Australian singer and songwriter Jack Colwell passed away suddenly earlier this month. He was 34 years old at the time of his death.
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The musician’s obituary was posted in The Guardian, with the cause of death not revealed.
According to the Daily Mail, Jack Colwell was preparing for the release of his second album at the time of his death. His first album, Swandream, made its debut in 2020. Along with his own music projects, he was also arranging vocals for the indie pop group Architecture in Helsinki.
NME reviewed Colwell’s new album, dubbing it as one of the best Australian albums of 2024. “It feels like he’s reached into your chest and grabbed your heart,” the review reads. “Looking into your eyes pleading us to feel what he feels. That’s the unmistakable gravity and power that Colwell’s storytelling has, and ‘SWANDREAM’ is a story all of his own.”
“Colwell makes sure that you’re listening to every word,” the review also stated. “Whether it’s uttered or screamed – over the lush, piano-led production of Sarah Blasko. ‘Home Again’ arrests you with its hopeful loneliness, and ‘No Mercy’ with crunching frustration. An utterly visceral listen with immediate impact.”
Jack Colwell Was a Devoted LBGTQ+ Community Advocate
Colwell had been an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. He released his single “No Mercy” to honor a teenager, who tragically died by suicide after he was bullied for his sexual orientation.
While speaking to The Queer AV in 2016, he stated he had zero tolerance for bullying. “To me, ‘No Mercy’ links my experience of homophobia from my childhood to who I am today in my adult life as an out gay man. It is a reclaiming of the self, and a refusal of homophobic language. The song acts as mirror to the bully, to challenge them with their own words and direct the spotlight back upon them, and their shameful actions. I have no tolerance for bullying.”
He also said he hates slurs against the community as well. “I hate all queer slurs that were used to intimidate me, and that I heard used both in a violent and a casual way. This word breeds so much fear, hate and anger – and rightfully so, because it is a word no one wants to hear. I felt I wanted to use it in the song because I think it demonstrates what an awful word it is, it makes the listener uncomfortable, and for that, I am truly sorry.”
“But I think it’s important to face this word and hear it,” he added. “Challenge it, and as a queer person to reclaim it.”