Missy Higgins' New Single Is A Heart-Wrenching Ode To Asylum Seekers

Ahead of a string of highly anticipated national tour dates, Missy Higgins has unveiled her first taste of new material since the release of her acclaimed 2014 covers album, Oz. The single is called ‘Oh Canada’ and it’s a heartfelt meditation on the plight of asylum seekers.

“Like most people, the photo of little Alan Kurdi being carried out of the water shook me to my core,” said Missy. “We often read about the tragic plight of refugees but I think that picture exposed us to the reality in such a raw way that the truth became inescapable.”

“From where I sat in my comfortable living room nursing my newborn son, the tiny child in that wrenching image could have been my own little boy. I felt overwhelmed by a profound protective instinct for him and people like him.”

“Writing songs has always been my way of dealing with strong feelings and this situation obviously stirred up a lot of emotions,” Missy continued. “So initially I started writing about it just to try and make some sense out of something so senseless.”

“At the same time I realised that it was a complicated situation and so I read as many articles as I could about the Kurdi family. It soon became clear that various people were trying to co-opt Alan’s story for their own purposes and that lead to all sorts of claims and counterclaims about their circumstances.”

“As far as I could tell it seems that Abdullah’s sister lived in Canada and he ultimately dreamed of having his family join her there. Their brother had previously attempted to obtain a visa into Canada but had been refused.”

“So believing that there was no other choice, Abdullah apparently borrowed the money from his Canadian sister to pay an illegal people smuggler to take him and his family somewhere safe. Their dream? To escape a life of violence in Syria and find peace in Canada.”

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“If the song reminds people how the picture of that lifeless little boy made them feel then that would be even better because that proves we’re all very similar people who just happen to live under different circumstances.”

“If the song inspires anyone to do something on behalf of refugees – to speak up for their rights and to push back against those who seek to inflame our fears and prejudices – then I think that would be best of all.”

The release of ‘Oh Canada’ has been accompanied by a heart-wrenching animated music video created by award-winning director Natasha Pincus and animation director Nicholas Kallincos. You can view it and Missy’s upcoming tour dates below.