Editing Heather Nova

{{Short description|Bermudian singer-songwriter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name                = Heather Nova
| image               = Heather Nova.jpg
| image_size          =
| caption             = Heather Nova in [[Hanau]], Germany 2005
| background          = solo_singer
| birth_name          = Heather Allison Frith
| alias               =
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1967|7|6|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Bermuda]]
| origin              =
| instrument          = {{flat list |
*Vocals 
*guitar}}
| genre               = {{flat list |
*[[Alternative rock]] 
*[[indie rock]] 
*[[folk rock]] 
*[[pop rock]] 
*[[spoken word]]}} 
| occupation          = Singer-songwriter
| years_active        = 1990–present
| label               = {{flat list |
*[[The WORK Group|WORK]] 
*[[V2 Records|V2]]}}
| associated_acts     =
| website             = {{URL|www.heathernova.com}}
}}

'''Heather Nova''' (born '''Heather Allison Frith''', 6 July 1967) is a [[Bermuda|Bermudian]] singer-songwriter and poet.{{sfn|Larkin|2000|p=288}}<ref>{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p44942|pure_url=yes}}|title=Allmusic: Heather Nova|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=16 May 2008}}</ref> {{As of|2022}}, she has released eleven full-length albums, six EPs and twelve singles.

==Biography==
Heather Nova was born Heather Allison Frith on [[Bermuda]], a [[British overseas territory]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://chartattack.com/damn/2001/11/0610.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011109093105/http://chartattack.com/damn/2001/11/0610.cfm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=9 November 2001|title=The Stars Shine For Heather Nova|date=9 November 2001}}</ref> Her mother is a native of [[Nova Scotia]], Canada, and her father is a native of Bermuda. Nova spent most of her childhood with her family, including one sister, television reporter and fashion model Susannah, and one brother, [[reggae]] singer [[Mishka (musician)|Mishka]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20110817/ISLAND04/708179976|title=Mishka to perform in front of home crowd at Snorkel Park &#124; The Royal Gazette:Bermuda Lifestyle|first=René|last=Hill|website=The Royal Gazette|access-date=24 March 2012|archive-date=24 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024170026/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20110817/ISLAND04/708179976|url-status=dead}}</ref> on a {{convert|42|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} sailboat (named ''Moon'') built by her father, where the Friths spent most of the 1970s and part of the 1980s, sailing throughout the Atlantic and Caribbean waters and coasts. Since her idyllic childhood, Heather has played over 600 concerts, sold over 2&nbsp;million albums and has a career of over 30 years in the music industry.

Nova started playing guitar and violin at an early age, writing her first song when she was 12. Nova enrolled at the [[Rhode Island School of Design]] (RISD), where she majored in film in 1989. She also sat in on poetry classes and wrote music to go with her student films. But songwriting remained her passion.

She was married to Felix Tod from 1996 to 2014. In 2004, her son Sebastian was born.

===Career===
After graduating from RISD, Nova moved to London, a place she called home for twelve years (she already had British citizenship due to her Bermudian origins). In 1990, she released her first recording, ''Heather Frith'', an EP; she had not yet changed her name. The new name debuted in 1993 with her second EP entitled ''Spirit in You'' and her first full album, the critically acclaimed ''[[Glow Stars]]'', produced by Felix Tod, after being discovered by Big Cat label manager Steven Abbott. The success of the album led her to record and release her first live album ''Blow'' the same year.{{sfn|Larkin|2000|p=289}}

In 1994, she released ''[[Oyster (Heather Nova album)|Oyster]]'', her breakout album that was produced by [[Youth (musician)|Youth]] and Felix Tod and began almost two years of touring. Another live album, ''Live from the Milky Way'', was released in 1995. ''[[Siren (Heather Nova album)|Siren]]'', the follow-up to ''Oyster'' because of the single "London Rain", was released in 1998, after which she joined [[Sarah McLachlan]] and others on the North American [[Lilith Fair]], a music festival with only female performers.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} After the release of ''Siren'' and a world tour to promote the record, Nova took a break while various television show and film soundtracks licensed some of her songs and her record company ([[Sony Records]]/[[The WORK Group]]) released various singles from the album, which received only moderate play on America's [[MTV2]], Europe's [[MTV]] and Canada's [[MuchMusic]] and on mainstream radio, although she was popular on [[college radio]]. Also during this time, she recorded a version of the often [[cover version|covered]] traditional song "[[Gloomy Sunday]]", for the German [[WWII]] feature film drama ''[[Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod]]'' (released under the international title, ''Gloomy Sunday''). In 2000, Nova released yet another live album entitled ''Wonderlust''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Duerden|first1=Nick|editor1-last=Buckley|editor1-first=Peter|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|date=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|location=London|isbn=1-85828-457-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/roughguidetorock00roug/page/734 734]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetorock00roug/page/734}}</ref>

