MISSY HIGGINS

Announces New Single ‘FUTON COUCH’

& Special Guest On ED SHEERAN’S National Tour

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Every story has to start somewhere; for beloved Australian singer/songwriter Missy Higgins it all starts with a futon couch. That’s where she was sitting when she first met the man who would become her husband. And that’s also the story she tells in her new single that was unveiled today.

The quirky “Futon Couch” ushers in a fresh chapter in Missy’s career starting with today’s other surprise news that Ed Sheeran has invited her to be special guest on his Australian stadium tour. Missy will perform a 40 minute set from approximately 7.30pm on all of his shows next month reaching an audience of nearly a million people from Perth to Brisbane.

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“I’m profoundly grateful for the opportunity to share a stage with Ed and play to so many people but it’s aready giving me butterflies”,  says Missy. “I don’t know whether I’m excited or terrified – probably a bit of both!”

It was also announced today that “Futon Couch” and the Ed Sheeran tour will lead into the early May release of Missy’s first album of original songs in 6 years. “Solastalgia” will be her fifth studio release. Her previous albums have sold well over a million copies globally and yielded Aussie classics like “Scar”, “The Special Two”, “Where I Stood”, “Steer” and “Everyone’s Waiting”. Her songs have also also earned Missy a phenomenal 24 ARIA Award nominations, including five as this country’s “Best Female Artist”.

Like the lead single, this new set of tunes was created over the last two years with a new slew of collaborators, particularly co-producer Pip Norman (TZU, Troye Sivan, Dan Sultan) and New York based mixer John O’Mahony (Vance Joy, Coldplay, Metric). “Solastalgia” will see Missy exploring some new territory, both sonically and lyrically.

“There’s so much inspiring music being made out there in people’s bedrooms on their computers”, explains Missy. “I wanted to see what sounds and beats we could conjure out of the electronic ether, and then try to wrap some stories and traditional instruments around them. It’s a huge journey, this album.”

The first step on that journey is “Futon Couch” …

“This is the happiest song on the record, so I wanted to start with it”, Missy explains. “It’s not often I write a straight-out, “f**k it I love you” song. It is the story of me meeting my husband in Broome, Western Australia. He was my good friend’s housemate and one day he walked into the living room where I was waiting for my friend. I sat on the Futon Couch making small-talk with him while he did the dishes and I thought: “where did THIS guy come from and why is he so lovely and how can I surreptitiously arrange to hang out with him more?” After that day, I popped round for tea at my friend’s house way more often. We fell in love. We sang “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” together at our friend’s wedding the following week and a few years later, I walked down the aisle towards him. This single tracks the beginning of our relationship and follows it into an unknown future.”