RO

Ro is popular on her own terms. A songwriter, inspired by poetry and storytelling. She believes truth lies in fiction. Live, she is a powerful woman centre-stage. Dubbed as a ‘lyrical assassin’ by the triple J community, she is a “musician that unites breezy guitar with incredible lyrical poetry, showcasing her storytelling side while also cementing her status as a kick-ass musician on the rise” (Pilerats). Ro is the moniker of Rowena Ethelwyn Wise. She grew up in Margaret River, Western Australia. Her father is a luthier who built her custom electric guitar. Her mother is a musician from Chicago, USA. Music surrounded Ro’s entire childhood. She travelled and performed from a young age in a family band, then moved to Melbourne to play her own music. While writing her first songs for Ro, she worked in a denim alteration store and graduated from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in Literature and Creative Writing. She now studies sound production, combining her love of words with a technical approach to creativity. Ro brings palatable and powerful wordplay to the world. As a performer she is an uncaged charismatic introvert. She delivers anthemic self-empowered love songs with clever melancholic witticisms. Her sound is characterised by “poetic lyricism, bursting with melancholic charm and a myriad of other emotions, amongst a background of hazy garage-pop” - Good Intent. It is important to Ro to inspire her listeners to be confident and self-assured. She wakes up each morning and knows exactly what she wants. She invites her people to observe truths of the human condition, through the relatability of punchy indie pop. Ro launched onto the scene in 2018 with the release of ‘Diary’ and of ‘F**ked Up Over You’, which had full Triple J rotation. She has supported G Flip, Didirri, Harts, Kira Puru, Ceres, Little May, Paul Dempsey, Slum Sociable and Woodes. She has played festivals including Grampians Music Festival and BIGSOUND. In 2019 she completed her first headline East Coast Tour and sold out her Melbourne show. Earlier in the year she also released a collaboration single with fellow Australian artist Didirri, ‘Tea Stains’. Ro is currently writing and recording her debut EP.