Described by CLASH as “carefully etched indie folk”, Rowena Wise delivers songs that have a newfound sense of honesty, holding space for all of life’s beauty and mess. Her storytelling is like a close friend, offering heady ruminations on love, loss, and alienation while giving gentle choes of courage and empowerment.

Now based in Melbourne with a burgeoning reputation s a live performer, her songs captivate in the mould of Aldous Harding, Julia Jacklin and Waxahatchee, hailing her as a “lyrical assassin” by the Australian triple j community. Growing up in the small surf town of Margaret River, Western Australia, Rowena was surrounded by music from an early age. Her father, a luthier, built her custom acoustic and electric guitars, while her mother, a folk musician from Chicago, instilled in her a love of music that would shape her career.

Rowena travelled and performed from a young age as part of a family band, before moving to Melbourne at the age of 18 to pursue her own music. As a performer, Rowena has the gift to connect with depth and relatability. A seasoned performer since childhood, she is quick to draw in the listener, capturing hearts with her candid, vulnerable storytelling. While Rowena’s music has elements of pop, alt-rock and garage, woven through are the 1960’s folk influences that shaped her musical upbringing. Her soaring melodies are combined with “breezy guitar with incredible lyrical poetry, showcasing her storytelling side while also cementing her status as a kick-ass musician on the rise” – Pilerats.

Off the back of a UK tour, Rowena recently released her highly anticipated debut album Senseless Acts of Beauty, which has been hailed as a “masterful and endearing collection of musings on perspective” (Tonedeaf). An artistic hallmark for Rowena, the songs are a coming-of-age journey, exploring themes of loss, alienation and self-empowerment.