Judith Owen

Judith Owen

Judith Owen is a singer-songwriter from London, United Kingdom, born in 1969. She emerges in the late 1990s and builds a reputation for lyric-driven songs and a style that moves between folk, jazz and rock elements. She is also associated with Welsh music circles through the tags commonly attached to her work.

Albums and releases

Owen releases Here in 2006, followed by Happy This Way in 2007 on Courgette Records. Here brings wider attention and leads to an appearance on NBC’s Today Show. After its release, she performs the material in major cities across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Performance style and critical response

Her live and recorded work draws strong praise for vocal range and emotional detail. Reviews describe her as working across folk, jazz and chanson-like territory, with a voice that is striking and expressive. She is also described as a charismatic performer whose singing combines rock, jazz and cabaret-like qualities.

Collaborations and touring

Owen records and tours with a number of musicians, including k.d. lang, Keb ‘Mo, Tom Scott, Julia Fordham, Ian Shaw and Quantic. Cassandra Wilson describes her as one of the most passionate and creative vocal artists on the scene, and Jamie Cullum calls her a “female Randy Newman”.

Richard Thompson invites her to perform on his 1000 Years of Popular Music tour. Their performances on that project are issued on a 2006 CD and DVD, featuring music from the 13th century through to later songs by Julie London, the Beatles and Britney Spears. Owen also appears on Thompson’s album Sweet Warrior, and Thompson contributes to Happy This Way.