Owelu Dreamhouse is the latest creative venture from vocalist Nkechi Anele and arranger/multi-instrumentalist Nic Ryan-Glenie, longtime collaborators who first came to prominence as members of Melbourne’s soul powerhouse Saskwatch. With their new project, the pair blends cinematic soul, psychedelia, and Afrobeat into a strikingly personal exploration of identity, heritage, and belonging.
The name Owelu (pronounced Oh-WAY-lew) is inspired by Nkechi’s grandmother’s Nigerian village, Owaelu, marking a deep connection to ancestry while symbolizing a return to authenticity and storytelling rooted in lived experience.
The debut single, “Tourist” (out September 4, 2025, via Hopestreet Recordings), captures the third-culture kid experience—the paradox of feeling out of place at home and abroad—through a lush, sweeping arrangement. Real stories from travel and cultural displacement run through the lyrics, while the music builds with cinematic intensity, performed by a powerhouse ensemble of Naarm/Melbourne’s most active musicians.
“It’s the quintessential third-culture kid experience – a complex inversion of the norm with both its drawbacks and freedoms,” says Nkechi. “Growing up, the constant feeling of difference often carried a heavy resentment. Luckily, my 20s brought the realisation of the sheer beauty in this unique position.”
“Tourist” was co-produced and engineered by Henry Jenkins (Karate Boogaloo, Surprise Chef, Ella Thompson) with tape operation by Alex Bennett (Sound Recordings), whose analog touch adds depth and nostalgic warmth.
For Anele and Ryan-Glenie, Owelu Dreamhouse is the natural evolution of a partnership forged during Saskwatch’s rise, when the band lit up stages at Glastonbury, CMJ, WOMADelaide, Splendour in the Grass, BluesFest, Falls Festival, and more—sharing bills with legends like Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Maceo Parker, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
With Owelu Dreamhouse, the duo channels that history into something new, weaving cultural ties, generational stories, and bold, genre-crossing sonics into a fresh chapter of Melbourne’s ever-evolving soul scene.
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