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Article provided by Perry Black from HN Online Magazine
& Heinz from heathernova.de
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Press info and new Heather Nova tour dates in Europe (France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark)
(for the tour dates see at the bottom)

"Redbird", Heather's sixth studio album, is quite different to her previous album "Storm", which had been a return to acoustic basics. The positive experience of recording "Storm" in one place, unlike her previous albums that had mostly been recorded in gaps between her heavy touring schedule, was also the basis for recording "Redbird", but Heather felt a more "rockier" feel to the music best suited the collection of songs that she had written. This was an album that she wanted to go out and tour with her full band.

As for the actual songs, they were written at home in Bermuda in between caring for her newly arrived son, Sebastian. As anyone who has experienced a young child coming into their lives will know, things definitely have to change. Although Heather no longer had the luxury of sitting down to write songs at will, the birth of her first child was a huge inspiration to her life and work.

"It was really a challenge, but at the same time I was incredibly inspired to write for this album. I had just had a life-altering experience! I felt like my heart had been blown wide open and I was the most vulnerable and yet the strongest I had ever been. It directly inspired songs like "Mesmerised" and obviously "Motherland".

Due to the birth of her son, this has been the longest time Heather has been off the road since she first started touring.

"I spent about 12 years pretty much non-stop on the road, so it's strange not to be out there. Having the baby has helped me discover the joys of being in one place for a while; simple things like growing vegetables and watching the seasons change. But now the album is finished I am looking forward to getting out there again, especially to the Summer Festivals. I never get bored of them and all that goes with them; catching other acts play, mud or sunshine."

Heather funds all her recordings, creates the artwork, videos etc. With her last album "Storm " selling nearly 400,000 copies, it has given her a new freedom in her music making.

"One of the reasons that I still enjoy making records is that I now control all the creative elements myself. While making "Storm", I rediscovered the inspiration and motivation I started out with nearly 15 years ago. Now I license the albums out to people who actually want to work with me and my music.

Artists needs to be able to follow their instincts in making music, and with a record label breathing down your neck at the writing and recording stage of the process it's very hard to do that without it affecting your end result. You get pulled around and end up compromising artistically. The battles become a drain on your energy. I highly recommend this route to any artist that has a choice. Of course I am not doing it alone - I have a great team of people working in partnership with me, and that is essential too if anyone is to hear my music going forward."

Heather about the songs:

"Redbird"
"With the song "Redbird" I wanted to make a song that had the colour red running sort of subliminally throughout it. So when you hear it you are imagining red. Red is such a symbolically powerful colour- the colour of love and passion, the colour of fire, and of course the colour of blood - of life and death."

"I Miss My Sky
" Someone recently introduced me to the theory that Amelia Earhart actually crash landed on a tiny deserted atoll rather than into the sea and that she and her navigator lived as castaways for years without ever being found. Artifacts and debris have been found that give credence to this theory. I was so taken with this idea that I wrote "I Miss My Sky". I tried to imagine her state of mind, her emotions, the details of her life in such a situation. It's probably my favourite song on the record. I also was lucky enough to have a fantastic violinist, Sophie Solomon, play on the song. I used to play the violin, and really felt inspired by the emotion that seemed to sing from Sophie's violin."

"Welcome"
"I had just written songs for a number of other artists (Afro Celt Sound System, ATB , Eskobar etc.) and the idea of something with Dido came up, so we did it by email. It's the oldest song on the album and was released in the US and I had many requests from European based fans to put it on an album. I like the energy of the song and thought that it would fit well as an opener on this album."

Tracklist:
Welcome
I Miss My Sky (Amelia Earhart's Last Days)
Motherland
Redbird
Done Drifting
Overturned
Mesmerised
Singing You Through
A Way To Live
Wicked Game
This Body
The Sun Will Always Rise

Live Shows:
August:
20 Belgium Hassalt, Pukklepop (Main stage)
21 Holland Biddinghuizen, Lowlands Festival (Grolsch tent)
23 Germany Braunschweig, Feldschlößchen Bühne
24 Germany Leipzig, Parkbühne Auensee
25 Germany Hanau, Ampitheater
27 Switzerland St Imier, Soleil Festival
28 Germany Berlin, Museumsinsel

September:
30 Shepherds, Bush Empire

October:
3 Paris (venue TBC)
4 Utrecht (venue TBC)
5 Lucerne (venue TBC)
7 München, Tonhalle
8 Stuttgart, Beethovensaal
9 Nürnberg, Löwensaal
12 Köln, E-Werk
13 Bielefeld, Ringlokschuppen
15 Rostock, Scandlines Arena
17 Stockholm (venue TBC)
18 Götheburg (venue TBC)
19 Oslo (venue TBC)
21 Kopenhagen (venue TBC)
22 Kiel, Halle 400
23 Hamburg, Große Freiheit
25 Groningen

With many thanks to Heinz from heathernova.de