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.
Mascara
Killing Heidi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because your eyes are always on your feet
If you ever looked up, you'd see the sun
And the morning, you wonder why things are so bleak
Boring and old are the things you're told
About the outside world
Just wearing black won't take care of that
You're down on your knees trying to appease
Somebody's mixed up statements
'Cause in not much time
Your beliefs that are lies will be left by the pavement
Walking and always talking
Never listening, you just kick back
How do you handle all the bullshit
That gets thrown your way?
Boring and old are the things you're told
About the outside world
And just wearing black won't take care of that
Don't be stupid, girl
Don't be stupid
You're down on your knees trying to appease
Somebody's mixed up statements
'Cause in not much time
Your beliefs that are lies will be left by the pavement
They'll be left by the way
I've been doing some thinking
About all your preaching and I don't wanna know
'Cause that's just conforming
That is not what you want to be
Boring and old are the things you're told
About the outside world
And just wearing black won't take care of that
Don't be stupid, girl
Don't be stupid
You're down on your knees trying to appease
Somebody's mixed up statements
'Cause in not much time
Your beliefs that are lies will be left by the pavement
They'll be left by the way
Oh, left by the pavement
Oh, don't be so stupid, girl
You're in your world of dressing black, won't take care of that
Don't be, be so stupid, girl
The lyrics of Killing Heidi's song Mascara describe a person who is lost and disillusioned with the world. The singer of the song is depicted as someone who is constantly looking down and not paying attention to the beauty and potential around her. The first verse implies that if the singer would just lift her head up and take a look around, everything would appear less bleak. The chorus seems to suggest that the singer is trapped in a particular "world" where she's given certain advice (i.e., to wear black), which she takes to heart without question.
The third verse is a turning point, where the singer realizes the futility of trying to follow someone else's (possibly misguided) advice. She is tired of trying to conform to someone else's idea of how to live life and has realized that what she wants to be is not someone who is "boring and old," but someone who is independent and makes their own decisions.
Overall, the song is an anthem for people who feel lost and unfulfilled, encouraging them to examine their beliefs and challenge the status quo. It also seems to suggest that people should take ownership of their lives and express themselves authentically rather than trying to please others or conform to society's expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Stumbling along, looking at nothing
You are so focused on your feet and not paying any attention to what's around you
Because your eyes are always on your feet
You have tunnel vision and miss all the beauty around you
If you ever looked up, you'd see the sun
If you took a moment to pause and look around, you might find some beauty or positivity in the world
And the morning, you wonder why things are so bleak
You wake up each day feeling pessimistic and negative about the world
Boring and old are the things you're told about the outside world
You're being fed repetitive and uninspired messages about the world
Just wearing black won't take care of that
Your all-consuming focus on dressing in black won't solve your problems
Don't be stupid, girl
Wake up and make an effort to see the world in a different light
You're down on your knees trying to appease somebody's mixed up statements
You're so desperate for validation and acceptance that you're willing to compromise your beliefs
'Cause in not much time, your beliefs that are lies will be left by the pavement
Eventually, your misguided beliefs and actions will catch up to you and be exposed as lies
Walking and always talking, never listening, you just kick back
You're too wrapped up in your own thoughts and chatter to truly listen to others
How do you handle all the bullshit that gets thrown your way?
You're constantly facing negativity and challenges, and you struggle to cope
I've been doing some thinking about all your preaching and I don't wanna know
Others are tired of your negative attitude and preaching, and don't want to be involved
'Cause that's just conforming, that is not what you want to be
Your current attitude and behavior is simply conforming to social expectations, and not true to who you want to be
Left by the pavement, don't be so stupid, girl
Your lies and negative behavior will be left behind by those who truly live their lives to the fullest
You're in your world of dressing black, won't take care of that
Your obsession with dressing in black won't fix your problems or the negativity you're facing
Don't be, be so stupid, girl
Don't continue on this path of negativity and lies, make a change and embrace the world around you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ELLA KEIGHERY HOOPER, JESSE KEIGHERY HOOPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chriswharton9092
Reckon this is one of the all time best songs by Australian band artists.., in my honest opinion. Love it to death. I’m 63 and have heard the best of the best in Aussie music. This stacks up, for sure.
@myronkolasa3525
Its a great song mate.
Im 53 also and it holds its own.
@rhyffraff
I was a kid when this was released. I hated it because my sister loved it. 20 years into actually playing and writing music I love this song
@alexspano6970
@@myronkolasa3525 56 here..
@fabianconway8822
63 been through the top of Australian pub Bands I don’t think so …..What a Joke 🤡
@lauramcdermott482
This song instantly transports me back to being 14 years old and seeing Killing Heidi performing a free concert at the Robina Town Shopping Centre on the Goldy. Awwwwww. So many memories <3
@ChaingunCassidy
They must have done that nationally because I went to a free show they did in Dubbo.
@tanyapawlow5977
Hi there it's killing Heidi awesome chic
@FrostyMiller
I saw them at a free street gig in Ballarat, VIC at around the same time! Great memories.
@3runjosh
oldschool robina shopping centre, such a good place to be. Miss that version. Wish I was there for that event