Over the years, Nova has written and recorded over 120 songs. With the release of ''South'' (2001), she returned to the international spotlight with an appearance on the soundtrack of the [[John Cusack]] movie ''[[Serendipity (film)|Serendipity]]''.  She also appeared on the soundtracks to the [[Sean Penn]] film, ''[[I Am Sam]]''; [[The Crow: City of Angels (soundtrack)|''The Crow: City of Angels'']]; and [[The Craft (film)|''The Craft'']]. A collaboration with Swedish [[indiepop]] band [[Eskobar]], for a song called "Someone New", led to its music video being played primarily on America's [[MTV]]. ''Storm'', Nova's fifth studio album, recorded with [[Mercury Rev]] as her backing band, was released in late 2003 on her own Saltwater label, went top 5 in Germany, followed by a tour during which Nova became pregnant. She quickly followed the birth of her son with her next record ''Redbird'', released in 2005, again Top 10 in Germany.

In December 2005, Nova released ''Together As One'', an EP supporting the Bermuda Sloop Foundation which operates the [[Bermuda sloop]] [[Spirit of Bermuda]]. In 2002, she self-published ''The Sorrowjoy'', a 72-page book of her poetry and drawings. An album [[The Sorrowjoy|of the same name]] was unofficially released in March 2006, which featured Nova reading the poems from her book set to [[ambient music]]. She also collaborated with the German trance artist [[ATB (DJ)|ATB]] on tracks like "Love Will Find You", "Feel You Like a River" and the international hit "Renegade". In 2008, she released an album called ''[[The Jasmine Flower]]'', a solar powered acoustic album recorded in Bermuda, before touring as an acoustic tour.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}
[[File:2019_Heather_Nova_-_by_2eight_-_DSC6017.jpg|thumb|Heather Nova performing in 2019]]
In late 2010 she embarked on another European tour promoting her ''The Jasmine Flower'' album. On this tour, she played four unreleased songs ("Save a Little Piece of Tomorrow", "Everything Changes", "Burning to Love", and "Turn the Compass Round") that are included on her album, ''[[300 Days at Sea]]'', produced by Felix Tod. This full-band album was released on 27 May 2011. In late 2014, she began working on studio album called ''[[The Way It Feels (Heather Nova album)|The Way It Feels]]'' which was released in May 2015. Her tenth album, ''[[Pearl (Heather Nova album)|Pearl]]'', was released on 28 June 2019.

Nova released her latest album, ''Other Shores'', on 26 August 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.heathernova.com/products/other-shores-album---1-.html |title=Heather Nova {{!}} Other Shores |website=Heather Nova Official Website |access-date=24 November 2021}}</ref>

