Kieren’s Bio

 

 

         

Kieren Lee is one half of the frontmen for Melbourne band Big Words. He’s a writer, songwriter and creative force with a mission to engage even the most distracted minds and prove there’s more than one way to make something timeless.

In 2023, The King of Yonder was born. Music had always been his first love, but the idea for a children’s fantasy novel appeared out of nowhere and took over his life. He released the first version independently in August 2024, but quickly pulled it down. The story meant too much. It wasn’t ready. For the next year he rewrote every word, redesigned the cover, expanded the world and poured his heart into making The Forgotten Forest the spectacular first chapter it deserved to be.

Kieren’s journey has been far from traditional. Once the class clown, more interested in entertaining than studying, he avoided books for most of his life. But at 30, everything changed. He fell in love with literature. Now he sees novels the way he sees songs: as a performance, carefully crafted from start to finish.

His stories are whimsical, funny and deep, bursting with energy, warmth and honesty. After years working in the chaos of Melbourne cafés, food became a key part of his storytelling too — cooking, feasts, cakes, coffee and the magic of everyday moments. Taste, he says, is everything. Whether it’s music, writing, food or fashion, he believes that if you have good taste and a good heart, anything is possible.

Kieren’s books are brought to life with illustrations by his partner, Rachel Holland, along with a few sketches of his own. Together they’re building stories that aren’t just flashes in the pan, but classics meant to live on bookshelves for years to come.