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.
Heavensent
Killing Heidi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking, always over windows
Weeping willow wind blows
You are not alone
Watching, for the sign its reading
Overtime I'm thinking
You are not alone
In time, you will find your heavensent.
With my ass on the line
The sign is reading overtime
I'm thinking you're heavensent.
You're sent.
Ooh yeah..
Waiting in a patient limbo
Wanting only to know,
This is my way home.
Wading through overflowing reason
Can't contain the feeling
This is my way home
Ooh yeah..
In time, you will find your heavensent.
With my ass on the line
The sign is reading overtime
I'm thinking you're heavensent.
Oh oh oh..
With my ass on the line
The sign is reading overtime
And I'm thinking you're heavensent.
Sent, oh oh oh..
You're heavesent
You're heavesent
You're heavensent to me
You were sent to me.
You're heavensent
You're heavensent
You're heavensent
It was meant to be
You're heavensent
You're heavensent
You're heavensent to me
You were sent to me.
With my ass on the line
The sign is reading overtime
And I'm thinking you're heavensent.
Sent, oh oh oh..
With my ass on the line
The sign is reading overtime
And I'm thinking you're heavensent.
The song "Heavensent" by Australian rock band Killing Heidi talks about finding a perfect love that makes you feel like you're meant to be together. The lyrics suggest the longing for a deep connection that will take you home, where you belong. This is highlighted in the first verse where the band mentions walking and watching for a sign that tells them they are not alone. The chorus declares that the person they are thinking of is heaven-sent - a sign that they have found the one they are meant to be with.
The bridge also emphasizes the feeling of being patient and waiting for the revelation of the perfect match. The repetition of "You're heavensent" in the final lines confirms the singer's faith that the person they are thinking of is indeed their true love, and that they were meant to be together.
Overall, "Heavensent" is a song about the yearning for a love that feels like it was "meant to be" and takes you home. It's a declaration of faith in finding that special someone.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah..
Expressing a feeling of excitement and anticipation.
Walking, always over windows
Continuously looking out and searching.
Weeping willow wind blows
The environment around me is sorrowful and emotional.
You are not alone
You have someone beside you, who is close and aware of your situation.
Watching, for the sign its reading
Observing any indication or signal that presents itself.
Overtime I'm thinking
Gradually, my thoughts are consumed and deepening.
You are not alone
You are not single-handedly facing your problems.
In time, you will find your heavensent.
Eventually, you will discover the thing that was intended for you all along.
With my ass on the line
Risking everything.
The sign is reading overtime
The signal is becoming increasingly compelling.
I'm thinking you're heavensent.
I believe you were brought to me for a reason.
Waiting in a patient limbo
Anticipating a moment of breakthrough or resolution.
Wanting only to know,
Desiring to have an understanding of the situation or circumstance.
This is my way home.
This situation feels familiar and reminiscent of the past.
Wading through overflowing reason
Navigating through layers of logic and assessment.
Can't contain the feeling
Unable to manage or regulate the emotional component of this situation.
This is my way home
This pathway will eventually lead me to safety.
You're sent.
You have been purposefully delivered to me.
You're heavensent
You were brought to me by a higher power or destiny.
You were sent to me.
You were meant to cross my path.
It was meant to be
This encounter was fated to happen.
You're heavensent to me
Your arrival has a positive significance to my life.
And I'm thinking you're heavensent.
I believe that you have been sent for a higher purpose.
Sent, oh oh oh..
Delivered, oh oh oh..
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cs512tr
fantastic song and she is absolutely stunning here
@rileycassidy1096
You're not wrong. She is stunning
@JamesJimmaHarding
Will always remind me of being 11 years old in April 2002 and sleeping with the lights on and having music playing every night to help me sleep since I was afraid of the dark as a kid. This is still my favourite song off So Fresh Autumn 2002 ❤🤘
@rubblestork8547
I was afraid of the dark too
@aaronhisminiatures6129
God i still have an art book full of killing heidi pics & facts from back in high school! LOVE this band, just bought my 3rd copy of 'reflector' the other day actually hahaha
@cupslinga
658 views....surely not, thee best decade of Aussie music!
@pyros411
Take me back to when this was new...
@peterpouchkareff7863
WOW, Ella Hooper... Ive always loved her and her music.
@WarriorsSon
Always liked the song.
1st time viewing the film clip.
Enjoyed the time capsule😊
@tenayegilligan1488
One of my all time favorite songs 🥰