JAEL

Jael Wena speaks about music the way some people speak about inheritance — not as something she chose, but something she was born into. Raised in Melbourne in a musical family, her parents met playing in a church band, and Jael wrote and performed her first song at just four years old.

Her father’s journey from Congo — teaching himself piano in secret before eventually producing music with Jael — sits at the heart of her artistry. With a Congolese father and Australian mother, her musical world was shaped by gospel, traditional African music and soulful vocalists like Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and Adele.

Her debut single ‘Prisoner of Love’ strips everything back to voice and guitar, exploring love as both devotion and emotional weight. The song gained strong demand after Jael teased it online. Follow-up single ‘DUI’, written with producer Egg White (Adele), continues her raw, intimate songwriting.

Grounded in family, faith and emotional honesty, Jael is building a career centred on voice, story and connection.

THE GREAT ESCAPE 2026 SHOWCASES

Thursday 14 May
Sounds Australia At Komedia
Komedia (Basement Stage)
12:25pm