REMOTE ABORIGINAL ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM SET TO LAUNCH AT NANNUP MUSIC FESTIVAL
BY ASAD KHAN AND CASSANDRA ARIUU
The Nannup Music Festival has unveiled an innovative initiative for 2025, the Remote Aboriginal Artist Development Program, designed to empower and elevate Aboriginal musicians from remote communities in Western Australia.
This groundbreaking program, supported by the Western Australian Government’s Contemporary Music Fund, aims to provide professional development opportunities to selected artists over a two-year period.
Festival Director Phaedra Watts highlighted the program’s inspiration and goals in a recent interview.
"This was inspired from working with quite a few bands each year and finding the challenges of getting people from remote areas to the festival,"
"This program is about supporting artists to be seen and heard if they’re choosing to do so."
Each year, the program will select one remote community band or artist to participate in an all-expenses-paid recording and performance journey.
The selected artist will collaborate with award-winning producer James Newhouse during a four-day recording session in Western Australia’s South-West region.
Their journey will culminate in a debut performance at the Nannup Music Festival, a premier event that showcases over 100 acts from local, national, and international scenes.
"The recording opportunity, other than the live performance at the festival, is something that can be taken away and used in so many ways to get their music seen and heard far away," she said.
An Indigenous-led committee will oversee the selection process, considering factors such as readiness to travel, enthusiasm for recording, and the unique stories behind each band.
In the second year of their involvement, artists will work with student publicists to release their music, returning to the festival to celebrate their debut release and mentor the next cohort of participants.
The Family Shoveller Band, a renowned act from the Bidyadanga Community with recent performances in Italy and at the iconic Bush Bands Bash in Alice Springs, will serve as the program’s inaugural mentors.
Their involvement underscores the festival’s commitment to fostering a culture of collaboration, mentorship, and professional growth within Aboriginal communities.
This initiative solidifies the Nannup Music Festival’s dedication to amplifying Aboriginal voices, providing platforms for cultural expression, and creating sustainable pathways for remote artists to thrive in the music industry.
Listen to Ngaarda Media’s Cassandra Ariuu speak with the Festival Director Phaedra Watts :