Bee Ounsworth is a London-born UK country singer-songwriter whose journey into music proves that there really is no right age — or right time — to discover what you’re meant to do.

Music wasn’t always the plan. In fact, for much of her life, animals were far more likely to feature in Bee’s future than microphones and stages.

A lifelong animal lover, Bee spent around 15 years working as a veterinary nurse and has also worked as a zookeeper. Growing up, she dreamed of becoming a primatologist, driven by a fascination with animals that has never really left her. If you ask Bee, a life involving music, animals and travelling the world would probably still be fairly close to perfect.

But life has a habit of moving quickly.

The years passed, careers happened, Bee became a wife and mum of three, and the ambitions she had always carried with her began to change. She had never been short of drive or dreams — she just hadn't found the one that would eventually take over quite so much of her life.

That changed after the birth of her third child in 2017, when Bee decided to take singing lessons simply to try something new. Within weeks, she was invited to join a band.

What started as something for herself quickly became something much bigger.

Bee threw herself into the live music scene, performing at open mic nights and venues across different genres and gradually discovering both her voice and the kind of artist she wanted to be. When she found country music, something clicked. Its storytelling, emotional honesty and ability to turn real life — the good, the bad and everything in between — into a song felt completely natural to her.

In July 2023, Bee founded BUCKLE N BOOTS. What began as a country covers project soon developed into something far more personal: an original artist project built around Bee's songwriting, powerhouse vocals and a distinctly British take on modern country.

The debut single Love in the Dark arrived in July 2024 and opened the door to a growing catalogue of original music. By 2025, BUCKLE N BOOTS had developed into the dynamic live setup it is today, with Bee at its heart as vocalist and primary songwriter, joined by her live band for performances.

In 2026, she was nominated and named a finalist for both UK Country Artist of the Year and UK Country Female Artist of the Year — recognition that meant a great deal to an artist whose musical journey had started less than a decade earlier with a singing lesson taken simply because she fancied trying something new.

And perhaps that's an important part of Bee's story: she isn't chasing fame.

Her ambition is to become known and respected within the country music industry as a singer-songwriter — to write songs people connect with, perform on stages she once never imagined herself standing on, collaborate with other artists and songwriters, and see just how far this unexpected journey can take her.

Quite literally, if possible.

Because away from music, one of Bee's greatest loves is travelling. New countries, new places and new experiences are her happy place, especially when she gets to share them with her family. Some might call her a travel addict. Bee would probably argue that there's simply a very long list of places she hasn't been to yet.

Today, she somehow fits her music around an already very full life. Based in Surrey, Bee is a mum of three and works in a specialist school, while also writing, recording, rehearsing, performing and continuing to build BUCKLE N BOOTS. Add family life, travelling whenever the opportunity arises and her weekly country music show on Surrey's Ridge Radio, and sitting still doesn't feature particularly highly on the agenda.

There is another side to Bee that isn't always obvious when you see her perform.

Bee has struggled with anxiety, particularly in busy public environments and certain social situations. When she feels anxious or overwhelmed, it can sometimes show physically through nervous tics and stimming — little movements and behaviours that are simply part of how she responds to those feelings.

Yet put her on a stage in front of those same crowds and something completely changes.

The anxiety quietens. The nervous energy has somewhere to go. The music takes over.

It's one of the strange contradictions she has discovered about herself through music. The woman who can feel overwhelmed simply standing amongst a crowd can step onto a stage, sing her heart out and suddenly feel exactly where she belongs.

Perhaps that's part of why performing means so much to her. On stage, she doesn't feel the need to overthink who she is or how she's coming across — she can simply be Bee, lose herself in the music and enjoy the moment. And when she does, she doesn't hold much back.

Known for powerhouse vocals, infectious energy, plenty of personality and a natural connection with her audience, Bee brings her original music to life alongside her live band with big hooks, heartfelt storytelling and more than a little boot-stompin' attitude.

But behind BUCKLE N BOOTS is still the animal-loving, travel-obsessed mum who spent 15 years nursing animals, once dreamed of studying primates, works in a Surrey specialist school and started singing because she thought it might be nice to try something new.

Life may not have followed the route she once imagined. The years may have passed faster than she expected. But the ambition never went anywhere. From veterinary nurse to singer-songwriter, from anxiety in a crowd to feeling completely at home in front of one, and from that first singing lesson to becoming a two-category UK Country finalist, Bee's story isn't about becoming famous.

It's about doing something she loves, doing it well, earning the respect of the country music community and seeing where in the world the music might take her next.

And knowing Bee, she'll already have the suitcase packed.