Some artists are loud and visible, so it’s impossible to miss anything they do. Some others mostly hide in the shadows, only stepping out into the limelight to promote new projects and releases.
And then, there’s WILSN.
The Melbourne-based artist won me over a while ago with her soulful music and unassuming music industry presence. But it’s her new album Bloom that has turned my streaming algorithms upside down. And for a good reason.
PART 246 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE
Adele, Amy Winehouse, Raye… I bet you recognise these three iconic British artists who share a similar music aesthetic. But how many Australian soul acts do you really know?
To be fair, they don’t frequently land on my music radar, either. And it’s not because I don’t appreciate the genre and the artists’ craft. It has more to do with the fact that it’s not mainstream music at the moment. Hence, if you don’t proactively look for it, the algorithms won’t necessarily push it into your music discovery space.
But there’s something magical happening in the Aussie music scene at the moment that cannot be ignored. In the last few years, more artists are putting soul back into their music – both metaphorically and literally. So it’s piqued my interest, too.
I was blown away seeing Budjerah perform in London a few years ago. Fairly recently, I’ve also spotlighted a few soul artists, like Bumpy, Emma Volard, and Don West, in my music discovery segment. But WILSN is a totally different story.
Voices like hers, delicate yet powerful, warm but still raw, mixing tradition with a modern twist, are rare to come by these days. And maybe it’s because we just don’t give soul music the credit it deserves globally. Because WILSN (real name Shannon Busch) has already conquered international audiences, ladies and gents.
Originally hailing from Geelong in Victoria, the artist moved to Melbourne to study jazz at the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts. Then, she signed a deal with US publisher Pulse, which prompted a career-changing move to Nashville. And even though the audiences heard from her only sporadically in those two years, WILSN spent that time very productively, honing her craft with Grammy Award-winning songwriters.
The hard work in America paid off when she later scored an amazing opportunity from one of the beloved blues/rock Aussie acts. The Teskey Brothers asked her to join them on their 2019 tour of Europe and the UK, where she played to sold-out crowds across the Old Continent. That’s pretty much when I heard about WILSN for the first time, too.
Quite a few releases dropped in the years that followed, culminating in the critically acclaimed 2023 debut album, Those Days Are Over.
WILSN burst onto the Australian music scene with that body of work in a spectacular way. And it should come as no surprise to anybody that she instantly claimed her rightful place in the Australian music space. After all, it’s not every day that you get a record fusing modern soul, pop, jazz and Motown, which is full of jaw-dropping vocal performances at the same time.
So not only did WILSN win the 2024 AIR Award for Best Independent Soul/R&B Album or EP for her debut LP, but she was also nominated for the prestigious Australian Music Prize that year. To top it all, the Melbourne-based muso joined the ranks of other local acts under the wings of the legendary Australian music company, Mushroom Music. To make a long story short, the Aussie music industry started paying attention to her craft.
WILSN claims that “soul music is her one true love.” And she backs up that statement with a list of classic soul and jazz singers she looks up to, including Billie Holiday, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin. But apart from celebrating the rich history of her genre, the artist always injects her own personality and attitude into each track.
She proved it again on the sophomore album. Bloom dropped on October 17, 2025. And I’m not sure if it was me who wasn’t paying enough attention to the hype surrounding album launches this time round. But I wouldn’t have found out about it if it weren’t for Mushroom’s newsletter that lands weekly in my inbox. And once I pressed play, I was mermerised by what I was hearing.
According to the artist herself, “Each song is a piece of my heart”, and “It’s the truest reflection of who I am as an artist right now.” I couldn’t agree more – I’m totally in love with those 14 songs, all hitting that sweet 3-4 minutes music storytelling mark.
Now, I associate blooming with spring. So WILSN can correct me if I’m wrong, but I interpret the album’s title as a new beginning.
Interestingly, though, it’s autumn where I am, writing these words. And to me, the time when leaves fall from the trees is a season of cuddling, drinking velvety red wine, and immersing yourself in cosy music indoors with your favourite person. So, weirdly, this record about blossoming also strikes a chord with me and the vibe I’m currently surrounded by. Because the message it carries is quite universal.
WILSN shared that the songs on Bloom primarily explore “love, loss, hope, and everything in between.” It’s even reflected in the song titles, from “When Will Love Come My Way” to “Miss You”. But if you think this overarching theme of feeling makes the record mundane, you couldn’t be further from the truth.
Somehow, with every song, the artist finds a new way to tell a story you’ve probably heard a thousand times before. Sometimes, it’s with honest, realistic lyrics, like the ones in “Keep Walkin'”:
I avoid every street that we walked down
I avoid a certain part of my own town, cause
I don’t wanna see you standing there
I don’t wanna know you, it’s not fair
I’ll never forgive, but I’m tryin’ to forget
Just my luck, it hasn’t happened yet
On other occasions, it’s the seductive melodies and playful vocals that tell the story in the song. And here, “6 Feet Down” is the best example.
On that note, WILSN’s vocals have truly blown me away on this album. Soul music is known for its intensely emotive delivery and frequent use of ornamentation, i.e. melismas (stretching a single syllable over multiple notes for expressive effect) or a dynamic range. But it’s also challenging technique-wise, with improvisation being an essential part of the performance. All that is present on Bloom, but, thankfully, it’s done in a tasteful way, without being overdone.
As a result, we get a display of impressive vocal abilities. Whether it’s one of the slower, more introspective tracks, like “Without You”, or a dynamic first single that also opens the record, “The Way”, WILSN doesn’t hold back. And if you’re after a song that combines both a powerful delivery and the feels that will make you shed a tear, that’s “Waiting For You”.
Despite the topics of loss and longing she touches on in various tracks, the record won’t leave you feeling bitter or sad, though. Nostalgic – yes. But Bloom ultimately ends on a hopeful note.
I’m pretty sure I’ll speak for many other music lovers when I say that the lyrics to “Love You I Do” are a promise we’d all love to hear from time to time in our hectic, solitary times, filled mostly with bad news:
So when life gets hard, and you can’t see the way through
In the stormy weather, I’ll always be here for you
and
If you ever need someone to take the heavy load
Just call out my name and I’ll come running, don’t ya know
This is exactly why this album deserves so much more hype and attention, not only in the soul music space. Because, whether we dare to admit it or not, we all need more love in our lives. And we all need more pretty love songs, like the ones on Bloom.
So next time WILSN drops a new record, you’ll hear about it from me first.
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