Courtney Melba Barnett was born on 3 November 1987 in Sydney, Australia, and raised in the Northern Beaches before moving to Hobart during her teenage years. While studying fine arts, she worked as a pizza delivery driver and began composing songs that reflect raw, everyday observations.
Her debut EP I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris appeared in 2012, but she achieved international recognition with The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas in 2013. The standout track “Avant Gardener,” a deadpan retelling of a panic attack, marked her breakthrough.
Her first full-length album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, was released in 2015 to widespread acclaim. It earned her four ARIA awards, an Australian Music Prize, and a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, along with a Brit Award nomination as International Female Solo Artist.
In 2017, she collaborated with Kurt Vile on Lotta Sea Lice, and in 2018 released her second solo album Tell Me How You Really Feel, deepening her introspective songwriting with tracks like “Nameless, Faceless.” Her third album, Things Take Time, Take Time, arrived in 2021—marked by a softer, more reflective tone shaped by personal transitions and global events such as the Australian bushfires and the pandemic.
Courtney founded the independent label Milk! Records in 2012, giving a platform to herself and other independent artists until its closure in 2023. The final instrumental album released on the label captures her artistic autonomy and evolved musical outlook.
Known for her wit, conversational lyricism, and deadpan vocal delivery, Barnett transforms everyday life into relatable storytelling. Her blend of guitar-heavy indie rock, sharp observations and understated humor has made her a darling of the indie scene worldwide and an inspiration to many aspiring songwriters.
