The National Indigenous Music Awards have today announced a star-studded line up of Australian talent, set to perform at this year’s award ceremony. Taking to the stage under the stars in Darwin’s historic Amphitheatre on August 12 will be hip hop legends A.B Original with Dan Sultan, Australian icon Paul Kelly and 2016 NIMA winner Gawurra, as well as performances from Numbulwar Red Flag Dancers, Leah Flanagan, Electric Fields, Apakatjah, and Emily Wurramara. This year has been an incredible time for Indigenous music, with A.B. Original’s win of the Australian Music Prize, #1 ARIA chart positions for Busby Marou’s ‘Postcards From the Shell House’ and Jessica Mauboy’s soundtrack to her national TV series, Troy Cassar-Daley taking out Album of the Year at the Tamworth Golden Guitars, Isaiah Firebrace representing Australia at Eurovision and Casey Donovan returning to national prominence via mainstream television are just some of the incredible achievements of the sector. The award show, now in its 14th year is not just a place to celebrate the mainstream success of Indigenous music, but a place to uncover the next generation of Australian musicians, with last year’s winners including Gawurra and Tia Gostelow going on to make serious inroads in the Australian music scene since being launched on a national stage at the awards.
NIMA has once again partnered with triple j Unearthed to discover the next generation of Indigenous talent, giving one lucky artist the chance to perform at the awards, with all Indigenous artists who upload new songs to the Unearthed platform by July 2 eligible for the prize.
“We are excited to announce this year’s lineup that brings together some of the country’s leading acts as well as some exciting new talent”, said Music NT Executive Director Mark Smith. “Securing A.B. Original (with Dan Sultan) and Paul Kelly is a major coup for the event and for Darwin and we can’t wait to see them up on stage with some of the most exciting talent in the country”. As the nation commemorates 50 years since the national referendum to recognise Indigenous people, The National Indigenous Music Awards has also collaborated with Warner Music Australia to create the
National Indigenous Music Awards CD which will be available for the first time, shining a light on the contribution that Indigenous Australia has made to the rich tapestry of Australian music
The double-CD set will take listeners through the very best of Indigenous music in 2016/17 on disc one, before celebrating the biggest Indigenous songs of all time on disc two, including tracks from Yothu Yindi, Archie Roach, Jimmy Little, Christine Anu, No Fixed Address and many more.
The compilation celebrates the strength of Indigenous music over the years and is a timely reminder not only of the great number of classic Indigenous songs that mark the Australian music landscape, but also of the commanding position Indigenous musicians hold in Australian music today.
Nominations for the 2017 National Indigenous Music Awards close on June 23 at www.indigenousmusic.com.au.
The National Indigenous Music Awards 2017 THE AMPHITHEATRE – DARWIN, NT Saturday 12 August, 2017
With Live Performances from: A.B Original with Dan Sultan Paul Kelly Gawurra Emily Wurramara Numbulwar Red Flag Dancers Leah Flanagan Electric Fields Apakatjah
Tickets for the event are available now from www.indigenousmusic.com.au or via Darwin Festival on 08 8943 4200