“Great Aunt take an eclectic and joyous approach to making music.
The songs are deeply-felt, revealing, relatable - at once a personal and shared revival.”
Great Aunt is a genre-bending folk duo from Australia, known for their soaring harmonies, dynamic instrumentation, and heart-felt live performances. Winners of the 2024 Folk Alliance Australia Duo of the Year, Great Aunt—comprising Megan Bird (mandolin, resonator, acoustic guitar, vocals) and Chelsea Allen (double bass, vocals, percussion)—craft music that is rooted in folk, bluegrass, and roots traditions, yet refreshingly shaped by their diverse backgrounds in punk, jazz, soul, and rock.
With foot-stomping rhythm, bombastic bass drum, and richly textured harmonies, their sound is instantly recognisable and wholly original. Great Aunt write music from the heart: “a personal and shared revival” — joyfully, tenderly, and often with a sly wink.
Their work has drawn comparisons to the anti-folk and indie scenes for its “lyrical wit and rhythmic dexterity” (Adeem the Artist), while The Bluegrass Situation (USA) calls them “an Australian duo you need to know,” praising their “impressive log of tours, festival shows, and releases.” Wax Vinyl Records (UK) describes their latest single “What’s A Girl To Do Now?” as “poignant and empowering... a message of frustration and resilience, addressing societal norms and expectations placed upon women.”
The duo has performed at some of Australia’s most beloved festivals—including Woodford Folk Festival, Blue Mountains Music Festival, Yackandandah Folk Festival, and Deni Ute Muster—and completed three tours of the United States, earning fans and accolades along the way. They’ve shared stages with a broad spectrum of artists such as Adeem the Artist (US), Joe Crookston (US), Vika & Linda Bull (AUS), The Weeping Willows (AUS), Paisley Fields (USA), Mary Flower (USA), and Kerryn Fields (NZ), among others.
In 2024, Great Aunt released two acclaimed singles—“Freeburgh” and “What’s A Girl To Do Now?”, the latter spending multiple weeks atop the Australian AMRAP Regional Radio chart. These releases mark the lead-up to the duo’s highly anticipated debut full-length album, It’s All Downhill From Here, due out in mid-2025.
They return to North America in July 2025 for their fourth U.S. tour, with upcoming performances at Ossipee Valley Music Festival in Maine and the renowned Red Ants Pants Music Festival in Montana—two of the country’s most beloved celebrations of roots music and community. The tour coincides with the release of their latest single, “The Little Things”, to be released July 9 2025.
Equal parts celebration and reclamation, Great Aunt’s music is a testament to the power of harmony—musical and emotional. Their music is a joyful and gutsy revival, delivered with warmth, wit, and undeniable soul.
