Clare Bowditch (born 1975) is an Australian musician, author, and occasional actress. At the 2020 ABIA (Australian Book Industry Awards) she won ‘Best New Australian Author’ for her best-selling 2019 memoir ''Your Own Kind of Girl''. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, Bowditch won the

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

and was nominated for a

Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Television in Australia, Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The eve ...

for her work on the TV series ''Offspring'' in 2012. She has toured with

Gotye Wouter André De Backer (; born 21 May 1980), known professionally as Gotye ( , , ), is a Belgian-born Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuring Kimbr ...

and

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

, written for '' Harpers Bazaar'', ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Drum''.

Life and career

1975-1997: Early life

Bowditch was born in Melbourne and raised in the suburb of Sandringham. She graduated from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

's School of Creative Arts with a Bachelor of Creative Arts (BCA), a now-defunct degree.

1998-2002: Red Raku

Bowditch began writing songs at the age of three and continued writing them in private until 1998 when she met John Hedigan and formed a band called Red Raku. Red Raku self-released two albums, ''Sweetly Sedated'' (1998) and ''Roda Leisis May'' (2002). Producer and drummer Marty Brown collaborated with the band and in 2002 Bowditch and Brown had a daughter.

2003-2008: The Feeding Set

In 2003, Libby Chow and Warren Bloomer joined and the band changed their name to Clare Bowditch & The Feeding Set. The band released '' Autumn Bone''. Later in 2003, they signed with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

which rereleased the album. In 2005, Bowditch was invited by Deborah Conway to take part in the Broad Festival project with three other Australian female artists at which they performed their own and each other's songs. With Bowditch and Conway were Sara Storer, Katie Noonan and Ruby Hunter. In October 2005, Bowditch and The Feeding Set released their second album, '' What Was Left'', on

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

. The album peaked at number 35 on the ARIA Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, Bowditch won the

. In October 2007, Melbourne guitarist Tim Harvey ( Jade Imagine) joined the band and Bowditch and the Feeding Set released their third album, '' The Moon Looked On''. The album peaked at number 29 on the ARIA Chart. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2008 The 22nd annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) took place on 19 October 2008. The nominees for all categories were announced on 10 September, while the winners of ...

, the album was nominated for two awards. In late 2008, Bowditch completed a twenty-five date sold out solo tour through major and regional venues in Australia, during which time she was supported by Australian band Hot Little Hands.

2009-2010: The New Slang

In 2009, Bowditch and her family temporarily relocated to

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of ...

, where she wrote the album ''Modern Day Addiction''. The album was partly recorded with producer Mocky (who has also worked with Feist,

Gonzales Gonzales may refer to: Places * Gonzales, California, U.S. * Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S. * Gonzales, Texas, U.S. * Gonzales County, Texas Other uses * Battle of Gonzales, 1835 * Gonzales (horse) (1977 – after 1996), an American-bred Thoroughbr ...

, Jamie Lidell and

Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called nectarines. Peac ...

) at the

Hansa studios Hansa Tonstudio is a recording studio located in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Germany. The studio, famous for its Meistersaal recording hall, is situated approximately 150 metres from the former Berlin Wall, giving rise to its former nickn ...

in Berlin and completed in Australia with her expanded eight-piece band the New Slang. The album marked a change in direction for Bowditch, having been written on a Casio keyboard and piano. In October 2009, she released her first single, "The Start of War". The song also features Bowditch's partner, Marty Brown, and

Mick Harvey Michael John Harvey (born 29 August 1958) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his long-term collaborations with Nick Cave, with whom he formed The ...

, formerly of

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are a Rock music, rock band formed in Melbourne in 1983 by lead vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and German guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throug ...

. The album became both

3RRR 3RRR (pronounced "Three Triple R", or simply "Triple R") is an Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. 3RRR first commenced broadcasting in 1976 from the studios of 3ST, the student radio station of the Royal Melbourne Instit ...

's and ABC Radio National's ''Album of the Week''. The album peaked at number 10 on the ARIA Charts. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2010 The 24th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which included the 2010 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...

, the album was nominated for three awards. Bowditch supported

on his 2010 Australian tour. Bowditch was joined by fellow Australian musician Deborah Conway, who was the support act for the second show of the Melbourne stop of the tour. Bowditch said in a 2012 interview that she received a marriage proposal from Cohen during the tour. Bowditch turned down the proposal and explained, "I got to spend all that time with him. Most of the time I just sat there watching and smiling and being amazed at the theatre of it all. He was absolutely charming."

