Whirlwind touring life

It has been a whirlwind year for Australian songbird Kate Miller-Heidke.

The singer-songwriter has undertaken two national tours, dates in Europe and Asia, a tour of the US and starred in an opera in London.

But it seems there is no stopping the Brisbane-based songstress as she embarks on her national regional tour, which rolls into Mandurah Performing Arts Centre tomorrow at 8pm.

“I’m really looking forward to coming back to Mandurah,” she said.

“I played there about five years ago at one of the pubs, so it’ll be a different experience playing in a theatre.”

The classically trained star recently released her second album, Nightflight, which she said was very different from its predecessor, Live at the Hifi.

“This album is really about where I was at emotionally when I was touring,” she said.

“It’s very real and includes themes of loneliness and homesickness that I experienced while I was on tour.

“The last album was quite poppy, but this one is very real, it’s much darker and more organic — we’re not faking anything.”

Last month the musician returned from London where she appeared in a critically acclaimed seven-show performance with the English National Opera.

“When I was younger, I used to feel like I had to focus on just one thing otherwise I’d start to feel schizo,” she said.

“But now I find that it’s really inspiring to get to do so many different things.

“Working with the English National Opera was really challenging, but I’ve found inspiration since coming back.”