Walk the world with Heather

With her first visit to South Africa coming up, local fans will finally be able to see Heather Nova in concert. And if the buzz from Europe is anything to go by, its going to be something special.

While some artists enjoy spending time in the studio perfecting every last note, others can't get enough of the live experience. When iafrica.com phoned Heather at her current home outside London, she told us just how much she enjoys concerts.

"I really enjoy performing live and I always find that the music happens best in concert. I then try to capture the essence of that performance in the studio," explains Heather.

The very American-sounding Heather has lived in London for the past few years and I ask her how she considers herself - American or Brit? "Actually, I still consider myself to be Bermudian. I was born there and we moved to the States when I was a kid." A rather unconventional life ensued after Heather's parents decided to take the family out of school and live on a boat. "It was a very unstructured lifestyle and we were forced to entertain ourselves," Heather tells me. Most importantly, it gave the young Nova the inspiration to follow her own path - something that is integral to her music career.

That path lead the late-teen Heather away from the US where she was finding it hard to break into the business. Based across the pond in London, hard work and perseverance led to an independently-produced debut album. That got the attention of trendy producer/remixer Youth and he was able to pull some strings for Nova. A bigger release followed for the second Heather Nova album and a series of supporting gigs were set up.

It was in September 1995 that Heather first made the charts with the anthemic "Walk this World" - a hit across Europe and South Africa.

The years since "Walk This World" have found Heather Nova performing at concerts and festivals and building up a committed European following (There are many fan websites based in Europe). In the last few years, Heather has played at more than 25 festivals, an experience that she has enjoyed. "Its really a great opportunity to play live and reach a lot of people - I wouldn't go to a festival myself though!"

The concerts set up for Heather in South Africa will be just as exciting for her. "I've never been to South Africa and don't know much about your country, so I'm really looking forward to it. Also, opening for Joan Armatrading is very exciting - she is someone who has always inspired me".