Jen Cloher (born 9 October 1973) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, currently based in Melbourne, Victoria. Cloher's 2017 self-titled fourth studio album peaked at number 5 on the ARIA Charts. From 2006 to 2010, Cloher recorded and toured with her band Jen Cloher and the Endless Sea and since 2013 has released with

Mia Dyson Mia Celeste Dyson (born 1981) is an Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She has released six studio albums. Her second, ''Parking Lots'', won the ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2005. Since 2013, D ...

and Liz Stringer music under the name Dyson Stringer Cloher.

Career

Originally from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Cloher moved to Sydney and studied at the

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...

(NIDA). Whilst studying, Cloher lived in a share house with several musicians, which is when she bought her first second-hand guitar, and started to write songs. In 1994, Cloher graduated NIDA at the age of 21. After NIDA, Cloher performed in

Andrew Bovell Andrew Bovell (born 23 November 1962) is an Australian writer for theatre, film and television. Life Bovell was born on 23 November 1962 in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and completed his secondary school education in Perth. He graduated from t ...

's '' After Dinner'' and performed in it at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

. Upon returning to Australia, Cloher continued to pursue her music career. In the late 1990s, Cloher colloboared with Sydney collective Bonepeople on the track "Looking for More". In 2001, Cloher relocated to Melbourne. Later that year, she released her debut EP titled, ''Movement Involves Danger'', on Regency Records. Cloher then released the EP ''Permanent Marker'' via Shiny Records in 2005. The single, "Rain," was played on

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

. In 2006, Cloher's debut album ''Dead Wood Falls'' was released. It was credited to Jen Cloher and the Endless Sea, a collective of musicians. Its lineup originally included drummer Jen Sholakis, bassist "Lord" Geoffrey Dunbar, guitarist Michael Hubbard, pianist Ross Calia and violinist Andrea Summer. Cloher herself was nominated for

ARIA Award for Best Female Artist The ARIA Music Award for Best Female Artist, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Ind ...

at the ARIA Music Awards of 2006. In 2009, Cloher's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Cloher found songwriting a way of expressing herself. This led to the writing and creation of Cloher's second album, ''Hidden Hands''. The album included the single "Eden With My Eve." Calia and Sumner were replaced by Laura Jean and Biddy Connor, respectively; Tiny Ruins guitarist Tom Healy was also added to the line-up. Following a solo tour with Jordie Lane, Cloher took an extended hiatus from music. In 2012, Cloher re-emerged and signed with Milk! Records, a label created by Cloher's partner

Courtney Barnett Courtney Melba Barnett (born 3 November 1987) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for her deadpan singing style and witty, rambling lyrics, she attracted attention with the release of her debut EP ''I've Got a Friend Call ...

the same year. Cloher released a duet with former Kid Sam frontman Kieran Ryan, entitled "Call if You Need Me". It was included on the EP ''Baby We Were Born to Die''. Cloher recorded an album at Melbourne's Headgap Studios. Her backing band included lead guitarist Barnett, bassist Bones Sloane and drummer Sholakis. In October 2012, Cloher released "Mount Beauty," the lead single from her then-yet-to-be-titled third studio album. It was released as a limited-edition split seven-inch, with the flipside containing Courtney Barnett's song "History Eraser". To support the album's release, Cloher began a crowdfunding campaign with a target of $15,000, which she exceeded. 'In Blood Memory'' was released in May 2013 and was shortlisted for the

Australian Music Prize The Australian Music Prize (often shortened to the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award was made by Australian Music Pri ...

. In August 2013 Cloher collaborated with

and Liz Stringer and formed Dyson Stringer Cloher. The trio released an EP which featured an individual track from each musician. They then took on the road, playing over 40 shows around the country. In January 2014, Cloher won a Victorian Music Management Award. In June 2014, Cloher released "Stone Age Brain" featuring Tim Rogers. The B-side of the CD single was a cover of The Loved Ones' "Sad Dark Eyes". In September 2015, Cloher contributed two tracks for the Milk! Records compilation entitled ''Good for You'', released in February 2016. The album featured songs from Cloher, Courtney Barnett, The Finks, Ouch My Face, East Brunswick All Girls Choir and Fraser A. Gorman. The EP was supported with a national tour featuring all six artists. Later that year, ''Dead Wood Falls'' was released on vinyl for the very first time in celebration of its 10-year anniversary. The release was supported by a reunion show of the original line-up of Jen Cloher and The Endless Sea in October 2016. In August 2017, Cloher released her self-titled album. The album was preceded by the singles "Forgot Myself" and "Regional Echo" and debuted at number 5 on the ARIA charts. The album received five star reviews from The Herald Sun, The Guardian and The Independent and was voted Double J's Album of the Year for 2017. The album was shortlisted for the

. In December 2017, it was announced that Cloher would be one of the guest judges for Happy Mag's 'Needle in the Hay' vinyl competition. In 2018, Cloher toured the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and Australia. In 2019, Cloher reunited with Dyson and Stringer. The trio recorded a self-titled album in eight days at The Loft in Chicago in April 2019, which was released in October 2019 and toured nationally. In November 2022, Cloher announced the forthcoming release of album, ''I Am the River, the River Is Me''.

