The nucleus of Killing Heidi was singer/songwriter Ella Hooper and her older brother, guitarist Jesse Hooper. They grew up in Violet Town, a small Victorian country town, with a population of approximately 2,000 where their parents worked as music and drama teachers.
They started jamming together at home; Ella singing while Jesse played the guitar. They played an acoustic gig together at the Violet Town Arts Festival in 1996, when Ella was 13 years old. Bent Records label owner and local record studio owner, Jamie Durrant, offered them some time in a studio with a couple of schoolmates as the rhythm section. They submitted these recordings into the Triple J Unearthed competition in 1996 and the track "Kettle" won the competition for their area of rural Victoria. "Kettle" was written by Ella Hooper; Brian Walton and Jessie Hooper added some guitar parts later.
The name "Killing Heidi" came from the band members generating two lists before their first gig; one filled with "soft" words, one with "harsh" words. Killing was chosen as the harsh, Heidi the soft. According to the band, the name basically means "the end of innocence".
Producer Paul Kosky who had worked with Crowded House, Rage Against the Machine, Kate Ceberano, and The Clouds was looking for a band to manage and sign to his new recording label Wah Wah Music. He decided to check out a very basic live performance by Killing Heidi. He developed the band from the ground up for the next two years working on songwriting, song structure and overall direction of the music. He became the manager of the band and arranged a contract with Roadshow Music (who had a contract with Savage Garden) for his label, Killing Heidi had also acquired a new rhythm section (which Kosky sourced and introduced to Killing Heidi) with Adam Pedretti (ex-Non-Intentional Lifeform) on drums and Warren Jenkin on bass. They recorded the rest of the first album in 1998.
Killing Heidi's first single "Weir" was released in August 1999 and reached #6 on the ARIA charts (and Platinum sales) by the end of 1999. The second single "Mascara", about self-image and individuality, was released in December 1999 and reached the top of the Australian charts on January 30th 2000, which was Ella's 17th birthday. - it stayed at #1 for three weeks, also achieving Platinum status.
The band's debut album Reflector was released in early 2000 and debuted at #1, quickly becoming the fastest-selling album in Australian music history. The album spent seven weeks at #1 on the ARIA charts, and spawned two further singles: "Live Without It" and "Superman Supergirl".
Reflector eventually sold over 350,000 albums in Australia, earning 5x platinum status and Killing Heidi won four ARIA Music Awards in October 2000.
The band's momentum halted when a cyst was found on Hooper's vocal cords and she underwent an operation in 2001. Her voice was slow to recover, which "destroyed any confidence [Ella Hooper] had in her voice."
The band recorded its second album Present, despite Hooper's continuing problems with her vocal cords. This album was not as successful as its predecessor, selling only 50,000 copies and failing to make the top ten of the Australian album charts. It spawned two singles - "Heavensent" which reached the top 30 in early 2002 and "Outside Of Me" which reached a peak of #12 later in 2002; a third song from the album, "Ammyl", was released to radio in 2003 but was never released as a commercial single.
In 2002 manager Paul Kosky and the band split in an ending characterized as "acrimonious"; the split "almost spelt the end" for the band, and left Kosky feeling that he was the scapegoat blamed for the problems with the second album.
Chris Robinson bought out Kosky's share of their partnership and became the band's new manager.
In late 2003, the band spent three months in Los Angeles recording their next album.
The first single from the band's third album was "I Am", released on July 12, 2004. Debuting at #16 on the Australian singles charts, it spent three months in the Top 50 charts and reached Gold sales. It also features on the Australian version of the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack.
In late August 2004, Killing Heidi released their third studio album. Self-titled as Killing Heidi, the album featured a less styled and more sonically expressive sound. It debuted at #7 on the charts, again only reaching gold and then fell out of the charts relatively quickly.
In September 2004, the second single from the album, "Calm Down" was released, peaking at #23. Early 2005 saw a third song from the album, "Running Underwater" released to radio, but like "Ammyl" in 2003, it was not released as a commercial single and received very little radio airplay. Later in 2005, Killing Heidi left Sony BMG.
