LOCAL TALENT: Interview with Jess Howell

Southern Highlands Singer/Songwriter Jess Howell tells all on her experiences with music and in the music industry so far.

Arts in Sydney are constantly evolving, and Southern Sydney and Highlands artist Jess Howell is excited to thrive. She is constantly doing performances at clubs, pubs, and festivals in Sydney and the Southern Highlands.

Jess got into music from a young age, having told us that after much begging from her mother to learn an instrument, and the Christmas gift of a guitar from a next-door neighbor, she began music with no intention of pursuing it. Coming from a musical family, Howell's late mother played instruments including piano, saxophone, and euphonium, which has in hindsight inspired her songwriting and listening habits.

"I actually started guitar lessons with my mum. So we'd go do guitar lessons together. I was really, really shy. I didn't really know I could just walk in and say the songs that I wanted to learn and get taught them. So, especially when I started, it was all my mums music taste," Jess recounts.

Jess says “it's interesting to try new instruments and new sounds. And just to, like learn new skills, especially within music", as “the possibilities are endless". However, she does tend to gravitate towards a simple guitar accompaniment to her vocals in most of her gigs.

Her musical influences draw also a lot from her father's music taste, mostly consisting of classic rock music. She mentions the likes of Suzi Quatro and Midnight Oil as main inspiration and aspired as a young artist to be like Quatro in particular.

"Suzi Quatro was probably one of the first artists that I seriously clocked. Like, okay, wow. As a woman in the music industry, who was doing something other than singing pop songs, and actually playing an instrument. I thought that was just absolutely incredible".

Jess also says she is intrigued by Midnight Oil and their political agenda, and the important messages they relay through their music. “I'd love to write some more politically challenging sort of stuff. I really am passionate about a lot of world issues and a lot of social progress and justice, and I would love to be able to incorporate that into my art".

"At the moment, most of my stuff is more just indie, indie folk. And I would love to kind of flip that and experiment with a bit more of a heavier sound [...] but I think my next step is either forming or joining a band".

After talking repertoire, it became clear that Jess's support as an artist is mostly from her father. She said, “my dad likes to send me a lot of songs that he thinks I'd be able to play well, and all the ones that he sends me are songs or covers he likes".

The pair share similar music taste, and “over the years [have sat] down [together] on a Friday night to have a bonfire and listen to potential songs". However, at pub gigs, the right set list is crucial to have an audience captivated, so the balance of fan favorites, originals, and covers are divvied out by Jess.

A couple of the singers go to's include Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell, Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, and Overkill by Colin Hay.

Jess does many gigs around Sydney and the Southern Highlands, having begun her musical endeavors with busking on the main street of Bowral.

She tells of her moving into gig work.

"There was this one really good spot [to busk] outside the Woolworths, and I had this older guy come up to me [...] and he went, 'I run Moss Vale Golf Club and we have music there on the weekends. I would love it if you would come along and play'. [...] So I started playing at Moss Vale Golf Club. And then from there, it just turned into meeting people really".

Howell then joined a local council run community group which specialised in providing opportunities in music for art and young people. From here she joined the Wingecarribee Vocal Muster, which meant she made a lot of connections and was able to make contacts in her teens which have since given her various opportunities.

For example, in 2023 Jess Howell played at the Highlands Fest, held in Bowral with headliner Eskimo Joe. Howell also played at Day on the Green for two concerts, featuring John Stevens and Sting in one performance, and Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper in the other.

Howell has just finished studying a

Bachelor of Music (Music Theatre) at the Sydney campus of the Australian Institute of Music. She was mentored in high school by Nicholas Hammond (The Sound of Music), and has furthermore gotten a lot opportunity to meet production crew and see shows she otherwise wouldn't have been able to access. She chose to pursue musical theatre to get a broader skillset and potentially move into theatre professionally.

While you cannot find Jess on Spotify or Apple Music as of yet, she has written and recorded eight singles so far which are available here, on Triple J Unearthed or Bandcamp. These were recorded during her time as Highland FM's artist of the month in August last year.

Jess says “most I've written probably over a three year span, so not my oldest stuff, but not the most recent". Apart from “Katie", which she notes she wrote about two weeks before she was in the studio. When asked which song is her favorite, she mentions “A Google Diagnosis".

“I did like that one. It was a little silly, but that one especially was so fun to write. I was not having a great time at all when I wrote it. That song was born out of - you know that feeling when you know something is wrong, and you probably should just go to the doctors, but instead Google it four-hundred times and try to work it out yourself? Yeah".

She is also planning on releasing an EP which is currently in the works.

“I have recordings of all the songs, it's just come down to the fact that I'm not happy with them yet. They just need a little bit of tweaking, and because recording in a professional studio is expensive [...] while I'm not a hundred percent happy with the songs it's just not something I can justify. I want to be able to release something that I'm proud of".

Another single Jess mentions is “Katie". The song is about Jess's now-girlfriend, who we joked she still probably doesn't know the song is about her. Howell wrote the song only about two weeks before the pair got together; “I was crushing hard, okay?"

We did discuss how, as a visibly queer person, she has faced some backlash and struggles in being a performer in a more conservative area. However, she says she just “doesn't go back" to places which have, for example, not accommodated her due to their personal beliefs. She does “adjust [her] vibe" to suit wherever she is performing.

After asking about moving more into audio-visual formats, Jess reveals on a USB somewhere is a music video she made years ago after winning a recording opportunity, with a professional track and music video being made to one of her old songs about a friend passing away. She says this experience was really influential and fun, and hopes to continue this when making future works.  

She also hopes to sign to a label, however is not concerned with being an independent artist, as she feels it is more important to be in control of your own art.  

Jess plans on posting more content online soon, with a few projects in the works, so make sure to follow her on YouTube (@_jess_879), Instagram (@jess_howell04), and TikTok (@jess_howell04).  

All images supplied by Jess Howell.