Missy Higgins on pregnancy, depression and her "other" new baby.

Missy Higgins has a lot going on right now.

The ARIA award-winning Scar singer, 31, got engaged in December to her Broome playwright partner Dan Lee. Last month, she announced she’s expecting the couple’s first child in January.

And today, she’s welcomed two other glorious creations: an eclectic album of Australian song covers and an accompanying book of quirky essays, collectively titled OZ.

The book provides an unprecedented glimpse into Missy’s personal history; she writes that she spent weeks “looking for a song that shed a light on writer’s block, or depression, or bi-sexuality” before settling on the album’s track list. She also airs her views on everything from feminism (“hats off to all those bra-burners in the ’60s”, she writes) to the rights of Indigenous Australians (she hopes “one day we can all get to a place of true reconciliation and harmony with each other”).

Mamamia’s Grace Jennings-Edquist spoke to Missy about her new album, her upcoming OZ tour… as well as relationships, mental health and the excitement of welcoming a baby.

What made you produce a book and an album together this time?

“I’ve always had a real interest in writing. I started writing poems and short stories long before I could write my own songs, so I think in another lifetime I would have gone down that road if it wasn’t for music…

I thought it’d be kinda nice to delve into a project that involves straightforward prose as well as lyrics, and I quite like the idea of pairing it with an album because it would… allow my fans to get a deeper understanding of where I come from with my music, and the intention behind each song and what life events it reminds me of.”

You’ve mentioned you were looking for songs that resonated with themes in your own life, such as depression. Is that why you chose to sing Shark Fin Blues?

“Definitely, I think there are a lot of songs (in the album) that touch on depression or loneliness, or just really come from a place of introspection.

A lot of artists, that’s how they get their inspiration. We have minds that lend themselves to darkness.”

Here’s Missy singing Shark Fin Blues:

You write in OZ that the song Curse on You spoke to you because it talked about ‘red flags’ in relationships. Tell us about that?

“I think I’’ve had my share of tumultuous fairly unhealthy relationships. I always found myself getting caught in was really co-dependent relationships and really losing my sense of self within them.

My relationship with my fiancé is not like that at all, which is what makes it so awesome. We’re both really independent and individual people but we still have the same goals in life and we still have the same ethics – I think we’re going in the same direction…

You said you might’ve been a writer in another life. Who are some of your favourite writers?

“I love Tim Winton. I‘ve actually read a lot of autobiographies lately like I’ve read Mark Seymour’s biography, and Chrissy Amphlett’s biography, and I’ve read the Rosie Project. I loved that book. It’s gorgeous…

And lately I’ve been reading baby books!”

This will be your last tour for at least 12 months as you take time off to have a baby. How are you feeling about that?

“I’m pretty sure we’re going to be pretty besotted with this new little human.

I’m just going to see how that goes. I might be really inspired to get writing again straight away, or I might just want to have as much downtime as I can before getting out there into the real world again so I’m going to play it by ear.

It’s been quite a hectic last 10 years.”

Missy’s OZ tour, will commence in Cairns tomorrow. Find more details on OZ – the book, the album and the tour – at Missy’s website.

Relive a glorious Missy moment – The Special Two:

Take a look through some of our favourite Missy moments here: