A local musician has enlisted a very unusual ally - a house cow - to help publicise her new album.

Hāwea singer/songwriter Anna Rowley recently released her first professionally recorded album, ‘Radiate’, which features eight original tracks recorded under the guidance of Danny Fairly at Mirrors Audio in Wānaka.

“It was a great learning journey for me to work alongside another musician to create a super polished product,” Anna said. 

“I wanted to make an upbeat album with strong melodies, and lyrics that listeners could relate to. A lot of the music is inspired by our stunning natural environment and the processes and rhythms of nature.”

Anna said life can sometimes be over complicated, and she finds nature “can provide comfort with its simplicity and randomness”.

Penny

Anna, who lives on a farm in Hāwea, decided upon a “sneaky plan” to draw more people in to consume her music by introducing her house cow Penny on social media.

“You can follow her fascinating journey as a house cow in southern NZ. She is due to calve any second... how will it unfold... keep watching to find out more,” Anna promised on Facebook.

Anna worked on a dairy farm in her early 20s and became determined to get a house cow one day. Last year she bought Penny from Oamaru on TradeMe.

“She tolerates me because I bring her treats to eat and, if I don’t muck around, she will stand still for me while I extract some milk. Every now and then we have a quick cuddle and admit that we actually like each other but generally we keep it professional,” Anna said.

Penny is pregnant again - it looks like twins - and Anna says “I really hope she remembers our arrangement from last season”.

People follow Penny’s pregnancy on social media, and also enjoy Anna’s album (which can be found on Spotify under Anna Rowley).

PHOTOS: Supplied