Husky Gawenda

Husky Gawenda sang long before he spoke. He studied classical piano and then taught himself guitar. His sister taught him how to sing. After studying English literature (for his lifelong love of books and poetry) and Astrophysics (for his lifelong fascination with space) he forged a career in song, in which he has won the country's biggest awards (including the Vanda and Young International Songwriting Award).

He has recorded four critically acclaimed albums and toured the world with his band ‘HUSKY’, the first Australians to be signed to iconic US record label Sub Pop Records (Nirvana, Fleet Foxes), alongside his cousin and collaborator Gideon Preiss. They have played festivals worldwide and dream venues including Central Park and toured with international artists including Neil Young. 

During the lockdowns, alone in his small apartment, he began to write new songs and record them on his tape machine. They were different from the songs he had written with the band. They were stripped back, more intimate, more personal, more emotionally raw. He recorded two albums, one he released last year called ‘Bedroom Ice Age’ and one due for release in September 2022 called ‘The Rocket Ship is Haunted’. The word on the street is that it is even better than his first, and those in the know are heralding HG as one of Australia’s best singer-songwriters.

Sometimes his songs soar and swirl in rambling tales that sweep you up and carry you away. Other times his songs unfold quietly, unexpectedly, revealing a dark, felt world, and almost whispered, they compel you to lean in and listen more closely.

'It’s not news that Husky Gawenda is some kind of pop prodigy. He’s a killer writer, with an incredible ear for hooky melody and blessed with a voice that manages to be both commanding and entirely laidback at the same time.'  Double J