BIOGRAPHY
Courtney Melba Barnett was born on 3 November 1987 in Sydney, Australia. She began performing in Hobart, Tasmania in 2006 before relocating to Melbourne in 2010, having played in bands including Immigrant Union and The Olivettes before pursuing solo work. Growing up on American bands, she found her songwriting voice after discovering Australian singer/songwriters Darren Hanlon and Paul Kelly. Her 2013 release The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas brought international attention, and her 2015 debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit became a commercial breakthrough, reaching the US Top 20 and Australian Top Five. She later released Lotta Sea Lice with Kurt Vile (2017), Tell Me How You Really Feel (2018), Things Take Time, Take Time (2021) with its accompanying documentary Anonymous Club, and Creature of Habit (2026).