Biography
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Born
9 October 1973 (age 51)
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Born In
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Jen Cloher is an Australian folk rock singer-songwriter, currently based in Melbourne, Victoria. She has recorded as Jen Cloher & The Endless Sea and, more recently, as one-third of Dyson Stringer Cloher.
Originally from Adelaide, Cloher originally moved to Sydney to pursue a degree at NIDA. Following her graduation, Cloher instead decided to begin playing music as opposed to continuing with acting. Her first EP, Permanent Marker, was released via Shiny Records in 2005. Until 2012, this would be the only release baring solely Cloher's name.
Her 2006 album, "Dead Wood Falls", was released under the moniker Jen Cloher & the Endless Sea, a collective of musicians that originally included drummer Jen Sholakis, bassist "Lord" Geoffrey Dunbar, guitarist Michael Hubbard, pianist Ross Calia and violinist Andrea Summer. The album's single, "Better Off Dancing," found itself in high rotation on Triple J; while Cloher herself was nominated for Best Female Artist at the 2006 ARIA Music Awards. Its follow-up, 2009's Hidden Hands, was inspired by Cloher's loss of her mother through Alzheimer's and garnered great critical acclaim. Calia and Summer were replaced by Laura Jean and Biddy Connor, respectively; while also adding guitarist Tom Healy to the line-up.
Following a solo tour with Jordie Lane, Cloher once again took an extended hiatus from music. She re-emerged in 2012, releasing a duet with former kid sam frontman Kieran Ryan entitled "Call if You Need Me." It was released in May that year. In October, Cloher released "Mount Beauty," the first single from her then-yet-to-be-titled third album. It was released as a limited-edition split seven-inch, with the flipside containing Courtney Barnett's song "History Eraser." The month prior, Cloher had recorded an album at Melbourne's Headgap Studios. Her band consisted of Barnett, Sholakis and bassist Bones Sloane. Rather than retain the Endless Sea moniker, Cloher chose to record and release the album under her own name, technically making it her debut "solo" album.
In August 2013 Cloher collaborated with Mia Dyson and Liz Stringer to form 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 Australia.
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.
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.
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. The album was released in October 2019.
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