't Shake It" song two years ago (and still hold is as my personal dance anthem), but I find myself won over yet again with "Are You F*cking Kidding Me? (Facebook Song)." "Politics in Space" is another track off of Curiouser, which was finally released in the US this year in March (her US debut). If you love what you hear, you can catch Kate opening for Ben Folds this summer and performing at the Lilith Fair, and tour dates can be found here.

Are You F*cking Kidding Me? (Facebook Song) [mp3]
Politics In Space [mp3] (iTunes)

International Finds

Kate Miller-Heidke is an Australian singer-songwriter who is well trained in Opera but has now crossed over to pop songs. Her second album, Curiouser, was released in October and has become quite successful with its bumps and flares spouting from each and every which way. Her songs are catchy, quirky and humorously honest- in "Can't Shake it" Kate laments, "I execute the moonwalk like I stepped in shit." In many ways, I think this song was written specially for me.

Can't Shake It - Kate Miller-Heidke [mp3]

Caro is a jazz singer from Amsterdam who incorporates beats, popish hooks, and a carefree-swing to her sound, resulting in music that you can't help but dance to. She's super new to the scene (if the 760 views on myspace are any indication) and has only officially released one single, but it looks like this girl is quite able to bring something wanted, new and fun to the music realm. I hope to hear more from her in the future.

Back It Up - Caro [mp3]


Why are there so many amazing artists named Regina? This Regina hails from Finland and is actually composed of 3 people- Iisa Pajula, Mikko Pykari, and Mikko Rissanen. Regina blends electro-pop, folk, and wonderfully repetitious piano hooks in a delightful way that I just can't seem to get tired of. They debuted in 2005 and are currently working on their third album which will be released in 2009.

Saanko Jäädä Yöksi? - Regina [mp3]