Fans back breakaway singer Kate Miller-Heidke

Stripped of her biggest safety nets, "popera" singer Kate Miller-Heidke used the crowd funding website PledgeMusic.com to create her latest album O Vertigo!, ending her seven-year relationship with Sony records.

In the lead up to writing her fourth album, Miller-Heidke was adamant she would have full creative control and ownership of her craft.

Reflecting on the process, Miller-Heidke said making the record was about asserting herself and making her own choices.

Miller-Heidke's long-time creative partner and husband Keir Nuttall was also largely absent from O Vertigo!, collaborating on just one song.

"It's the first time I've made an album without him as a collaborator," Miller-Heidke said.

"We kind of sent each other insane with Nightflight [Miller-Heidke's third album]."

Inspired by crowd-funding projects by Amanda Palmer and Ben Folds, Miller-Heidke sold birthday phone calls, a concert song request, associate producer credits and acoustic gigs to fund the album.

She said Folds, who Miller-Heidke toured with five times in the US and Europe between 2010 and 2012, encouraged her to approach the next album in a new way.

"He told me to use my tools more and embrace what makes me different to everyone else," she said.

Miller-Heidke said she underestimated the passion of her fans, who took just three days to raise the money to produce the album.

In the end it wasn't a gamble at all, with Miller-Heidke more than doubling the required dosh and breaking PledgeMusic.com's record for the most successful direct-to-fan campaign.

With the extra money, Miller-Heidke was granted more creative freedom with studio hire, album artwork and production costs.

"It didn't feel like a risk at all. In fact, I think it was more naive than risky. I have such a loyal fan base. It went way beyond my expectations; I was really lucky."

■ Kate Miller-Heidke will perform at Newcastle City Hall on August 21. Tickets are available through ticketek.com.