Skip to main content
Menu

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Missy Higgins

2004
Julian Kingma

type C photograph on paper (image: 70.0 cm x 57.3 cm, sheet: 79.0 cm x 60.0 cm)

Missy Higgins (b. 1982), singer/songwriter, began singing in her early teens, falsifying her age to get into clubs to play with her brother's jazz combo. While she was in high school, the demo track 'All For Believing' won her the Triple J Unearthed unsigned artists' competition. In 2004 Higgins screamed to the top of the Australian charts with hit singles including 'Scar'. The most played song on Australian radio that year, it was voted the APRA song of the year and second-best song on Triple J's 'Hottest 100' poll. Her first album The Sound of White (2004) ensured Higgins scooped the pool at the 2005 ARIA awards, winning five awards including Album of the Year. Her subsequent albums include On A Clear Night (2007), The Ol' Razzle Dazzle (2012), Oz (2014), Solastalgia (2018) and The Special Ones (2018). Higgins supported Ed Sheeran on his 2018 Australian tour, the largest series of concerts in Australian history with one million tickets sold.

Julian Kingma photographed Higgins at the start of her meteoric rise in 2004, when The Sound of White debuted at number one on the ARIA albums chart. His moody image of Higgins perched on a piano is shot in his trademark black and white.

Gift of the artist 2006
© Julian Kingma

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Julian Kingma (age 36 in 2004)

Missy Higgins (age 21 in 2004)

Subject professions

Performing arts

Donated by

Julian Kingma (6 portraits)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency