True life imitated fiction when Clare Bowen bought a one-way ticket from Sydney to Los Angeles in 2012. Already a promising actress at home in Australia, she auditioned for the part of an young poet/songwriter in new drama 'Nashville'. When she got the role she went on to achieve musical success in her own right in a story that mirrored the story of Scarlett O'Connor, the role she was playing in the series.
Of Scottish and Irish descent, she grew up in a remote rural area of Australia far from any major town. Music became her lifeline to the outside world listening to her parents' vinyl record collection which included Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Etta James and Gilbert & Sullivan, as well as Loretta Lynn and Johnny Cash and other country heroes she heard on the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcasts. She went on to study at the University of Wollongong in New South Wales and moved into acting, getting her break as the female lead and earning critical praise in the movie 'The Combination' in 2009. She also appeared in various TV shows including 'Home & Away' as well as productions of 'Candide', 'Our Town' and 'The Good Doctor'. She went on to prove her singing prowess in the lead role in the Sydney Theatre Company's musical production of 'Spring Awakening' after which, on the advice of the STC artistic director Cate Blanchett, decided to try her luck in Hollywood.
Her striking vocal performances in 'Nashville' brought her international recognition, resulting in her going into the studio with producer Buddy Miller to duet with fellow cast member Sam Palladio in the character of their TV roles on 'If I Didn't Know Better' and 'Fade Into You'. She was also featured on various albums from the TV series and teamed up with Zac Brown Band on a live version of their 2010 hit 'Free', which segued into Van Morrison's 'Into the Mystic'. Inspired by her TV character, Bowen was already writing her own songs and as the sixth series of 'Nashville' drew to a close she launched her solo career with the singles 'Love Steps In', 'Little By Little' and 'Let It Rain' followed by the release of her debut solo album 'Clare Bowen' in 2018, drawing on country and Americana music, co-written with her husband Brandon Robert Young who she met at the Grand Ole Opry.
