Carla Werner is a singer and songwriter from New Zealand who began her music career at age 11. At age 12 she won the New Zealand Junior Entertainer of the Year for country music, and went on to win the junior category of New Zealand's first televised talent show 'Telequest' in 1986, hosted by Mark Leishman and judged by Ray Columbus.
After migrating to Australia in 1989, and moving to Sydney in 1992, she joined The Cool Tin Box in 1994, a short-lived acoustic-rock quintet formed by Matt Rankin and ex Go-Between Lindy Morrison on drums featuring lead guitarist Tim Cooper. When they disbanded the following year, she and Cooper began performing together as an acoustic duo, before Werner went out on her own to perform original music. She often worked with Sydney-based musicians Dario Botolin and Lucius Borich and Chris Nelius.
Werner signed her first major record deal in 2002 with Columbia Records, Sony Music and was followed by the release of her debut album Departure in 2003.