==Discography==
===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
! rowspan="2" | Title
! rowspan="2" | Year
! colspan="10" | Peak chart positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[UK Albums Chart|UK]]<br /><ref name="UK">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/31241/HEATHER-NOVA/|title=Heather Nova – UK Chart |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[ARIA Charts|AUS]]<br /><ref>{{cite Ryan|page=206}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[O3 Austria Top 40|AUT]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Heather+Nova|title=Discographie Heather Nova|website=austriancharts.at|language=de|access-date=3 September 2022}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[Ultratop|BEL<br />(FL)]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/album/810/Heather-Nova-Oyster|title=Heather Nova – Oyster|publisher=[[Ultratop]]|language=nl|access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[SNEP|FRA]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Heather+Nova|title=Discographie Heather Nova|website=lescharts.com|language=fr|access-date=3 September 2022}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[GfK Entertainment charts|GER]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/suche?artistId=Heather+Nova|title=Discographie Heather Nova|website=offiziellecharts.de|access-date=3 September 2022}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[Dutch Album Top 100|NLD]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Heather+Nova|title=Discografie Heather Nova|website=dutchcharts.nl|language=nl|access-date=3 September 2022}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[Official New Zealand Music Chart|NZ]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://charts.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Heather+Nova|title=Discography Heather Nova|website=charts.nz|access-date=3 September 2022}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[Swiss Hitparade|SWI]]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/album/Heather-Nova/Oyster-2064|title=Discographie Heather Nova|website=hitparade.ch|language=de|access-date=3 September 2022}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[Billboard 200|US]]<br /><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/heather-nova/ | title=Heather Nova | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] }}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Glow Stars]]''
| 1993
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Oyster (Heather Nova album)|Oyster]]''
| 1994
| 72 || 78 || — || 33 || — || 43 || 70 || 23 || 33 || 179
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Siren (Heather Nova album)|Siren]]''
| 1998
| 55 || 90 || 24 || 16 || 60 || 13 || 48 || 18 || 28 || 176
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[South (Heather Nova album)|South]]''
| 2001
| — || — || 35 || 17 || 54 || 5 || 35 || — || 21 || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Storm (Heather Nova album)|Storm]]''
| 2003
| — || — || 18 || 9 || 45 || 5 || 22 || — || 12 || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Redbird (Heather Nova album)|Redbird]]''
| 2005
| — || — || 40 || 16 || 74 || 10 || 23 || — || 15 || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[The Jasmine Flower]]''
| 2008
| — || — || 61 || — || — || 52 || 43 || — || 26 || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[300 Days at Sea]]''
| 2011
| — || — || 48 || 42 || — || 25 || 38 || — || 47 || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[The Way It Feels (Heather Nova album)|The Way It Feels]]''
| 2015
| — || — || — || 34 || — || 64 || 25 || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Pearl (Heather Nova album)|Pearl]]''
| 2019
| — || — || — || 32 || — || 21 || 24 || — || 57 || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''Other Shores''
| 2022
| — || — || — || 109 || — || 20 || — || — || 34 || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''Breath and Air''
| 2025
| — || — || — || 76 || — || 18 || — || — || 55 || —
|}

===Poetry albums===
* ''[[The Sorrowjoy]]'' (2006)

===Live albums===
* ''[[Blow (Heather Nova album)|Blow]]'' (1993)
* ''Live from the Milky Way'' EP (1995)
* ''[[Wonderlust]]'' (2000)

===EPs===
* ''Heather Frith'' (1990)
* ''Spirit in You'' (1993)
* ''Live from the Milky Way'' (1995)
* ''The First Recording'' (1997) – ''Heather Frith'' reissue
* ''Together as One'' (2005)
* ''Higher Ground'' (2011)

