Proud Kalkadunga man William Barton is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, didgeridoo player and renowned classical composer.  

Growing up on Kalkadungu country, Mount Isa, he learned didgeridoo (yidaki) from his uncle, Arthur Peterson, a Wannyi, Lardil and Kalkadunga elder. William left school at 12 to concentrate on music. By age 17, he had performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.  

William, who holds honorary doctorates from both Griffith University and the University of Sydney and an associate professor at the Australian National University, has released five albums on the ABC Classics label including Heartland with Véronique Serret featuring the words of William’s mother Aunty Delmae Barton.  

He was the 2019 artist in residence at Melbourne Recital Centre, a Creative Consultant for Australia Day Live and has won multiple awards, including the 2021 Australia Council Don Banks Music Award for his sustained contribution to music. In 2022 William’s ‘Of The Earth’ opened the new Opera House Concert Hall. 

Harts is the musical stage name of award winning Indian-born, Australian-based musician, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and music producer Darren Hart.

Over his career Harts has cemented himself as one of Australia’s leading music talents, building an impressive resume of critically acclaimed work as a solo artist, collaborator and live performer.

Famously discovered and mentored by legendary music icon Prince at Paisley Park, Harts has composed, written, recorded and produced the entirety of his music catalog to date.

With 3 full length albums, 2 EPs, and a multitude of festival and TV appearances both locally and internationally, his unique blend of funk, blues, psychedelic rock, pop, and indie electronic has seen him rise to great musical heights, building loyal and dedicated local and international fanbases along the way.

Fatai’s incredible viral online presence has won her a substantial international audience–her relentless touring since has solidified her as an international sensation.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Fatai has traveled the world since 2016 on tour, selling out shows across North America, The United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Described as having a vocal style that lies “somewhere between Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys,” Ppcorn.com declares that her “every note is infused with a delicacy and strength that beautifully contradicts itself.”

The uniquely powerful relationship Fatai has built with her fans online has forged the successes of her multiple headlining tours, establishing a bond with that audience that is set to last for years to come.

imbi is a multidisciplinary artist currently residing on Gadigal Land. Their practice spans across mediums, from song to digital collage to performance art to poetry. Regardless of what form his art takes, imbi always creates with intention and emphasis on divine connection. Each piece they create is a ritual, bewitching audiences is second nature to them and facilitating tangible energetic moments is a practice found deep in his blood.  

Having performed for audiences across so-called ‘australia’ and Aotearoa (N.Z.) imbi has left many strong impressions, continuing to expand their practice of performance and push the limits of crowd engagement/intimacy every time he sings. 

Rhyan Clapham (DOBBY) is a Hip Hop artist and drummer. Aged 24, he has completed a Bachelor of Music at the University of NSW, and an Indigenous Studies Honours (focusing on Aboriginal Hip Hop music) in 2015. He proudly identifies as a Filipino and Aboriginal musician, and a member of the Murrawarri Republic in Brewarrina, NSW.

Rhyan’s musical training began at age 7. He studied classical piano and achieved AMEB grade 6 and grade 2 musicianship. At age 14, he learned jazz drumkit, and in 2012 performed as part of the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music in California, Nevada, and San Francisco, USA.

DOBBY is a skilled composer and is the 2017 recipient of the bi-annual Peter Sculthorpe Fellowship. He has performed as a rapper and drummer for a variety of events such as BIG SOUND Festival, The Plot Festival, Yabun Festival, 4Elements Hip Hop Festival, UNSW corporate and academic functions, Koori Radio events, and at numerous NAIDOC celebrations across Australia. DOBBY is also a rapper and drummer for Sydney band Jackie Brown Jr in various events and festivals such as Wollombi Music Festival, Rabbits Eat Lettuce, and Psyfari Festival.

DOBBY currently facilitates Hip Hop and drum workshops in community centers, and both primary and high schools throughout Sydney and rural NSW. He is also currently an academic tutor in Indigenous Studies at UNSW.

An enigmatic and captivating performer, Yirrmal’s storytelling transcends time and space. An extraordinarily passionate and incredibly gifted singer-songwriter, Yirrmal creates accessible, powerful and authentic new music of passion and truth, helping people to feel good, and to feel good about themselves.

Hailing from the Rirratjingu clan group in the remote North East Arnhem Land community of Yirrkala, his works share his joy of creating, re-telling and performing stories as old as time with a fresh, inspired and contemporary reflection.

Yirrmal’s music expresses a powerfully instinctual and intuitive pledge that echoes and embraces buoyant courage and empathy, and he has plenty to say, sharpening his craft over the years from mentors such as Archie Roach, Shane Howard, Yothu Yindi, Neil Murray, and Andrew Farriss.

Yirrmal has had great success within Triple J, his feature on Baker Boy’s 2017 track “Marryuna” ranked number 17 in the Hottest 100 of 2017, also winning Best Song at the Music Victoria Awards of 2018 and Best Film Clip of the Year at the National Indigenous Music Awards in 2018. Yirrmal’s second featured collaboration with Baker Boy’s “Ride” also featured in the Hottest 200 of 2021, with his third feature “Somewhere Deep” featuring on Baker Boy’s 2021 debut album “Gela”.

