Heather Nova
Heather Nova ( born July 6, 1967 in Bermuda as Heather Allison Frith ) is a Bermuda-based musician, singer and poet who is best known in Europe. Having long lived in London, it is now moved back to Bermuda. Heather Nova is known primarily as a musician and singer. They also published poems and illustrated some of their albums and a collection of poems the sorrowjoy itself
- 5.1 albums
- 5.2 Singles
- 5.3 Miscellaneous
Music and singing
The albums Heather Nova, starting with Glowstars (1993 ), move in their development from the indie rock and the successful especially at the beginning and middle of the 1990s towards a composing singers ( Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, etc.) forward in the integration of elements and pop music. The transition represents South (2001) here, which followed the rockier albums Oyster (1994) and Siren ( 1998). With Storm ( 2003), she once again created a guitar -heavy work, while Redbird (2005), in turn, combines several variations of the predecessor. In contrast, The Jasmine Flower ( 2008) concentrated by greatly reduced Instrumentation turn almost entirely on the distinctive voice of the singer.
Because of this career to Heather Nova uses very different instruments for their music. In the 1990s, had their characteristic instruments the guitar and the cello, so Heather Nova joined frequently in concerts with a classic rock band ( guitar, bass, and drums ), which was supplemented by a cello, which is not typical for rock music. Meanwhile, she also uses the keyboard. For quieter songs she often uses the acoustic guitar, formerly in conjunction with the cello, nowadays with the Q- Chord, the tambourine, the violin or the piano. For their studio albums she has also been the theremin used that it has itself recorded. On the album Redbird, she worked with, among others with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and a gospel choir. A departure from elements of pop, and thus a return offers The Jasmine Flower. In addition to the acoustic guitar, the songs are only accompanied by a string ensemble.
With its richly varied vocal Heather Nova describes the tension between deep-seated sentiments, especially the melancholy, and their emotional escalation, such as despair, or short-term hope. Their music and vocals are therefore often interspersed with sudden rhythm and octave changes.
Lyrics
Heather Nova presents as a songwriter mostly his own songs, occasionally they also interpreted cover songs known rock musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Nick Cave.
The intense lyrics of singer draw on autobiographical experiences, a strong connection to nature and psychological observation of interpersonal relationships. These areas are often ornate and richly woven metaphor in the plays Heather Nova together. Their origin from the archipelago of Bermuda has mainly found its way here in their imagery, recurring are key concepts such as Ocean, Sea, Shell, Sky or Bird.
Especially in the earlier songs (on Glowstars, Oyster, Siren ) - which earned her a categorization as Angry Young Woman - dominated the discussion with relationship problems, is being tried, the need for mutual trust to stress (Throwing Fire at the Sun, Heart and Shoulder is ), but also the failure always included as an option ( I'm Alive ). Here, Heather Nova is not afraid, issues such as abuse ( Sugar, Blue Black ) and death to speak ( Walking Higher, If I Should Die).
In addition to an increasing awareness of self-determination ( I'm the Girl, Virus of the Mind ) found, from Redbird, after the birth of her son Sebastian, a number of texts that include the topic of motherhood. On The Jasmine Flower, however, a recurrence of motifs of insecurity and loss is recognized. Since Heather Nova Siren works frequently in joint productions or duets with other musicians (among Moby, Eskobar, ATB), they also wrote their own interpretation of the classic Gloomy Sunday as the soundtrack for the German - Hungarian film A Song of Love and death (1999).
Of poems
In 2002, Heather Nova, published a book of poetry under the programmatic title the sorrowjoy, which she also illustrated himself. Her poetry has thematic proximity to the song lyrics on, the imagery is inspired by their Bermudian home, particularly the nature of the archipelago (sea, fauna, etc., cf rain in the tropics, eastern blue cut, at sea ). They are mostly composed by rhythmically, but obey any strict form, but the free verse (rare verses, many Enjambements, including prose poems).
