Ingrid had the chance to interview Killing Heidi’s Jesse Hooper, and almost didn’t survive!

Ingrid: Thanks for the opportunity to chat- ….. Being the first band since Savage Garden to hit number one on the ARIA charts ,with "Mascara", did you feel that you had a hit song? Were there any doubts when you were writing?

Jesse: When we were writing them we probably didn't anticipate that we'd hit a number one single, for example when we wrote 'Mascara', but after we had got to number six then we thought that the song had probably a pretty good chance, but we didn't…I mean we were hoping we had a good chance (here Jesse got stirred by someone for being interviewed). We were pleasantly surprised when it reached number 1.

I: How old were you when you started performing , and did you have any lessons, or were you self-taught?

J: I had lessons with guitar through a couple of different dudes, but was mainly self taught through writing stuff. I started playing when I was about nine, but began performing at about 15.

I: Are there any other musicians in the family?

J: My sister..is the singer, and my mum and dad play guitar a little bit but aren't performing musicians.

I: So how long was it before you went live?

J: Well, me and Ella started playing, having had a few songs together and we played music gigs with local artists. They were only twenty minute acoustic gigs, but that's where it started.

I: Did you go through any talent quests , or try eisteddfods in earlier years?

J: No! No, no, no! we did the equivalent to all that, but for bands, with Triple J's "Unearthed", so that was OUR band contest.

I: How did that come about?

J: The guy who did the front of house mixing at our first gig offered to record the original songs we had as demos at his studio, so then we did that two weeks after we played , and Triple J came to the area for the RF Competition, so we sent the CD off and within 2 months had national airplay! It was pretty quick!

I: Wow, that was with 'Kettle' …out of interest, where can we get 'Kettle' 'cause it's not on the album?

J: Yeah, it's only on Triple J 'Unearthed Volume 4'. It was a compilation of winners, and I think they're onto number 6 now.

I: Did you get support through school, or was the "tall-poppy" syndrome happening there?

J: Nothing was really released while I was at school, so I didn't cop any of it The album was actually recorded while I was still in year 12, so yeah it was very hectic . I tried to say :"I'm recording" but all I got was "yeh! Sure! Whatever!" It's only now that it's actually been released …

I: Which school did you go to?

J: Benala Hiiigh!

I: While at school, what sort of support did you get?

J: One of my favourite teachers was my music teacher, so he was really cool and would let us jam at lunch-time. He'd let us muck around with the guitars and amps and gear, and often out of class times. It was really handy.

I: My main support as a performer was my parents, so was it the same for you?

J: Definitely! They weren't musicians but were good music fans, and were really supportive and loved listening to the songs we played, so they really were helpful.

I: Well you've probably got planes to take you now, but they must have driven you everywhere?

J: Well exactly, they're the ones who took us to those first gigs and stuff, and it's only now in the past 6 months that we've been able to hire a Tarago and pay someone to drive it.

I: Since Ella is younger, was the band already going before she started singing?

J: We used to muck around, but only as a garage band and stuff.

I: How did you meet Paul Kosky, was it luck or was he looking for you as a result of 'Unearthed'?

J: I think there was a bit of both. He was interested to see what we could do, he liked what he saw and came up to a gig and that's how we met him.

I: Cool! What sacrifices did you have to make, with rehearsals. How much did you have to put into it all?

J: Well for us it's been 18 months to two years, but we've had breaks in between, and some times are always much busier than others. In terms of sacrifice we've given away a lot of muck-around time, teenage years, but we hope to be having a lot more fun doing the stuff we have been doing with the shows.

I: When and how did the songwriting start? Did Warren Jenkin(bass guitar) and Adam Pendretti (drummer) help songwrite for "Reflector"?

J: When we first met with them we'd already written most of the first album's material, so that's just how it happened to be.

I: Did you just do it with guitar?

J: Guitar and Ella!

I: I get that with my sister, as she plays guitar and I don't, so I have to come up with the lyrics. How does it feel to be compared to the great Finn brothers, and considering Paul's ties to Crowded House, have you met them at all?

