Wilsn

Australian vocalist Shannon Busch, recording as WILSN, draws her primary inspiration from American R&B of the mid-20th century. Her debut album Those Days Are Over, issued in 2023, channels the spirit of Motown and blues without descending into imitation.

Born in Geelong, Victoria and now residing in Melbourne, Busch immersed herself in the landmark female voices of jazz and R&B through her parents’ vinyl collection, with particular attention to Billie Holiday, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin—the latter discovered via the Queen of Soul’s cameo in The Blues Brothers. While enrolled at Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts she secured a publishing agreement and spent time in Nashville refining her songwriting, an experience that deepened her affinity for soul. Although she also admired pop-oriented R&B figures such as Alicia Keys and Adele, a European tour supporting the Teskey Brothers prompted her to focus on more direct expressions of soul and blues. Collaborating with musicians throughout Australia and the United States, she shaped the material she had composed both at home and abroad; emerging from COVID-19 restrictions, WILSN released the assured singles “You Know Better,” “Tell Me,” and “Me or Her,” which featured on her 2022 EP If You Wanna Love Me and later on Those Days Are Over alongside the well-received “Hurts So Bad,” captured both as a solo performance and as a duet with tourmate Josh Teskey.

Following the album’s arrival, Busch moved quickly to new projects. She delivered a richly reinterpreted, soul-infused version of Crowded House’s “Better Be Home Soon” alongside Indigenous artist Budjerah for Mushroom Records’ 60th-anniversary celebrations in 2023, then rejoined producer Stephen Mowat for the subsequent singles “Can’t Afford Therapy” and “I Got You.”