Missy Higgins opens up about relentless rumours: “I shut down”
Australian singer Missy Higgins spoke candidly on what life was like during the height of her fame during the 2000’s, admitting the relentless speculation about her sexuality impacted her for life.
While in conversation with Anh Do on his show Anh’s Brush With Fame, Higgins reflected on her 2004 album, Sound of White, which made her a household name in Australia at the tender age of just 21.
However, with her endless success, unique sound and bold style, rumours surrounding her sexuality followed Higgins.
“Everyone was speculating about my sexuality, which was such a personal thing, and such a thing I was grappling with,” she said.
“All the journalists were trying to get an answer from me, they all wanted me to say I was gay and to come out loud and proud … but I was still figuring it out myself, and I felt SO much pressure to put myself in a box and put a label on it.”
The star went on to say that the media’s treatment forced her to “shut down” in interviews, and her music.
“Every time I did an interview, I was in shutdown mode, because they were probing, trying to get me to slip up,” she revealed.
“Trying to get me to say a pronoun, you know? I’d be like, ‘How do I describe what this song’s about without saying ‘she’?’
“It was so traumatic, in a way. That became my persona: Shutting down in that way meant I wasn’t going to be able to express myself because that would make me way too vulnerable.
“The world had me at that point, and they were abusing it. They were abusing that right, and I wanted to take it back.”
Higgins ignited media speculation even further when in a 2007 interview with lesbian publication Cherrie, she agreed with the interviewer who had asked if she was “not-so-straight”.
A month later in that same year, the musician would come out as bisexual via her Myspace, ending a long media tirade for the star.
Higgins began a relationship with comedian Dan Higgins in 2013 and the pair wed in 2016.
Together, they share two children.
Image: Instagram