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Italian
Con il suo approccio operatico, Kate Miller-Heidke ha conquistato il cuore dell'Australia quando ha eseguito dal vivo il suo successo "Zero Gravity".
Ha così vinto la prima finale di "Eurovision - Australia decide", che si è tenuta sulla Gold Coast.
La sua esibizione ha vinto sia nel voto popolare sia in quello della giuria, composta da esperti del settore.
Rappresenterà l'Australia allo Eurovision Song Contest di quest'anno, che si terrà a Tel Aviv. Si tratta della quinta artista a rappresentare l'Australia nella competizione.
"I think I'm most looking forward to what it's like backstage, the energy backstage. I've heard that it's just everything - production, lighting sets is on another level - but I mean just the idea of there being this mini-United Nations backstage and every artist is so diverse and different, I just think it's going to be incredible."
La canzone "Zero Gravity" di Miller-Heidke parla della sua esperienza con la depressione postnatale.
Nella sua esibizione sulla Gold Coast, la cantante era vestita con un lungo abito e una parrucca, accompagnata da un ballerino su un palo che danzava alle sue spalle.
Anche se è stata una performance coinvolgente, secondo Kate lo scenario di Tel Aviv sarà ancora migliore.
"It is an emotional song for me and it's a personal song and it feels like the song is rooted in deep emotion for me, and that's really important, in fact I think that's the most important thing that the staging can capture without too many distractions visually. Obviously the production has to enhance and lift the roof off, but at the same time it all comes down to the emotion of the song - without that it's just a bunch of distractions."
Miller-Heidke sta iniziando a preparare la sua voce affrontando un'intensa attività di addestramento vocale, che comprende cantare attraverso cannucce e persino strisciare sul pavimento.
"In terms of the crawling people have been asking me about the crawling, and that's all about disengaging the critical brain, the left brain. When you're singing classically, I mean I'm doing a pop song, but the middle section is highly operatic and opera singing is very much an athletic pursuit, it's about these tiny muscles here and if you overthink it, you're going to screw yourself up especially when it gets to that crazy high note - I've just got to basically leap off the cliff and go for it. As soon as I start to doubt myself that's when I'm in trouble, so doing something unrelated with your body, like crawling as fast as you can, forces that analytical part of your brain to switch off."
La lista dei partecipanti allo Eurovision Song Contest di quest'anno è completa: 41 paesi saranno in competizione.
Miller-Heidke ha molti predecessori illustri con cui misurarsi, dopo le entusiasmanti esibizioni dei passati concorrenti australiani: Guy Sebastian, Dami Im, Isaiah Firebrace e Jessica Mauboy.
La cantante ha detto di essersi consultata con alcuni dei concorrenti precedenti.
"(I'll be) Speaking with Dami in a couple of days too, just sort of picking their brains about what the experience is really like. But from what I can glean so far you know it's very much a marathon - I mean it's competitive music which is a whole new world for me, I mean I've never done any of those talent shows or anything like this before."
La prima semifinale del Festival si svolgerà a Tel Aviv a metà maggio.
English
Kate Miller-Heidke's dramatic operatic spectacle stole the hearts of Australia, when she performed her hit "Zero Gravity" in front of a live audience.
She won the inaugural Australian final 'Eurovision - Australia decides', held on the Gold Coast.
Her performance won the popular vote and the votes of the jury, comprised of a panel of industry experts.
She'll represent Australia at this year's Eurovision Song Contest held in Tel Aviv - the fifth Australian to represent Australia in the competition.
"I think I'm most looking forward to what it's like backstage, the energy backstage. I've heard that it's just everything - production, lighting sets is on another level - but I mean just the idea of there being this mini-United Nations backstage and every artist is so diverse and different, I just think it's going to be incredible."
Miller-Heidke's song 'Zero Gravity' explores her experience with post-natal depression.
In her performance on the Gold Coast, the singer was dressed in a metres-high dress and headpiece, accompanied by a dancer on a pole sweeping back and forth behind her.
Although it was impressive, she says the staging in Tel Aviv will be even better.
"It is an emotional song for me and it's a personal song and it feels like the song is rooted in deep emotion for me, and that's really important, in fact I think that's the most important thing that the staging can capture without too many distractions visually. Obviously the production has to enhance and lift the roof off, but at the same time it all comes down to the emotion of the song - without that it's just a bunch of distractions."
Miller-Heidke is beginning to prepare her vocals by undergoing intensive vocal coaching, which includes singing through straws and even crawling on the floor.
"In terms of the crawling people have been asking me about the crawling, and that's all about disengaging the critical brain, the left brain. When you're singing classically, I mean I'm doing a pop song, but the middle section is highly operatic and opera singing is very much an athletic pursuit, it's about these tiny muscles here and if you overthink it, you're going to screw yourself up especially when it gets to that crazy high note - I've just got to basically leap off the cliff and go for it. As soon as I start to doubt myself that's when I'm in trouble, so doing something unrelated with your body, like crawling as fast as you can, forces that analytical part of your brain to switch off."
The line-up for this year's Eurovision Song Contest is complete, with 41 countries competing.
Miller-Heidke has several tough acts to follow after impressive performances from previous Australian contestants Guy Sebastian, Dami Im, Isaiah Firebrace and Jessica Mauboy.
The singer says she's been chatting to a few of the past contestants.
"(I'll be) Speaking with Dami in a couple of days too, just sort of picking their brains about what the experience is really like. But from what I can glean so far you know it's very much a marathon - I mean it's competitive music which is a whole new world for me, I mean I've never done any of those talent shows or anything like this before."
The first semi-final takes place in Tel Aviv in the middle of May.
Report by Natarsha Kallios
