It’s been quite the year for Kate Miller-Heidke. After going independent, this Australian songstress has had the opportunity to work on ‘The Rabbits’, a phenomenal new opera in collaboration with Barking Gecko, plus branch out into television with her debut this December on new ABC drama ‘The Divorce’.
But after all these recent successes, all Miller-Heidke wants for Christmas is a beard downstairs. Yes…you read that right. ‘I’m Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas’ is the name of her new charity Christmas single created in collaboration with The Beards. But more on that in a moment…
“It is really hard to get a new opera off the ground,” Miller-Heidke said of the process of creating new opera ‘The Rabbits’. “Perth was the first outing and then we played in Melbourne a few months ago so I had the chance to do a whole bunch of revisions: we had some cuts and added some new pieces. Which I think is really important for large scale theatre works. There are certain things that only become apparent after you have performed it.
“It is something I’ve always wanted to do and felt a deep affinity for. It was a massive learning experience for me but I think a lot of it was very instinctive. It has to be artistically a very free process and my editing brain had to go out the window. For me it was something that came quite instinctively.”
To add to the success, The Rabbits won four Helpmann Awards this year, a clear nod that, yes, Miller-Heidke’s instincts are on point, especially with a Sydney season of the fast approaching this January.
“That was lovely to get that acknowledgement. I think it proves that people are really hungry for new work and new musical work in this country.”
But let’s get back to this beard business. ‘I’m Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas’ is the catchiest Christmas single to be released this year (yeah sorry Kylie). But not only is it’s humour in the right place, so is its heart: all proceeds from the single go to Bowel Cancer Australia, who are holding their annual fundraiser, Decembeard. Now that’s an awful lot of facial hair references.
“The Bears and I have performed together before,” Miller-Heidke said of the process that led to the release of this single. “Now if any of your readers don’t know who they are they are Australia’s premier facial hair themed rock band. They only sing songs about beards. I’ve been on tour with them: they’re friends of mine and I’m a fan.
“Somebody on Twitter suggested we do a Christmas duet and I immediately thought of that title and in that moment it was not a matter of if but when. It had to be that. It couldn’t be anything else. The song had to be about beards and about Christmas and if I’m singing a song that’s the closest thing I get to growing a beard.”
The song itself points fun at the new millennial trend of The Brazilian, but Miller-Heidke is quick to point out that the single is about fun, not a moral crusade on women’s rights.
“I’d love to say that this song was part of a moral crusade that I am waging but actually it’s all just about the funny jokes. For me modern feminism is all about letting women do whatever the fuck they want to do so I would never preach to anyone about how to maintain their hair or not.”
Which only really leaves one logical conclusion: what’s her opinion on merkins?
“In my life I’ve never had need of one. I guess I’ve never been in that situation. I guess they’re more for special performances. I’m definitely not an expert on pubic hair. There was an old lady on Twitter that was complaining that she was excluded from being able to grow her downstairs beard since her hair had stopped growing down there so yeah….perhaps a merkin would be a good option for her.”
Kate Miller-Heidke will be appearing at J-Shed in Fremantle on March 4. Tickets are available now, as is the single I’m Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas, all proceeds from which go to support Bowel Cancer Australia.
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
