Tanya Ward is a British/Australian singer/songwriter and composer whose influences include roots, blues, folk and jazz. Her musical journey began when she was gifted a ukulele by her uncle, a Tasmanian fisherman, who discovered it on an abandoned yacht that was adrift in the Southern Ocean. She taught herself to play and began writing songs, performing both in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. She later progressed to the banjo, adopting the clawhammer style of playing that was favoured by the original exponents of the instrument.

​

After completing a music degree at the Australian Institute of Music with a Bachelors in Songwriting, she returned to the UK, forming a duo with guitarist Strang (The Stiffs) for a series of gigs and recordings.

​

From the secret swamps in Sydney,  to living in tents in the Cumbrian valley, to writing tunes on the bows of boats on the rivers and seas of Far North Queensland, her songs tell stories of her nomadic life and finding home on the road. 

​

Her debut album Feathers & Bones, produced by Joe Fossard (Bradford, Little Big Band) and featuring Strang (The Stiffs) received high praise and was featured as album of the week for BBC Introducing. 

​

With a unique blend of contemporary folk, roots & blues and jazz fronted with a soulful vocal delivery, she is set to take the world by storm with her genre-defying sound.  

​