Lifestyle & Entertainment
6 Indigenous Music Artists to Keep an Ear Out For
By Juniper Buley
One of the easiest ways for us to support Indigenous artists this NAIDOC Week (and for every week of the year!) is by making a conscious effort to listen out and expand our audio horizons. There are some brilliant First Nations musicians, singers, producers and artists out there who are laying down some seriously sweet tunes, here's a couple of them - get your ears around them, give them a follow and maybe you'll discover your newest favourite artist!
Baker Boy
Known as "The Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land", Baker Boy is a loud, proud Yolngu man and a powerful rapper. He's won the 2019 Young Australian of the Year award for his activism and contribution to Australian music, he's been ARIA award nominated 6 times, and played the AFL Grand Final in 2019. If you haven't heard of him, now you have! Some of the lines in his tracks are in Language, so you'll find yourself picking up a little as you listen along. You'll totally get lost in the rhythm.
If you're not listening to Baker Boy, you should be.
Thelma Plum
An ARIA-award winning artist and Gamilaroi woman, Thelma Plum's nostalgic, driving tones and relatable emotions make her a regular appearance on plenty of sad girl playlists. There's a kind of bittersweet melancholy about her life which comes out through the music - you'll end up feeling a little sad, and a little happy, all at the same time.
Get your ears around Thelma Plum.
Archie Roach
Archie Roach has been making music since 1990 and absolutely has not stopped. His blend of important political messaging and a very outback Australian brand of country has kept him popular even to this day. He's a Member of the Order of Australia, has 5 (five!) ARIA awards, a Human Rights Achievement Award, and an APRA Lifetime Achievement award. What an incredible life, and he's showing no signs of stopping any time soon!
You might really enjoy Archie Roach.
Barkaa
Barkaa is a newer rapper on the scene, a Malyangapa and Barkindji woman, and a loud and proud fighter for Indigenous rights. Her name comes from the Barkindji word for the Darling River.
Her debut album, Blak Matriarchy, was named "in honour of powerful First Nations women who've paved the way for future generations", especially her own mother. Keep an eye out for her daughter, Alinta, who sometimes performs with her mum - we think she's going to be just as big!
The Kid Laroi
Many people don't realise that The Kid Laroi is a First Nations man - but he's actually taken his name from the name of his tribe, the Gamilaroi people. He's been skyrocketing up the charts recently, going viral on TikTok, and is currently living in LA after making it huge, playing onstage with some music industry giants like Miley Cyrus. He's awesome representation, and an example of multi-generational Indigenous talent: his mother was a prominent producer and a proud Gamilaroi woman.
You already know who the Kid Laroi is.
But you should still bump his tracks anyway. We've been playing 'Thousand Miles' nonstop.
Stiff Gins
The brainchild of Nardi Simpson (a Yuwaalaraay woman) and Kaleena Briggs, Stiff Gins pull together some beautiful acoustic tracks and gorgeous harmonies and they're the perfect background music for staying at home with a book or having a quiet night in with friends. Some of their songs are in Language, so you'll be absorbing culture as you listen.
The band's name Stiff Gins is a play on words - gin is a somewhat derogatory word for woman based on the Dharug word for 'wife', but combined with 'stiff' it changes the insulting word to be about a tough, strong, powerful woman. And that is a sentiment we can get behind!
Relax with Stiff Gins' gentle acoustic tunes.
Make a cup of tea, close your eyes, and drift off into the beautiful harmonies.
