16May1999
- AUSTRALIA: END OF THE INNOCENCE<return to top> By PAUL
STEWART.
It is a schoolgirl's dream come true.
Ella Hooper, 15, was riding on the bus to her Victorian country
school recently when a song came on the radio that knocked the wind
out of her - it was her debut single.
"I think I blushed, and my friends picked up that my song was being
played," she said.
Ella said most of her friends had been "cool" about having an upcoming
rock star in their midst.
"Everyone has been really nice about it," she said.
"It was a great thrill hearing the song on the radio and well worth
the wait because we did record it a while ago."
Ella is the singer with Killing Heidi, which hails from the Victorian
hamlet of Violet Town.
The group's debut single, Weir, on Roadshow Music, has been added
to high rotation on Triple J, while Triple M has added it to its
Homegrown program.
Other members of the band include Ella's 17-year-old brother, Jesse,
on guitar, Adam Pedretti on drums and Warren Jenkins on bass.
Ella and her brother first came to attention two years ago when
they won a talent competition organised by Triple J.
"A lot of people in Violet Town know I play in a band, but they
probably wouldn't have heard any of our music yet," Ella said.
The band has linked up with producer Paul Kosky, who has worked
with artists as diverse as Crowded House, the Clouds and Rage Against
the Machine.
"We are just putting the final polish on our first album, Reflector,
which, hopefully, will be released soon," Ella said.
"I can't wait for the band to start doing a lot more live work."
However, Ella agreed she had to finish Year 11 before her band could
go out on the road.
She said it was easy to explain the group's distinctive name.
"It is supposed to be about the loss of innocence - Heidi is such
a wholesome name. And Killing Heidi is the death of innocence."
(C) 1999 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