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Title
! rowspan="2" | Year
! colspan="9" | Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2" | Album
|-
! width="35" | <small>[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]</small><br /><ref name="UK"/>
! width="35" | <small>[[ARIA Charts|AUS]]</small><br /><ref name="ARIA history pages">{{cite web|url= https://imgur.com/a/xt3nrcp | title=Heather Nova ARIA chart history to 2024|publisher=ARIA|via=Imgur.com|access-date= 2 November 2024}}  N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.</ref>
! width="35" | <small>[[RPM (magazine)|CAN]]</small><br /><ref>Peak positions for singles in Canada:
* For "London Rain": {{cite magazine|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.7926.pdf |title=Top Singles – Volume 67, No. 25, September 14, 1998|magazine=RPM|access-date=23 January 2021}}
* For "Heart and Shoulder": {{cite magazine|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.7495.pdf |title=Top Singles – Volume 68, No. 15, February 1, 1999|magazine=RPM|access-date=23 January 2021}}</ref>
! width="35" | <small>[[GfK Entertainment charts|GER]]</small><br /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.de/suche.asp?search=Heather+nova&x=0&y=0&country=de&kategorie=single |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150315203832/http://www.officialcharts.de/suche.asp?search=Heather+nova&x=0&y=0&country=de&kategorie=single |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 March 2015 |title=Heather Nova – German Chart |website=Officialcharts.de |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref>
! width="35" | <small>[[Dutch Single Top 100|NLD]]</small><br /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/search.asp?cat=s&artist=Heather+Nova&artist_search=starts&title=&title_search=starts |title=Heather Nova – Dutch chart |website=Dutchcharts.nl |date=15 March 2015}}</ref>
! width="35" | <small>[[Official New Zealand Music Chart|NZ]]</small><br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://charts.nz/search.asp?cat=s&artist=Heather+Nova&artist_search=starts&title=&title_search=starts |title=Heather Nova – New Zealand Chart |website=Charts.nz |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref>
! width="35" | <small>[[Sverigetopplistan|SWE]]</small><br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Heather+Nova&titel=Storm&cat=a |title=Heather Nova – Swedish chart |website=swedishcharts.com |date=2 December 2024}}</ref>
! width="35" | <small>[[Alternative Songs|US<br />Mod. Rock]]</small><br /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/303382/heather-nova/chart?f=377 |title=Heather Nova – US Modern Rock Tracks |website=Billboard.com |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref>
! width="35" | <small>[[Adult Top 40|US<br />Adult Pop]]</small><br /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/303382/heather-nova/chart?f=343 |title=Heather Nova – Adult Top 40 Chart |website=Billboard.com |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | "[[Walk This World]]"
| 1994
| 69 || 28 || — || 91 || — || 19 || —|| 13 || —
| align="left" rowspan="3" | ''Oyster''
|-
! scope="row" | "Maybe an Angel"
| 1995
| 91 || 125 || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row" | "Truth and Bone"
| 1996
| — || 122 || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row" | "London Rain (Nothing Heals Me Like You Do)"
| 1998
| 87 || 142 || 10 || — || — || — || — || — || 31
| align="left" rowspan="3" | ''Siren''
|-
! scope="row" | "Heart & Shoulder"
| rowspan="3" | 1999
| 76 || 145 || 49 || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row" | "I'm the Girl"
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row" | "Gloomy Sunday"
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
| align="left" | ''[[Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod]] Soundtrack''
|-
! scope="row" | "I'm No Angel"
| 2001
| 89 || — || — || 92 || 94 || — || — || — || —
| align="left" rowspan="2" | ''South''
|-
! scope="row" | "Virus of the Mind"
| rowspan="2" | 2002
| — || — || — || — || 84 || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row" | "[[Someone New (Eskobar song)|Someone New]]" <small>(with [[Eskobar]])</small>
| — || — || — || — || 88 || — || 14 || — || —
| align="left" | ''There's Only Now'' <small>(by [[Eskobar]])</small>
|-
! scope="row" | "River of Life"
| 2003
| — || — || — || 89 || — || — || — || — || —
| align="left" | ''Storm''
|-
! scope="row" | "Renegade" <small>(with [[ATB (DJ)|ATB]])</small>
| 2007
| — || — || — || 38 || — || — || — || — || —
| align="left" | ''Trilogy'' <small>(by [[ATB (DJ)|ATB]])</small>
|-
| colspan="16" style="font-size:85%"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.
|}

===DVD===
* 2004: ''Live at the Union Chapel''

==Book==
* ''The Sorrowjoy'', {{ISBN|0-9542115-0-2}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{cite book|editor-last=Larkin|editor-first=Colin|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music|publisher=Virgin Books|location=London|year=2000|isbn=0-7535-0427-8}}

==External links==
* [http://www.heathernova.com/ Official Heather Nova website]
* [http://www.heathernova-info.com/ Discography and song list]
* [http://www.geocities.ws/gpvillain/nova2.html POTSI (archived): Heather Nova Biography]
* [http://www.geocities.ws/gpvillain/nova.html POTSI (archived): Heather Nova Discography]
* [{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=heather-nova-p44942|pure_url=yes}} Biography] at [[AllMusic]]

{{commons}}
{{Heather Nova|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nova, Heather}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Bermudian singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Bermudian women guitarists]]
[[Category:Women rock singers]]
[[Category:Rhode Island School of Design alumni]]
[[Category:V2 Records artists]]
[[Category:Bermudian people of Canadian descent]]
[[Category:The Putney School alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century women singers]]
[[Category:Rhode Island School of Design alumni in music]]