Kelly Lee Owens

Kelly Lee Owens was born on August 24, 1988, in Rhuddlan, Clwyd, Wales. Her early life included writing poetry and singing in her school choir, as well as playing bass and drums. At 14, Owens began working as a waitress, and during her teenage years, she was involved in the indie music scene. At 19, she relocated to Manchester where she worked as an auxiliary nurse at a cancer treatment hospital. Her patients encouraged her to pursue her musical aspirations.

In 2009, Owens left her nursing career to focus on music, moving to London. She undertook an internship at XL Recordings and worked in various record stores, including Pure Groove. During this period, she was also the bassist for the indie band The History of Apple Pie. Her connections during this time led her to meet Daniel Avery, James Greenwood (Ghost Culture), and Erol Alkan. Avery and Greenwood introduced her to music production software, and Greenwood offered to be her sound engineer. She later collaborated with Daniel Avery on his 2013 album “Drone Logic.” Owens released her debut EP, “Oleic,” in 2016.

Her self-titled debut album, “Kelly Lee Owens,” was released in March 2017 by Smalltown Supersound, receiving critical acclaim. The album featured collaborations with Jenny Hval and a track titled “Arthur,” which was used by luxury fashion house Alexander McQueen for their Fall 2016 runway show. Her sophomore album, “Inner Song,” followed in August 2020, featuring a collaboration with John Cale on “Corner of My Sky.” In April 2022, she released her third studio album, “LP.8,” co-produced with noise artist Lasse Marhaug. In 2023, Owens supported Depeche Mode on their North American Memento Mori tour. She signed to Dirty Hit’s electronic music imprint, dh2, in 2024 and released her album “Dreamstate” in October of the same year. Her music has been described as dream pop and techno pop.