With just under two weeks to go until the release of Missy Higgins’ new album ‘The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle’ on June 1st, the Australian singer songwriter is offering another peek into the studio with the third instalment in the making of the album series.

“I had a dream a few nights ago that I was carving a wooden block to make a print. It dawned on me in a dream that that process is exactly what we’re doing,” Higgins explained in the ‘Carving The Wood’ behind the scenes video. “Most of the process behind this work of art is the actual carving into the wood, and the final product, what everybody else gets to see, is just this thing on a piece of paper. They don’t get to see the process in the beginning. All the intricate little maneuvers that go into creating the final product.”

Watch it via Vimeo below.

Missy Higgins sent out a message to her fans about ‘The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle’, the follow-up to her 2007 album ‘On a Clear Night’, which the Australian singer songwriter hinted might not have happened as she had considered giving up on music. The 28-year-old writes:

Hello everyone!

It’s hard for me (and probably you) to believe it, but after a ridiculously long time I’m releasing a third album.

I’m sure you’ll hear more of the story over the next few months: what I’ve been up to, why it’s taken me so long etc. but I wanted to drop you a short note first, not least of all to thank you for waiting so bloody long!

A lot has happened over the last few years, I actually thought I’d quit music for a while there, but of course my heart found that I couldn’t beat without it. I eventually recorded this album in Nashville, Tennessee, with fellow Aussie Butterfly Boucher and Nashville producer/engineer Brad Jones and as you’ll no doubt hear, we had a lot of fun being creative in the studio. That was our only vision, really: to be totally free and to have fun.

As for the songs, everything I have experienced over the last few years: the ups, the downs, the uncertainty, the questioning and all the lessons learnt have made it on to this album. There are a few songs that touch on struggling to juggle the ‘performer’ side of things with the personal, and how that led to feeling as though I had metaphorical rock stuck in my throat for a long time; there is a song about my beautiful grandma, a song of frustration at the world’s leaders, songs about an electric kind of love, heartache, desire, and the journey back to my estranged, yet only true love: music. The parody of the ‘entertainer’ is explored on many tracks, thus the album is called The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle. It’s a bit tongue in cheek, you could say.

Anyway, I guess it took walking away to realize how truly grateful I am for everything, to refill the creative well, and hopefully make my most creative album yet.

Thank you all, truly, for all your support and encouragement over the years, I promise it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Fingers crossed I see you at a show some time soon.. (if you’re in San Fran or LA I’m supporting Goyte on April 18th and 19th respectively, come along!! For everyone else, dates will be announced soon, I promise)

Lots of love,
Missy xx

Watch some behind the scenes footage from the making of the album via Vimeo below.

Missy Higgins was recently cast alongside Geoffrey Rush & Ernie Dingo in the film ‘Bran Nue Dae’, which has been adapted for screen by director Rachel Perkins. The film is based on writer Jimmy Chi’s life in Broome and features lots of musical elements from the original stage show. Watch the official teaser for the film below.