Heather Nova
SEVEN ALBUMS INTO HER CAREER, HEATHER IS ABOUT TO RELEASE WHAT IS POSSIBLY HER MOST COMPELLING WORK TO DATE.
RECORDED AT HOME IN BERMUDA THE ALBUM, "THE JASMINE FLOWER" IS FULL OF HER TRADEMARK SONGWRITING - DEEPLY EMOTIVE AND MELODICALLY BEAUTIFUL, THE SONGS ARE HAUNTING, SAD AND UPLIFTING ALL AT ONCE.
THE PRODUCTION IS MINIMAL - JUST HEATHER, WITH HER SHIMMERING SOULFUL VOCALS AND A GUITAR, WITH SOME STRINGS (THE POPULAR RAVEN QUARTET) APPEARING ON A FEW TRACKS.
WHERE MORE AND MORE ARTISTS ARE RELYING ON PRODUCTION TRICKS AND THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE AN ALBUM GET NOTICED, IT IS OBVIOUS WHEN HEARING HEATHER'S LATEST WORK THAT ALL YOU REALLY NEED ARE OUTSTANDING SONGS AND A GREAT VOICE TO PRODUCE AN ALBUM THAT STANDS OUT FROM THE CROWD.
HEATHER SAYS OF THIS ALBUM - "I KNOW THIS IS A GOOD ONE BECAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE TO SIT IN A ROOM AND LISTEN TO IT WITH OTHER PEOPLE. I KNOW I MUST HAVE MINED THE DARK SIDE AND TOLD THE TRUTH. I HAVEN'T FELT THIS INTENSE ABOUT AN ALBUM SINCE "OYSTER" (HER BREAKTHROUGH ALBUM WHICH CHARTED WORLD WIDE 12 YEARS AGO) IT WAS LIBERATING TO JUST DO IT ALL BY MYSELF WITHOUT A PRODUCER AND WITHOUT A BAND. IT HAS A RAWNESS, IT BREATHES. "
OF THE TITLE SHE SAYS:
"JASMINE IS A FLOWER THAT BLOOMS AT NIGHT; THIS INCREDIBLY FRAGRANT PURE WHITE LIGHT THAT APPEARS IN THE DARKEST HOUR."
HEATHER GREW UP IN BERMUDA ON A 40 FOOT SAILBOAT BUILT BY HER FATHER. THE ONLY POWER WAS A WIND GENERATED TAPE MACHINE. " YOU CAN TELL THAT MUSIC WAS IMPORTANT TO MY PARENTS - WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A FRIDGE" THE MUSIC PLAYED ON THAT TAPE DECK (ON WINDY DAYS!) INCLUDED NEIL YOUNG, JONI MITCHELL, SIMON AND GARFUNKEL, AND THE BEATLES, ALL OF WHICH INFLUENCED THE YOUNG SONGWRITER.
SHE ENROLLED IN "THE RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN", ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS ART SCHOOLS AT 19 AND STUDIED PAINTING AND FILM MAKING. "BY THE TIME I GRADUATED IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THAT MY PATH WAS MUSIC. WHEN I HAD AN ASSIGNMENT TO CREATE A FILM, THE SOUNDTRACK ALWAYS CAME FIRST - I WOULD MAKE THE SOUNDTRACK AND BUILD THE FILM AROUND IT. MUSIC WAS MY PASSION"
SHE MOVED TO LONDON IN 1989 WITH A GUITAR AND A DEMO TAPE AND STARTED TO PLAY GIGS WHEREVER SHE COULD, SUPPORTING SUCH ARTISTS AS BOB MOULD, THE VIOLENT FEMMES, THE CRANBERRIES. STEVE ABBOTT, FROM BIG CAT RECORDS HEARD HER PLAY AND OFFERED TO MAKE A RECORD WITH HER. HER FIRST RELEASE ON BIG CAT WAS "THESE WALLS" UNDER HER REAL NAME "HEATHER FRITH"
A COUPLE OF YEARS AND A NAME CHANGE LATER SHE RELEASED "GLOW STARS" WHICH MET WITH CRITICAL ACCLAIM AND THAT WAS FOLLOWED SHORTLY WITH "BLOW" A LIVE RECORDING WHICH WAS ALSO RELEASED TO RAVE REVIEWS.
ONE GERMAN NEWSPAPER DUBBED HER "THE QUEEN OF INDIE ROCK"
SHE THEN WENT INTO THE STUDIO WITH PRODUCER "YOUTH" AND CAME OUT WITH "OYSTER" WHICH LANDED HER AN INTERNATIONAL RECORD DEAL WITH SONY , AND OFF OF WHICH SHE HAD HER FIRST HIT "WALK THIS WORLD"
BETWEEN THE RELEASES OF HER NEXT 4 ALBUMS (SIREN, SOUTH, STORM, REDBIRD) ALL OF WHICH CHARTED IN EUROPE, HEATHER HAD HITS WITH HER COLLABORATIONS WITH SWEDISH BAND "ESCOBAR" AND GERMAN ELECTRONIC ARTIST, ATB. SHE PLAYED NUMEROUS FESTIVALS, AND TOURED EXTENSIVELY. SHE ALSO PUBLISHED A BOOK OF POEMS AND DRAWINGS ENTITLED "THE SORROWJOY".
HER SONGS HAVE APPEARED ON MAJOR TV SHOWS SUCH AS DAWSONS CREEK,FELICITY, AND BAYWATCH, AS WELL AS IN HOLLYWOOD FILMS, SUCH AS "SERENDIPITY" AND "CITY OF ANGELS" AND "THE CRAFT"
HEATHER WILL BE HITTING THE ROAD AGAIN IN OCTOBER WITH HER BAND FOR A TOUR OF EUROPE.