Combining burning intensity with elegant grace and skilled composure wrapped in an electrifying blues rock veneer, the result is an unforgettable, emotionally charged musical experience that moves both body and soul, creating a lasting connection through shared experiences and love of good music.
Owens’ most recent album, Cannot Be Unheard, (2022) is an exploration of life birthed from her own relatable experiences, both good and bad, and the lessons learned along the way. “I wanted this project to do much more than entertain,” says Owens. “It’s intended to give a voice to a wide breadth of experiences and feelings, touching those looking for a connection. These songs are intended to be a healing and welcoming source of light and comfort for those in dark times.” With the rock-tinged reckoning of knowing there’s something more out there in “Edge of Goodbye”, the smouldering warning of thoughtless words in “Raging Fire”, and the soulful declaration of love in “Through the Darkest Night”, the songs in Cannot Be Unheard touch on Owens’ ethos of moving through the world with intention, love, and the affirmation that one is worthy of the happiness that life offers.
Raised in the Canadian Prairies, music was always around Owens growing up. Artists such as Elvis, Odetta, The Band, Mavis Staples, Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan were formative in her teen years. But more than just listening, she took comfort in writing her own songs, seeing music as a way to process the chaotic nature of life and give visibility to her own feelings. And even when Owens took a 15-year respite in order to raise a family, she never fully put a cap on her passion for music, volunteering as a music therapist, occasionally performing, and always continuing to write songs. That hiatus would meet its end in 2015 at the famed Calgary venue The Blues Can where the late great Bill Dowey caught her performance at his “Blues Sunday School” jam and was immediately drawn to her raw and passionate sound, becoming one of her biggest supporters. Encouraged by the positive reception from audience and industry pros alike, Owens decided to pursue her dream of a career in music.
Since 2016, Ollee has played stages across Alberta from the Badlands Amphitheatre’s Roots Blues and BBQ festival in (sharing the stage with the Hello Darlins, Matt Anderson, Dawn Tyler Watson) to Downtown Calgary’s Stephen Avenue live, the King Eddy, Festival Hall, Ironwood, and Blues Can. She has played countless community and private events and took part in the YYC Airport Music Program between 2018-2020. Her breakout singles “Every Step of the Way”(2021) and “Edge of Goodbye” (2022) firmly set her intentions as a talented artist who deals in authenticity, openness, and honesty paving the way for a lasting musical connection.
“Music does so much more than entertain,” Owens says, ” It gives a voice to a wide breadth of experiences and feelings, touching those looking for a connection. It has the power to heal wounds and be a welcoming source of light and comfort in the darkness.” It’s for all those reasons and more that Ollee Owens keeps singing, lighting the path for her fellow travellers.
Her album “Cannot be Unheard” (2022) firmly set her intentions as a talented artist who deals in authenticity, openness, and honesty paving the way for a lasting musical connection. Ollee is currently recording her next project with new music due to be released in Spring 2024.
