Elke Louie ‘This Town’ Video + Aus Folk Music Awards Finalist & Cygnet Folk Festival Announced

Fresh from the Gympie Muster stage, indie folk singer-songwriter Elke Louie continues to shine with her new music video for ‘This Town’ premiering at the Heart Of Gold International Short Film Festival, where it was selected for a collaborative video treatment where young creatives were invited to create the film clip facilitated by experienced filmmakers.

The final track to be lifted from Elke’s debut EP ‘Lavender’ released in April 2026, recorded at Mantle Records with Clare Quinn and Lawrence Menard of Those Folk; ‘This Town’ aired on Triple J / ABC’s Country Club program over the weekend, and has been played on community stations around Australia.

Elke has been announced as a Youth Artist National Finalist at the Australian Folk Music Awards, being held later this month on October 21. 

2027 is already shaping up to be a good year, after being announced on the stellar lineup at Tasmania’s most loved folk event, the Cygnet Folk Festival, 8-10 January. Whilst in Tasmania, Elke will also be performing at MONA on January 15.

ELKE LOUIE ‘THIS TOWN’ SINGLE | VIDEO

on SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE | APPLE and MORE

Discussing how the song came about, Elke said “I wrote This Town during a Year 11 music assignment where I was asked to explore my identity growing up in my hometown. At the time, I struggled with a lot of self-doubt and didn’t feel particularly inspired by the idea, so I left it until the last minute. When I finally sat down to write, the song came together quickly and naturally, almost like it had been waiting for me. It’s since become one of my favourite songs to perform live. At my debut single launch in Gympie, the entire room at Qube226 clapped along to the tempo, and it’s a moment I know I’ll carry with me forever.”

Elke Louie is an emerging Australian singer-songwriter crafting intimate, slow-burning indie-folk with a voice that feels both unguarded and quietly powerful. At just 20, her songwriting has already traced a path from bedroom solitude to fully realised releases, capturing the emotional aftershocks of growing up, letting go, and leaning into vulnerability.

Balancing study, live performance, and recording, Elke Louie is part of a new wave of regional artists whose work feels expansive despite quiet beginnings, as recognised by two award nominations at the 2026 Sunshine Coast Music Awards, for Young Artist Of The Year, and Artwork Of The Year for the self-directed ‘Killing Time’ video. Undertaking her first year of Uni for Music at QUT Elke Louie is emerging as a compelling new folk voice.

“‘This Town’ captures the strange claustrophobia and comfort of small-town life. The Lavender EP breathes, a five-track time capsule from a songwriter who has learned that vulnerability is not weakness, but the bravest thing you can offer. For anyone who has ever hesitated to say the words “I love you,” this EP is permission. And for Elke Louie, it’s a stunning first chapter finally complete.”   Happy Mag, Aus: ‘Lavender’ EP Review