Missy Higgins has just wrapped up the biggest tour of her career in her home country of Australia.
"I was blown away by it all," Higgins said by phone from a tour stop in Vancouver. "I never thought I'd be playing in front of so many people."
Higgins — who also played in Salt Lake City this past summer, opening for Howie Day — said she's looking forward to coming back. "I remember the show was so great. The audience really wanted some music. And I sold more albums after that show than I did in the whole tour."
She also purchased a little something for herself while she was in Salt Lake City. "I bought a new guitar at Intermountain Guitar & Banjo. I love the guitar. And I loved the place."
This time around, Higgins will be headlining her own show. "I still will be playing with me and another guitarist, but I won't be bringing in a band."
The recording sessions for Higgins' album "Sound of White" was a new experience for her because she wasn't used to playing with a band. "I wrote all those songs in my bedroom and played them on my acoustic guitar. When I went into the studio, all of a sudden I had a band. I was honest with them and told them that I didn't think of band arrangements."
She played the songs for the musicians and then went through them the second time and had them add their bits. "It worked out quite nicely, but it was a new thing for me," said Higgins, whose main musical influences are Natalie Cole and Sarah McLachlan.
Another new thing was to get her music released in the United States. "When I release my music in Australia, it's a bit easier for me. The fans there take some pride that I'm from their home. I'm one of their own.
"But getting my music out internationally is difficult. People don't know who you are, and it feels like you're beginning from nothing."
Higgins signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2002. And she's happy with that decision. "I've been able to do things that I never thought I could. I'm playing for the second time in Salt Lake City. And this time, I'm not an opening act."
If you go . .
What: Missy Higgins
Where: Blue Note Cafe, 10392 S. Jordan Parkway
When: Tonight, 9 p.m.
How much: $10
Phone: 495-1460
E-mail: scott@desnews.com