Missy among the vines

If you'd asked Missy Higgins about headlining a summer winery tour in New Zealand three years ago, she would probably have laughed at you.

Now, the award-winning singer and songwriter from Australia will join Opshop, Che-Fu and Aaradhna in headlining the 2013 More FM Summer Vineyard Tour.

The songbird has long since carved out a respectable career in her homeland, selling million of albums with debut album The Sound of White followed up by On a Clear Night and key songs appearing on major television shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Brothers and Sisters.

But with American superstardom on the doorstep, Higgins walked away from it all.

"I think there were a lot of reasons why I quit, mainly I just needed a big break. But instead of taking a break, I left."

Higgins turned her back on music in an attempt to breathe again, away from the pressure and weight of expectation.

"I'd toured for two years on my second album and everyone kept on me for the third album and basically I tried to write and I just got this massive writer's block," Higgins says.

"I just thought I was never going to be able to write another song again.

"I needed to literally walk away from it - if I was ever going to find my way back to it."

Higgins successfully avoided the spotlight for a few years but it was an invitation to perform at America's Lilith Fair that proved too irresistible to turn down.

The music festival was founded by musician Sarah McLachlan, responsible for the heart-tugging song Angels, and Higgins is a big fan.

"I just kind of decided on a whim and I played for the first time in a couple of years and fell back in love with it. I thought, 'Oh my God, what have I been doing? This is what I love and this is what makes me feel alive."'

Higgins returned to her craft and three years later, has released a third album - The Ol' Razzle Dazzle , which will feature with old hits as she headlines More FM Summer Vineyard Tour at Tauranga's Mills Reef Winery in February.

Speaking on the phone from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Higgins is currently touring the United States supporting Gotye, who reached his own superstardom with his single Somebody I Used to Know, which features Kimbra.

Higgins speaks highly of Gotye, describing him as a hard-working musician who deserves his acclaim.

"He lives and breathes music. It's good seeing it happen to somebody that really appreciates it."

Higgins describes her own music as "singer/songwriter-ish" but she says she has embraced an acoustic-pop side of her personality on this third album.

Punters heading to Mills Reef can expect a mixture of old and new. Higgins says she is looking forward to the gig, and not only for the chance to explore more of the country than she saw in Auckland when she played earlier this year.

"I'm a big lover of wine. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be tasting some pretty good wines there," she says.

The tour also travels to Hawke's Bay, Martinborough, Nelson, Christchurch and Auckland.

Earlybird tickets for the February 15 event are available until October 15 from www.eventfinder.co.nz. More tour details are available from www.summervineyard tour.co.nz