2011-present: solo work

In 2011, Bowditch co-wrote and performed a musical stage show based on the life and music of

Eva Cassidy Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American singer and musician known for her interpretations of jazz, Folk music, folk, and blues music, sung with a powerful, emotive soprano voice. In 1992, she released her f ...

. The show, ''Tales from the Life of Eva Cassidy'', featured Bowditch singing Cassidy's songs in the style of Cassidy, in addition to telling stories behind the songs and life of the late singer. The sold-out show was performed consecutively over two weeks at the Atheneum Theatre in Melbourne. In July 2011, Bowditch released the EP ''Are You Ready Yet?'', which included the single "Now That You're Here" (with Lanie Lane). In May 2012, Bowditch released the single, "You Make Me Happy", which was featured in the TV series ''

Offspring In biology, offspring are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by sexual reproduction, sexual or asexual reproduction. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny. This can refer to a set of simultaneous offspring ...

''. Bowditch plays Rosanna Harding in the series; a musician who produces and performs music with Billie's husband Mick, played by Eddie Perfect, creating marital jealousy and tension. Bowditch's fifth studio album, ''The Winter I Chose Happiness'', was released on 14 September 2012. The album peaked at number 11 on the ARIA Charts. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2013 The 27th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2013 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

, the album was nominated for an award. In 2013, Bowditch set up a creative social enterprise, Big Hearted Business (BHB). The first Big Hearted Business conference was held in 2013 at the Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne, Australia. The speakers list of the event included comedian Catherine Deveny, writer Rachel Power and designer Lucy Feagins. In October 2019, Bowditch released her first book, ''Your Own Kind of Girl'', a partial memoir from her early life, published in Australian and New Zealand by Allen & Unwin, who acquired the rights after an auction between eight publishers. In 2020, Bowditch released the Audible Original podcast series 'Tame Your Inner Critic'.

Personal life

Bowditch and husband Marty Brown were introduced to each other via their bandmate John Hedigan in 1997. They have three children. In December 2015, it was announced that Bowditch would be undertaking the role of program host for the afternoon radio program of

ABC Radio Melbourne ABC Radio Melbourne (official List of radio station callsigns in Victoria, callsign: 3LO) is an ABC Local Radio station in Melbourne, Australia. It began transmission on 13 October 1924 and was Melbourne's second licensed radio station after Radi ...

, starting on 25 January 2016. She presented her last programme on 29 November 2017, leaving to write what would go on to be her award-winning debut memoir ‘Your Own Kind of Girl’.

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Singles

Other appearances

Awards and nominations

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

(APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982. ! , - ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, "You Make Me Happy" (Clare Bowditch and Eddie Perfect) , Song of the Year , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. Bowditch has won one award from eight nominations. , - ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, ''What Was Left'' , Best Female Artist , , - , rowspan="2",

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, rowspan="2", ''The Moon Looked On'' , Best Female Artist , , - , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , - , rowspan="3",

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, rowspan="2", ''Modern Day Addiction'' , Best Female Artist , , - , Best Adult Alternative Album , , - , Victor Van Vugt for Clare Bowditch - ''Modern Day Addiction'' , Engineer of the Year , , - ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, ''Are You Ready Yet?'' , Best Female Artist , , - ,

, ''The Winter I Choose Happiness'' , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , -

EG Awards / Music Victoria Awards

The EG Awards (known as ''Music Victoria Awards'' since 2013) are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. , - ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, Clare Bowditch , Best Female , , - ,

, Clare Bowditch , Best Female , , - , rowspan="2",

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, ''The Winter I Chose Happiness'' , Best Album , , - , Clare Bowditch , Best Female , , -

J Award

The J Award is an award given by Australian youth radio station

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

to Australian Album of the Year. It is judged by the music and on-air teams at triple j, Unearthed and Double J. , - ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, ''What Was Left'' , Australian Album of the Year , , -

Logie Awards

The

Logie Awards The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The event is telecast live and ...

(officially the TV Week Logie Awards) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television. Awards are presented in 20 categories representing both public and industry voted awards. , - ,

, Clare Bowditch in Offspring (Network Ten) , Most Popular New Female Talent , , -

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowditch, Clare 1975 births Living people ARIA Award winners Australian indie pop musicians Actresses from Melbourne Singers from Melbourne Australian indie rock musicians Australian television actresses 21st-century Australian actresses 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers People from Sandringham, Victoria