Personal life

Cloher is of

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland region of New Zealand and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2018 New Zealand census, the estimated population of Ngāpuhi is 16 ...

and

Ngāti Kahu Ngāti Kahu is a Māori iwi of Northland, New Zealand. The iwi is one of the six Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. Ngāti Kahu take their name from their founding ancestress, Kahutianui, and link their ancestry back to the w ...

descent through her mother. Cloher was in a relationship with

from 2012 to 2018. Cloher's relationship with Barnett informed much of her 2017 self-titled album. They have sung several songs together, including "Numbers", a song about their relationship and their age difference—Cloher is 14 years older. She uses she/her and

they/them Singular ''they'', along with its inflected or derivative forms, ''them'', ''their'', ''theirs'' and ''themselves'' (or ''themself''), is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun. It typically occurs with an unspecified antecedent, in sentence ...

pronouns and identifies as

Takatāpui ''Takatāpui'' (also spelled ''takataapui'') is a Te Reo Māori (Māori language) term, which is used in a similar way to LGBTQI+. ''Takatāpui'' can also refer to an individual who is SOGIE diverse. When speaking te reo Māori, LGBTQI+ people o ...

Backing band members

Jen Cloher Band

;Current members *Jen Sholakis – drums, backing vocals (2012–present) *Robert Wrigley – lead guitar (2018–present) *Nathalie Pavlovic – bass, backing vocals (2022–present) *Anika Ostendorf – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (2022–present) ;Former members *Courtney Barnett – lead guitar, backing vocals (2012–2018) *Bones Sloane – bass, backing vocals (2012–2018) *Ricky Bradbeer – bass, backing vocals (2018–2022)

The Endless Sea

*Jen Sholakis – drums (2006–2010, 2016) *Michael Hubbard – lead guitar (2006–2010, 2016) *"Lord" Geoffrey Dunbar – bass (2006–2010, 2016) *Ross Calia – piano (2006–2008, 2016) *Andrea Summer – violin, backing vocals (2006–2008, 2016) *Laura Jean – piano, backing vocals (2008–2010) *Biddy Connor – violin, musical saw, backing vocals (2008–2010) *Tom Healy – guitar (2008–2010)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

Extended plays

Singles

Awards

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. , - , 2006 , herself , Most Outstanding New Independent Artist , , - , rowspan="2" ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, herself , Best Independent Artist , , - , ''Jen Cloher'' , Best Independent Album , , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, ''Dyson Stringer Cloher'' , Best Independent Blues and Roots Album or EP , , -

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". ! , - ,

, "Forgot Myself" , Song of the Year , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Cloher has been nominated once. , - , 2006 , ''Dead Wood Falls'' , Best Female Artist , , -

Australian Music Prize

The

(the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The commenced in 2005. , - , 2013 , ''In Bloody Memory'' , Australian Music Prize , , - , 2017 , ''Jen Cloher'' , Australian Music Prize , , -

Australian Women in Music Awards

The

Australian Women in Music Awards Australian Women in Music Awards (commonly known informally as AWMA) is an annual awards ceremony and conference celebrating the contributions of women in all areas of the Australian music industry. The two-day program includes forums, a show ...

is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the

Australian Music Industry Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018. , - ,

, Jen Cloher , Music Leadership Award ,

J Award

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J, ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

's youth-focused radio station

. They commenced in 2005. , - ,

J Awards of 2017 The J Award of 2017 is the thirteenth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. The announcement comes at the culmination of Ausmusic Month (November). For the fourth year, four ...

, herself , Double J Artist of the Year , , -

Music Victoria Awards

The Music Victoria Awards is an annual awards ceremony celebrating Victorian music. Cloher has won one award form four nominations. , - ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, herself , Best Female Artist , , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, herself , Best Female Artist , , - , rowspan="2",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, ''Jen Cloher'' , Best Album , , - , herself , Best Female Artist , , - ,

, herself , Best Musician , , -

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the Australian live scene – recognising the best vocal talents and musicians alongside ...

(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - ,

, Jen Cloher , Live Guitarist of the Year , , -

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cloher, Jen Australian women guitarists Australian women singer-songwriters Living people Musicians from Adelaide 1973 births Australian LGBT singers Australian rock singers 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers 21st-century guitarists 21st-century women guitarists New Zealand Māori musicians