Growing up in Queensland, she was greatly influenced by music festivals such as the annual Woodford Folk Festival.

"They really were a formative influence on my music I think,'' Miller-Heidke said.

"You get exposed to a whole bunch of stuff that you wouldn't normally hear, and I think it can really broaden your horizons they were a big influence on my whole approach to performing.''

Miller-Heidke, 27, was classically trained but moved away from the classical world as she found a love of writing and singing her own music.

"I always felt that I never belonged in that classical world and always got a huge kick out of writing my own music, and it just felt right,'' she said.

"It felt like where I belong in the world of music.''

Miller-Heidke has released two CDs, Little Eve (2007) and Curiouser (2008); her single, Last Day on Earth, is near the top on the ARIA charts.

She attributes the success of the song to the fact that people have connected to the emotion in the lyrics.

"It's about loss and heartbreak, and lost love,'' Miller-Heidke said.

"I think the fact that the song is so personal is what people have responded to. It's a very heartfelt simple ballad.''

Since going solo in 2002, Miller-Heidke has played a wide variety of gigs and doesn't have a special preference.

"However, what I love about festivals is getting a chance to play to an audience who possibly hasn't heard a lot of my stuff before, and getting the chance to play to potential new fans and surprise people,'' she said.

Miller-Heidke is about to tour the US with Ben Folds before returning home for a national tour, after which she will return to London to "hibernate with material for the new album''.

A Day At The Park music festival, at Toyota Park, is showcasing some of Australia's finest musicians including Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, The Beautiful Girls and Kate Miller-Heidke.