Ollee Owens

BIO/DESCRIPTION

Ollee Owens is an Americana Blues Rock artist originally from New Bothwell, Manitoba, now based in Calgary, Alberta. She finds inspiration in music of the past, and long inspired by the warmth of Mavis Staples and the intensity of Etta James. Growing up, she listened to everything from Rock, Gospel, to Country Blues and Southern Rock. With a lyrical mastery that speaks on all of life’s moments paired with a dynamic voice that reveals a well-travelled soul and the burning embers of passion within, Ollee Owens has been described as a musical force of nature.

Owens’ most recent album, Cannot Be Unheard, (2022) reflects these influences and is an exploration of life birthed from her own relatable experiences, both good and bad, and the lessons learned along the way. Owens describes this project in the following 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.

After taking a hiatus to raise her daughters (one of whom has a cognitive disability) Ollee came back into music in 2016. Since then, Ollee has played stages across Alberta from the Badlands Amphitheatre’s Roots Blues and BBQ festival (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, Blues Can, and in central Alberta for the Stettler Summer Concert Series as well as the Rosebud Summer Series. 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), “Edge of Goodbye” (2022) and “Raging Fire” (2022) have firmly set her intentions as a talented artist who deals in authenticity, openness, and honesty paving the way for lasting connections with her audiences.