To listen to an artist like Caiti Baker, it is impossible not to get swept up in a voice that is so seasoned and yet, so contemporary and fresh. Since 2016, the Australian music scene has been enamoured with her rich sonic direction and powerful, soulful presence. Caiti’s musical journey began at home, as many do, with early exposure to blues, soul, rock ‘n roll, gospel, and jazz, music infiltrating her sphere of influence, largely thanks to her blues musician father. And from there, a love of R&B and hip hop developed – a child of the ‘90s meant that Caiti’s formative years were dictated by some of the greats: Aaliyah. Erykah. TLC. Throughout her early career, Caiti was able to explore unique and intricate sonic influences, while remaining true to her musical roots and strengths.

Singer, songwriter, performer, dancer, producer, vocal engineer, graphic designer, editor, project manager, mentor, absorber of entertainment and co-founder of sietta creative.

Formed in 1996 for a school talent competition, Downsyde kicked open the doors for West Australian hip hop artists as well as being early pioneers on the national scene. Since then, they’ve released four acclaimed albums, won a stack of awards and toured Australia and the world numerous times including South and Central America with indigenous elder and singer Richard Walley. They’ve even been to Mumbai and Germany, building up a legion of fans across the globe. 

They’ve toured with and supported the likes of The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, Jurassic 5, Cypress Hill, The Black Eyed Peas and Public Enemy with the latter’s Chuck D a fan of the band. They were also one of the artists featured in 2007 Australian Hip Hop documentary Words From The City. 

At the start of 2018 the band announced the addition of WA MC Beni Bjah to the group while original member Shabaz takes a break to focus on family. In 2016 Beni became the first indigenous songwriter to win the WAM (WA Music Association) song of the year award for his track “Survivor”. In April 2019 the band dropped their new single “Odds”, the first record featuring Beni who takes the first blistering verse. The band will be releasing a series of special 12” singles and hitting the road in 2021, stay tuned… 

The Spice Girls, The Fugees, TLC, Shania Twain, Natalie Imbruglia, Mariah Carey, The Cardigans… Tessa Thames’ Dad ran a karaoke business in the 90’s where she operated as a ‘warm up’ of sorts, taking the mic first with the hopes of encouraging others to follow suit. It was a delicate balancing act: being good enough to entertain whilst trying not to intimidate punters. Through this, Tessa cultivated her love of music and songwriting, absorbing her dearly held ‘Top Of The Pops’ 90’s nostalgia like a sponge. Now she’s squeezing it all out as something of her own.

Some may recognise her as the voice of folk act Microwave Jenny, having toured Australia, NZ, Asia, the UK and playing festivals such as Bluesfest (Byron Bay), Woodford Folk Festival (Woodford), Friendship Festival (Seoul) & The Aussie BBQ (UK).

Her music has been featured on television series Gods of Wheat Street (ABC1), Redfern Now (SBS), Offspring (Network 10), Winners & Losers (Seven Network) & Underbelly Chopper (The Nine Network).

Now Tessa Thames unleashes her modern 90’s nostalgic pop on the world without any concern for who might be intimidated.

Jackie Brown Jr are an indie rock and soul Western Sydney five piece consisting of lead singer and saxophonist Madeleine Mallis, drummer and MC Rhyan Clapham (aka Dobby), guitarist and keyboard player Michael J Brady, bassist Gideon Traurig, and guitarist Hilary Geddes.

Founded in 2014, the band has been combining upbeat soul infused horns and vocals, with elements of hip hop, infectious gang vocals, and an unabashed rock energy. They have been getting audiences up and dancing with their infectious live shows along the East Coast with 2021 seeing them release their sophomore EP.

They make indie rock to dissolve your existential dread, or to make it worse? Who knows.

Nasty Mars is a unique singer and songwriter from Melbourne, Australia. Brought up on a wide variety of musical styles, with a particular interest in Soul, RnB and Reggae. In 2016, Nasty Mars met his current band-mates and collaborators The Martians, performing together in a series of must-see shows across Melbourne. At the age of 19 he was trying as much as possible to tap his inspiration into Soul, RnB, poetry and contemporary art to create his own sounds.

Furthermore, he enriched his music in 2016, when he started to collaborate with his colleague The Martians, giving birth to the band that is known now. Their first musical work didn’t take long to come and in 2017, they launched “Soul Island”, their debut single, but they began to leave a decisive mark on the Melbourne music scene only with the single “Chanel”.

Frizzy guitars and relaxing piano tabs are the main ingredients of the band, who are able to reach a dreamy atmosphere beaten by the soul vibes of a saxophone that sings alone in the refrain. The rhythmic drums articulate this irresistible flow of instruments, while Nasty Mars’ voice sings softly, gradually becoming part of the mixed instruments.

It is not common to meet this innovative versatility from such a young group of artists, it seems like they are rewriting the rules of R&B and Blues. Their moody sounds speak with the soothing vocals experimenting a new musical reality that will definitely expand the musical panorama.

Joshua “Flewnt MC” Eggington is an award winning, Proud Nyoongar rapper from Boorloo (Perth). With a strong family legacy rooted in activism. Flewnt uses Hip Hop as his platform to articulate a powerful, positive, and uplifting message for his people.

Flewnt, has performed at numerous rallies and festivals and is heavily involved in his community. His anthemic celebration of Nyoogar culture, Kya Kyana, put Flewnt on the musical map, garnering the runner up prize for WAM Song of the Year in 2018.