J: That's very flattering! They've written some of my favourite songs, so it's awesome to be compared to them. But as yet we haven't met them, and they're busy doing their own thing, but we hope to meet at the APRA Awards.

I: Considering the busy schedule, do you get much sleep?

J: Not much, but a little bit, and much less when we're on the road.

I: How are you and the band coping with that, and how do you relax?

J: It's hard when you're not doing a gig near home, 'cause there we can go home right after the show. Here we're at a hotel, so what can you do? Watch TV, call up room service…it's not much fun! Ha Ha! It's great to live it up, but you always look forward to going back to your own home ground.

I: Where does the name 'Killing Heidi' come from?

J: Me and Ella were listing band names and just stuck 'killing' and 'heidi' together. We thought it sounded good together, and a week later we thought :" what did we come up with again?" and all we could remember was "killing heidi" and thought that if WE could remember that, then hopefully others could too.

I: It's just so different! I thought you must have hated a girl called Heidi from when you were younger, and this was how to get her back. Do you intend to go international, ie., conquer the world?

J: Hopefully very soon.

I: Was it hard to make it in Australia?

J: It was and it wasn't. It was hard work, but we managed to get there. The hard work was the key to helping us do it.

I: It doesn't seem that there's that much help out there.

J: Yeh, you're definitely right there. I guess we were just lucky, in finding someone who was genuine and willing to invest time and money just to make sure it would work for us.

I: How do you feel about the final cut of Reflector?

J: I love it!

I: Has it got a good variety of mixes?

J: Haven't you heard it??!!

I: Hmmm?

J: Haven't you?

I: Not yet (sounding very embarrased and mousy)

J: (in shock)

I: I'm penniless, don't you understand? I go to school!

J: (groaning)

I: You don't understand what penniless means!

J: I'm going to have to send you a copy!

I: You do that. It'd be lovely actually! Will it be signed? Are there any plans for an Australian tour?

J: We were down for one in March, but it was quick, and only capital cities, so missed the regional areas. We hope to do more in about a month to two months time.

I: Who makes Ella's outfits, as I really want to know?

J: It's actually her boyfriend's friend. She'd made outfits for herself and Ella saw it and said, wow, can you make me one the same. Now she's got a few.

I: You must have met a few big names in the Industry by now, so have any of them given you any relevant advice?

J: "Persist, persist, persist!" and "Enjoy" as that's what it's really all about. Never forget where you came from. Have a goal and watch how you attain it.

I: Did you ever dream that you'd get this far?

J: Maybe.(pause) I think so. I always thought that it'd be great, but had no idea as to how it would come into action. It's always something I'd have loved to do and now all of a sudden I'm here doing it..Yeahhhh!!!

I: It's great for dreams to come true! Now to finish, when did you get the dreadies done, I mean, brother and sister, doing that together

J: Mine was more feral, but we did it as it was different, and thought 'why not' .

I: Well you certainly stand out! Is that fudge in your hair? ("Yes it is") It's excellent.('thank you') . I've got a friend who wants you to send it to her so she can stick it to her head ..but we won't go into that now. ("OK") We must be at the end of your time now?

J: I've actually got to get some make-up on real soon actually!

I: Make-up? What shade of lipstick do you wear?

J: Oh no! no lipstick! Just lip gloss.

I: Do you enjoy all the pampering?

J: Of course, of course! (laughter)

I: It's been so cool talking to you, and I am going to get the CD, but I AM penniless most of the time! I'm trying to save up for the Ricky Martin concert..

J: (groans of severe pain and disbelief!)

I: You don't understand! Do you have a web site?

J: Several, but if you tap into www.killingheidi.com.au you'll get it and can also tap into links to other fan sites and Village Roadshow's site.

I: Thank you so much for your time, and thank everyone there for me.

After interview ("That was so cool! He was so nice! I love him!")

-- STAGECRAFT thanks Rina Ferris