Jessie Monk is an artist devoted to making space for the old ways in the new world through song, story, and ritual. Drawing inspiration from the folk traditions of her Gaelic-Anglo heritage, this Naarm-based artist is obsessed with old myths, poetry, stories, and musical motifs from various traditions and lineages throughout the ages. Weaving them amongst new threads of jazz/experimental sounds that situate them at the forward-facing threshold of this time, her compositions and performances harken to both an ancient familiarity and the liminal, collective, and uncertain experience of the present. Filled with deeply personal resonance drawn from very human experiences, her compositions and performances attempt to illuminate the thread that continues from our ancestors through us.
Coming from a theatrical background, she learnt a lot from performing in the Australian premiere of David Bowie’s Lazarus and the Australian tour of Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown. In 2023, she released her debut album, Continually Becoming, regarded as ‘Boundless Folk’ by Rolling Stone Magazine, and is now touring her sophomore album, Mis O’ The Mountains—a concept album based on the myth of an ancient Celtic goddess named Mis—which was nominated for AFMA’s Contemporary Folk Album of the Year, 2025. She has headlined many a Europe and UK tour and been lucky enough to support other wonderful artists like Rachel Sermanni, Ocie Elliot, and Matthew and the Atlas.
