Heather Nova
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
Time spent in the city that never sleeps was short-lived; Nova found herself at home in London by the late 80s and focused on songwriting. A self-titled EP was recorded under her given name, but later released by Rough Trade as These Walls in 1990. Nova was a budding artist and growing confident by the time she issued her first album, Glowstars, in 1993. Coffeehouse gigs across the country attributed to Novas growth as a performer and Blow, a live effort, followed the same year. The president of Big Cat Records, Abbo, was taken by Novas innocent lyrical beauty and made her an offer. Nova hooked up with Killing Jokes Youth for her proper global debut, 1994s Oyster. Oyster, which appeared on Sony/Work in the U.S., was dark and sultry, but raw and sexy. The single Walk This World was a hit in Europe and she went on to play nearly 300 gigs across the continent for the next two years.
After a world tour, Nova returned to Bermuda for some down time. It was there that she reflected upon her life and composed songs for a third album. Siren would surface in 1998, showcasing a more calm and serene Nova. It was a surprise hit among critics and earthy, passionate songs such as Heart & Shoulder and London Rain (Nothing Heals Me Like You Do) that were mainstays among college radio. Prior to the decades end, Nova went back to Bermuda on December 31, 1999, for her first show ever. She performed Bob Marleys One Love and embarked on another journey, another decade.
The years to come would prove prominent for Heather Nova. She was creatively in control of her own material and comfortable in her London home. Still Englands sweetheart, Nova surfaced for a fourth album in the fall of 2001. South (V2 Records) was recorded while on vacation in Bermuda and the title itself was an homage to Novas upbringing. The album was a chart-topper in the U.K. as was the single The Virus of the Mind. In May 2002, American fans finally got a taste of Novas new material when South was officially released the U.S. Several months later, Nova self-published a book of drawings and poems titled the sorrowjoy. Her fifth album, Storm was released in 2003.