In mid-2006, rumours began to surface in the media of the possibility of Killing Heidi breaking up. The reports continued for several weeks, with articles in some magazines and newspapers claiming the band had already split. The band clarified the situation in a blog entry on their MySpace page:
"Oh the waiting... oh the waiting.... ok, hi everyone. Here is the news: We are taking a break from killing heidi for a while but do not see this as a break up! It is us needing to try something else for a little while cos its all we've done for 9 years now. Killing Heidi will be playing some shows in the next 6 months so if you really want to you can get to these shows. I will post the dates as they are confirmed. Ella and Jesse are working on a new as yet unnamed project and will be playing in vic and nsw trying out new material and playing a few oldies too. Pedro is rocking with the very loud and very talented "Monster Truck Extravaganza" (see our top friends for a link to their myspace) so check them out when they start doing shows soon. Hopefully you guys will like what we all get up to over the next little while!!! There have been requests to change the new traks to downloads so i will look into that too!!! Thanks everyone for your continued support, we love playing for you guys and look forward to seeing on the road again soon!!!"
Ella Hooper, after spending time with Jesse in The Verses, is now a solo artist. However in 2016, the band announced they were reforming for their 20th anniversary.
Coming On
Killing Heidi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing to hold me here
I can't get rid of all the words they said
Yeah they're ringing in my ears
Why do you pull away?
I see you running
Hiding from the sun and again
I can hear them saying, I
I feel the night it's coming on
I feel the night it's coming on
I feel the night it's coming on
It's coming, it's coming
Chorus
When you're sick of running away
An' you're tired an' you don't wanna play anymore
Are you scared it's all in your head?
Ignore what they said
Running on back 'cause you know
You know
Feels like tonight I'm thrashing in my bed
An' I'm looking for truth
It feels like life is a means to an end
In another day or two
Why do you pull away?
I see you running, hiding from the sun and again
I can hear them saying, I
I feel the night it's coming on
I feel the night it's coming on
I feel the night it's coming on
It's coming, it's coming
Repeat Chorus Twice
Now let it go, let it all, let it go
I'm not anymore, not anymore, anymore
Now let it go, let it all, let it go
I'm not anymore, not anymore, anymore
Feels like tonight I'm running in my head
Nothing to hold me here
I can't get rid of all the words they said
You know they're ringing in my ears
Repeat Chorus Four Times
The lyrics of Killing Heidi's song, "Coming On", depict the mental and emotional turmoil of the singer. She feels like she's running in her head - a metaphor that highlights the confusion, chaos, and restlessness she's experiencing. The line "Nothing to hold me here" suggests a sense of detachment, possibly from people or situations in her life. The words of others have taken root in her mind, causing her to hear them ringing in her ears. Her thought processes lead her to question why someone is pulling away and running from the sun, possibly referring to a person who may be experiencing their own struggles with mental health.
The repetition of the line "I feel the night it's coming on" emphasizes the darkness and uncertainty of the singer's current state. However, the chorus provides a glimmer of hope in that the singer acknowledges the need to stop running away and face her struggles head-on. Interestingly, the song progresses from feeling as though the singer is trapped in her own head to recognizing her need to confront her problems.
Overall, the song Coming On by Killing Heidi is a deeply introspective and melancholy song about mental and emotional struggles. It is a testimony to the importance of recognizing our own struggles and the necessity of facing them.
Line by Line Meaning
Feels like tonight I'm running in my head
Tonight I feel like I am overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions
Nothing to hold me here
There is nothing keeping me anchored or grounded
I can't get rid of all the words they said
I am unable to forget or disregard what others have told me
Yeah they're ringing in my ears
Their words and criticisms are constantly replaying in my mind
Why do you pull away?
I wonder why you distance yourself from me
I see you running
I notice that you avoid confrontation or tough situations
Hiding from the sun and again
You tend to hide from or avoid the light or positivity in your life
I can hear them saying, I
Their negative words and comments continue to echo in my mind
I feel the night it's coming on
I sense that a difficult time is approaching
When you're sick of running away
When you are tired of avoiding your problems
An' you're tired an' you don't wanna play anymore
When you are exhausted and no longer wish to engage in this game of life
Are you scared it's all in your head?
Do you fear that everything you are experiencing is just a figment of your imagination?
Ignore what they said
Do not let the negativity of others hold you down
Running on back 'cause you know
Retreat to a place where you are comfortable and safe
Feels like tonight I'm thrashing in my bed
It feels like I am unable to sleep peacefully
An' I'm looking for truth
I am searching for honesty and authenticity
It feels like life is a means to an end
Living feels like a chore or necessity rather than something enjoyable or fulfilling
In another day or two
In the near future
Now let it go, let it all, let it go
Release yourself from these burdens
I'm not anymore, not anymore, anymore
I am no longer holding on to these negative thoughts and feelings
Repeat Chorus Four Times
Restate the lyrical message of the chorus four times
Contributed by Camilla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.