Content, the lyrics are aware of a strong subjectivity, this manifests itself - in addition to poems, the family members are dedicated (blue -eyed lion, ode to my grandfather, my father ) - in a rather pessimistic resignation trains (including the poison, soon alaska, like spiders ), but contrasted with the joy of inconspicuous, everyday life and interpersonal (the amber, digital, the abandon ).
A special feature of the book is written almost entirely in lowercase.
Biography
Childhood in Bermuda and study art (1967-1989)
Heather Frith was born in 1967 as the daughter of a Bermudian father, whose ancestors can be traced back to the island for over 300 years, and a Canadian mother. She has a brother ( Mishka ), the reggae singer, and a sister ( Susannah ).
Her father had, like many other break in the late 1960s also, the dream of the society and lead a frugal, self-sufficient life with his family. He gave up his job as an architect, took his children out of school, sold his house, bought a small island in Bermuda, far from civilization and built a 12 -foot sailboat, the Moon. The family now spent their time mostly on the island and partly on the boat in which they sailed through the Caribbean. Heather was at that time about ten years old, their proximity to the sea will later have an impact on many of their lyrics.
On the Moon, she learned through her music-loving parents the songs of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Van Morrison and their contemporaries know. Heather got a guitar and a violin and began to write her first song.
After a few years on the Moon Heather left the boat to make in the U.S. graduate from high school and enrolled after the age of 18 at the Rhode Iceland School of Design ( RISD ) in Providence, in order Performing Arts (English: visual arts ) to study with the main subjects film, animation and video. She learned while making films, but was also interested in poetry and painting and continued to write songs for guitar. During this time, solidified her career aspirations to become a musician. After the successful completion of the RISD in 1989 and a short time in New York, where she unsuccessfully competed at labels, Heather Frith moved in the same year to London to try their luck career.
The first successes, international breakthrough (1990-1997)
In London she met in 1990 Felix death, know the singer of Candy Land, which her producer ( and later her husband) is also Abbo of Big Cat Records ( Pavement, Luscious Jackson, Jeff Buckley ), who endowed them with a recording contract. She published 1990 Heather Frith EP and performed the opening act for The Violent Femmes, The Cranberries and Bob Mould. Also, Youth, ex- guitarist of Killing Joke, is a great supporter.
Under their now new stage name ' Heather Nova ' (the name ' Frith ' was often mispronounced ) was released in 1993 on the Butterfly label of Youth Glow Stars their first album, which was recorded at home on an 8 -track recorder. With the success of the live album Blow, which followed in the same year, Heather Nova could now put together a band and give his first concerts in mainland Europe. On Blow the cello was heard, brainchild of Felix 's death, for at that time a most unusual instrumentation for a rock singer. The cellist Nadia Lanman is musically over the years their faithful companion. The cover of Blow and EP Spirit in You are drawings by Heather Nova. Besides music, the painting is her great passion.
Her international breakthrough came with the first studio album Oyster in 1994., And they became very popular, especially in Germany and the Netherlands. Another (recorded in Amsterdam) live album Live from the Milky Way was published in 1995 in the U.S., making Heather Nova presented itself on the American market. With the hit single Walk This World followed a two-year world tour that brought Heather Nova from Europe to North America, Japan, and even New Zealand. In Berlin, they played in front of 25,000 spectators in the opening act for Neil Young and Pearl Jam. The NDR 2 Radio concert from the Hamburg Knust in March 1996, as well her first appearance (out of four ) in the WDR Rockpalast in June 1996, was among the supporters of special attention and led by the media distribution to a significant increase in popularity. For this reason, her first work Heather Frith EP was re-released in 1997 as The First Recording.
