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.
Miss You
Killing Heidi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My energy is all used up
Pretending I don't care
The distance is a wall between
A signal interrupted
Can't say what I really mean
Sense suffocation everyday
I share your breath from far away, away
Chorus
This time you should know that I miss you, don't walk away
If only I could find the words and finally say what I meant to say
Repeat Chorus
Another perfect ending ruined
Too much time to sit and think
Of what I'd rather do
Wasted time, oh I fill my head with anything
To keep you from my mind, this time
Where in the books that I have learned
We play with things I'll never see
Repeat Chorus Twice
What I meant to...
Trip, trip, tripping through the hallway
Rooms filled with empty chairs
I slip, slip, slip in through your doorway
Numb me with your vacant stares
I creep, creep, I know that you can hear me
So why don't you let me in tonight, night
I'm stuck inside an empty page
Head in hands and heart in mouth
Got no words to say
One more day
Oh the photo smiles but that's not me
So I just look away, again
Repeat Chorus
This time you should know that I miss you, don't walk away
Oh one day I will find the words and finally say what I meant to say
What I meant to...
The lyrics to Killing Heidi’s song “Miss You” are raw, emotional, and introspective. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer feeling isolated and unable to express themselves to someone they are missing. The line “sense suffocation everyday” accurately depicts the sensation of feeling trapped and unable to escape from the weight of missing someone.
The chorus acts as a plea for the person not to leave and for the singer to find the words they need to express themselves fully. There is a sense of urgency to the repetition of the chorus, as the singer knows the person they are missing may leave at any moment.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer’s thoughts and feelings, expressing the frustration of wasted time and the desire to distract oneself from missing the person they love. The line “where in the books that I have learned we play with things I’ll never see” highlights the impossibility of understanding love and relationships from simply reading about them.
The bridge features a haunting repetition of “trip, trip, tripping,” which creates a sense of unease and confusion. The imagery of empty chairs and vacant stares sets a somber, eerie mood, emphasizing the loneliness the singer feels. The final verse continues with the theme of feeling stuck, unable to find the right words to say. The line “got no words to say, one more day” shows the desperation the singer feels to find a way to connect with the person they are missing.
Overall, “Miss You” is a powerful, introspective song that captures the universal feeling of longing for someone who is not physically present.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm stranded in the vacant air
I feel lost and directionless, like I'm floating aimlessly with no purpose.
My energy is all used up
I'm exhausted, physically and emotionally drained from trying to keep up appearances and pretending I'm okay.
Pretending I don't care
I'm putting up a facade, pretending that everything is fine and I'm not affected by the distance between us.
The distance is a wall between
The physical and emotional distance between us is preventing us from connecting and being together.
A signal interrupted
Our communication is disrupted and we're struggling to connect due to external factors or circumstances.
Can't say what I really mean
I'm struggling to express my true thoughts and feelings, possibly because I fear rejection or being vulnerable.
Sense suffocation everyday
I feel suffocated and trapped in my own thoughts and emotions, unable to escape or find relief from them.
I share your breath from far away, away
Even though we're physically apart, I still feel a connection to you and long to be closer.
Another perfect ending ruined
Something that could have been perfect or ideal has been ruined or destroyed due to external factors or circumstances.
Too much time to sit and think
I have too much free time to overthink and dwell on negative thoughts and emotions.
Of what I'd rather do
I'm imagining other things I could be doing or experiencing instead of being stuck in my current situation.
Wasted time, oh I fill my head with anything
I'm trying to distract myself and fill the void with anything, even if it's unproductive or meaningless.
To keep you from my mind, this time
I'm intentionally trying to avoid thinking about you and our situation to protect myself from feeling hurt or vulnerable.
Where in the books that I have learned
I'm questioning why my previous knowledge or experiences have not prepared me for this situation or given me the answers I need.
We play with things I'll never see
I'm frustrated that life is unpredictable and full of unknowns, making it impossible to know what the future holds or what I'll miss out on.
Trip, trip, tripping through the hallway
I'm stumbling and struggling through life, feeling unsteady and unsure of where I'm headed.
Rooms filled with empty chairs
I feel alone and isolated, surrounded by emptiness and a lack of meaningful connections.
I slip, slip, slip in through your doorway
I'm trying to sneak into your thoughts or attention, hoping to find a way to connect or be closer to you.
Numb me with your vacant stares
Your lack of response or emotional distance is making me feel numb and disconnected, as if I don't matter to you.
I creep, creep, I know that you can hear me
I'm creeping into your thoughts or awareness, hoping to connect or make an impression even though we're physically apart.
So why don't you let me in tonight, night
I'm looking for a way to break down the walls between us and make a connection or find intimacy, but I feel blocked or rejected.
I'm stuck inside an empty page
I feel creatively blocked or uninspired, unable to express myself in a meaningful way or find purpose in my actions.
Head in hands and heart in mouth
I'm feeling overwhelmed, with my thoughts and emotions swirling and my heart beating rapidly with anxiety or fear.
Got no words to say
I'm at a loss for words, unable to express myself or communicate my true feelings in a meaningful or impactful way.
Oh the photo smiles but that's not me
The image of myself that I'm projecting to the world doesn't match up with how I'm truly feeling inside.
So I just look away, again
I'm avoiding eye contact or difficult situations, hoping to hide my true thoughts and feelings and protect myself from further hurt or rejection.
This time you should know that I miss you, don't walk away
I want you to understand how much I'm longing for your presence and attention, and to not distance yourself even further from me.
Oh one day I will find the words and finally say what I meant to say
I'm hopeful that someday I'll find the courage and words to express myself in a meaningful and authentic way, without fear or hesitation.
What I meant to...
I'm trailing off and not finishing my sentence, possibly indicating that I'm still struggling to find the right words to say or to express my true feelings.
Contributed by Natalie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.