Owelu Dreamhouse by Owelu Dreamhouse

Owelu Dreamhouse (pronounced Oh-WAY-lew) is the collaboration from vocalist Nkechi Anele and arranger and multi-instrumentalist Nic Ryan-Glenie, rekindling the musical relationship they forged in iconic Melbourne soul band Saskwatch. Writing and producing together in collaboration with old and new friends, Nkechi and Nic’s body of work is a sonic blend of cinematic soul, psychedelia, and Afrobeat, weaving through the complexities of cultural ties, gender, and identities across generations. After Saskwatch ended in 2019, Nkechi was burnt out and took 5 years off of music, leaving the industry completely. Nic was living just up the road, and soon emerged a kinship for sharing ideas together, Nkechi hoping to explore her Nigerian heritage through this returning phase of her music, and Nic open to trying updated production approaches. What ensued was a safe space to share ideas through years of being on the road together, and complete freedom and fun. Like the Nigerian proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, Owelu Dreamhouse needed a community to come to fruition, Featuring Melbourne’s most talented instrumentalists, the album was co-produced and engineered by Henry Jenkins (Karate Boogaloo, Surprise Chef, Ella Thompson) and tape-operated by Alex Bennett (Sound Recordings). Owelu Dreamhouse is released via Hopestreet Recordings on Friday 6th February, 2026.

The band's namesake is a play on Nkechi’s grandmother's village — Owaelu — in Nigeria. Growing up as a woman of colour in a predominantly white Australia, Nkechi had fear and hesitation around expressing her Africaness, and Nigerianess. Touching on the tender dissonance felt as a third-culture kid, single ‘Tourist’ weaves real experiences from abroad, highlighting the complexity of returning to home, whilst simultaneously feeling out of place. Both archival and contemporary, the album’s DNA is laced with musical and historic references. Nic and Nkechi listened to their personal collections of West African records, including South America with latin influences, and European new music movements that are at the forefront of jazz, afro-beat, dance music, and 90s R&B. “We tried to emulate as much as we could, whilst still staying true to our circumstances. By that I mean emulate the pure joy, freedom, gratitude, love and fun whole heartedly encompassed within the sound” says Nic.

Second single ‘Stutter’ was heavily influenced by Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Debango, and his 1972 album ‘Soul Makossa’, the aim to present pride, joy and uninhibited expression in the form of a dance track that nodded toward recent practitioners such as Florence Adooni and Mim Suleiman. ‘Niger River’ shows a more contemplative and heart-wrenching side of the duo's songwriting. Using the river as an analogy for letting go, moving on and transitioning, the title refers to the river that cuts through the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, where Nkechi’s grandmother’s town is located. The inspiration for ‘Owerri Disco’ initially came from the Biafran War between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra in1967, that occurred in Owerri (where Nkechi’s dad’s village is located). It then morphed to explore the female rage around male accountability, transforming that feeling into something anthemic, hence the lyrics ‘only you to blame’. “My dislocation from my culture is tangible. I read a lot during this time, about the history of Nigeria, about the wars and protests that came out of Owerri and feminism movements to better understand where I come from” says Nkechi.

Nkechi and Nic, cut their teeth at the helm of the 2010s Melbourne soul renaissance, earning a reputation as one of Naarm's most electrifying live acts. Appearing at major festivals across the world (Glastonbury, Edinburgh Fringe, CMJ, Splendour in the Grass, BluesFest, WOMADelaide, Falls Festival), Saskwatch released four albums, sold out tours and supported Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Maceo Parker, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Earth, Wind and Fire.

(Oh-WAY-lew)
Dreamhouse

Cinematic soul, psychedelic undertones, and Afrobeat grooves intertwine with the complexities of cultural heritage and identity.