Establishment, publication of poems (1998-2003)
In the summer of 1998, the long awaited successor of Oyster, the album Siren was released, which again represented a huge success. In Germany graced Heather Nova's face many front pages of music magazines, she became a regular guest on music television. There was a long tour of Europe, on the live album Wonderlust was recorded. In the U.S., she gave many concerts. In addition, they now turned increasingly to various side projects. Heather Nova was invited to the theme song Gloomy Sunday the German - Hungarian film to sing a song of love and death, and published it in 1999 as a single. On the other hand, she worked with the Swedish band Eskobar together, with whom she recorded the single Someone New. The live album Wonderlust appeared in 2000.
The studio album South, which came on the market in 2001, fell short of expectations. The criticism extended primarily to the fact that the album was generally trimmed from their record company V2 Records to " Hittauglichkeit ". Heather Nova took the consequences and produced their albums from now itself. A large, successful tour was followed with the album South yet.
In the spring of 2002, Heather Nova first time published a book of poetry. The book contains 45 poems the sorrowjoy, all of which were written by her. In addition, the book contains a number of drawings from her pen. The book was published in self-published and could be bought at their concerts.
The album Storm 2003 was again a return to old strengths. Heather Nova had recently moved from London to Bermuda and bought a house there. The production of the album, she took into their own hands, the songs were re- recorded "stripped down" with little technical equipment. In addition, Heather Nova was able to publish the album on Big Cat Records, the label, which has hosted the EP Heather Frith, also known as These Walls known, was published. The first single River of Life shows as the title picture an old black and white photo of the boat Moon, on the Heather Nova spent many years of her childhood. When importing the album it was supported by the American rock band Mercury Rev. A London concert the subsequent successful tour was recorded and excerpts published as Live at the Union Chapel on DVD.
Motherhood, social projects, development (since 2004)
Heather Nova's first child was born in Bermuda on 26 January 2004. Her son Sebastian was also the main inspiration for the album Redbird, which appeared in 2005, it was followed by another European tour.
The end of 2005 was released on her single Bermuda Together as One, with the proceeds she wants to support the Bermuda Sloop Foundation and thus the peaceful coexistence of Bermuda's youth. Also another social commitment falls into this time: Heather Nova supports projects for the freedom of elephants, against Delphi parks, against the planned cutting down of the Botanical Gardens in Bermuda, raises money for the Bermuda Aquarium Museum & Zoo, gives free concerts, the proceeds of local Bermudan environmental organizations benefit and also campaigns against the arms trade.
2006 was the book the sorrowjoy, which was released four years earlier, set to music, enriched with Ambient Music and sold as a CD at concerts. When the tour in March 2006 Heather Nova made her first appearance with a violinist and a pianist. So could experience many of their famous songs in very unusual ways their followers. Concerts in July and August 2006 there were again held with her rock band. In April 2007, the album Trilogy by ATB to the Heather Nova had written three songs and they also sang, including the single Renegade appeared.
In October 2008, the acoustic album The Jasmine Flower has been published. This was followed in the years 2008 to 2010, several European tours and an appearance in New York. Partial found this concerts with full band, partly as a pure acoustic concerts with the Vienna multi-instrumentalist Arnulf Lindner. Here, Heather Nova was very experimental. So were musically talented fans to play the song Paper Cup on stage. She also appeared on together with other artists (Taylor Rankin, Joy T. Barnum and Max Lasser ). On some concerts VIP tickets were sold ( including backstage meet and greet ). In addition, official recordings of her acoustic concerts were available on Heather Nova's website. On the edge of fall tour 2010, she has appeared in various hospitals (Psychiatry and Children's Hospital ) to "bring music to the people who just can not for the music."
Since the summer 2010 tour some songs ( Burning to Love, Everything Changes, Save a Little Piece of Tomorrow, Turn the Compass Round) of the new album 300 Days at Sea, which was released in May 2011, were presented.
Discography
Albums
Singles
Others
- 2002: The Sorrowjoy (Book - ISBN 0954211502 )
- 2006: The Sorrowjoy (CD)