"It feels like the beginning of a new phase for me, like I'm starting a 2.0," begins Welsh DJ/producer Kelly Lee Owens.
Having previously worked as a nurse in a cancer ward, Owens was inspired by the stories of those she got to know, who actively encouraged her to pursue her dreams. She only started to write her first songs in her mid-20s. Her career is testament to the fact that life simply isn't as linear as we might pretend.
Owens has fully embraced life in her 30s and the various lessons she's learned along the way. "Being in your 30s is one of the most beautiful things. I fucking love getting older; it's such a privilege. I know myself better and I'm more self-assured, and I just think you can hear that in the sound."
Her fourth album, Dreamstate (out October 18), is a mirror for Owens's personal growth — a statement record where the quiet introversion of her liminal brand of electronic/techno has been swapped out for extroversion and a clear sense of purpose within her creative vision. "Dark Angel" swallows listeners in a state of holy reverence with its angelic synth textures ascending alongside Owens's calls into the ether. Elsewhere, her increased confidence pops up as neon-lit shades of desire on "Love You Got."
From the beginning of her career up until Dreamstate, there has been a clear progression in her vocals, which have gone from being absorbed in effects to confident clarity. "When I listen back to my first record, I see that I wasn't confident in my vocal skills. I thought it was cooler to use them as an instrument, as part of the soundscape. Then, I remember playing at a festival with Four Tet. Afterwards he said, 'Your vocals are amazing — don't bury them in reverb or delay. Don't do that again.'"
Further encouragement came from George Daniel of the 1975, who signed Owens to dh2, his new dance-driven imprint as part of UK indie label Dirty Hit. The pair had already been thinking of collaborating musically, and upon hearing about the new label, Owens was keen to get on board. "I suggested, if this does work out, that I could be the first artist on it. It made sense to me. I had my own musical world established, and he was a fan and we have genuine respect for one another. That's always an amazing foundation to grow anything from." Owens says.
A sense of wonder permeates Dreamstate, an album that preaches communal connection and finding mutual euphoria through our ability to dream. It's something that Owens has seen a lot more of recently.
"Your first show back after COVID, you'll never forget what that was," she remembers. "I witnessed people genuinely crying in the club. I'm in awe of those moments of coming together, people dancing, being able to bring people together and being a part of that myself."
Within the last few years, Owens has been rediscovering her connection with her sense of self again, and, in doing so, is able to appreciate those smaller moments.
"I know the word 'mindfulness' is overused at the moment, but that's what it is for me these days," she says. "As you move through life, you understand more that it's [about] these precious things. I just came back from a family wedding, and to just sit having breakfast with my family, I felt like the luckiest person in the world. I took a snapshot in my brain, the chatter and the coffee and the clinking of plates. Awe is in the everyday and the ordinary."