Barkaa

Last updated

Barkaa (born 1995 as Chloe Quayle), styled BARKAA, is an Australian rapper and musician, and is a Malyangapa and Barkindji woman.

Contents

In September 2020, GQ Magazine dubbed her "the new matriarch of Australian rap". [1] [2] and in 2020, Triple J listed her as one of the top 5 female rappers in Australia. [3]

Early life

Barkaa was born as Chloe Quayle in 1995. [4] Her mother was one of the Stolen Generations, and she had an uncle who died in police custody. [5] She lived in the western Sydney suburb of Merrylands as a child. She was known for performing rap at high school, and entered rap competitions in Blacktown. [4] She is a Malyangapa and Barkindji woman. [6]

Career

Barkaa takes her name from the Barkindji word for the Darling River, [5] and says that she feels very honoured to have been given permission to use this name to represent her people. [7] Her music reflects her experiences with incarceration, child removal and addiction, with much of it overtly political; she has drawn from the words of Shareena Clanton and Rosalie Kunoth-Monks in her songs. [5]

She first performed in front of an audience in 2019, at a Klub Koori event. [5]

She released her debut single, "For My Tittas", in March 2020. [8] [9] Her song "Our Lives Matter", released in June 2020, [10] became the unofficial anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement in Australia. [5] She has collaborated with DOBBY ("I Can't Breathe" [1] ) and Electric Fields, and has performed at the Sydney Opera House, [7] Enmore Theatre in Sydney and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne. [1]

As of November 2021 Barkaa is signed to Bad Apples Music, founded by Briggs. [5]

Her debut album was Blak Matriarchy, so named "in honour of powerful First Nations women who've paved the way for future generations", including her mother. [8] The song "King Brown", which she says is about a "shitty ex" is on the album. [5] The album was produced by jayteehazard. [11] The Blak Matriarchy EP begins with a sample of actress Shareena Clanton. [11]

Barkaa performed at the Paartjima festival on the 2022 Easter weekend in Alice Springs. [7]

Personal life

Barkaa grew up with a single mother. [11] She was addicted to methamphetamine as a teenager, and spent three periods in juvenile detention or prison, where she gave birth to her third child, a son, in around 2016. She has been free of drugs since then, and has her children back. Her daughter Alinta often performs with her. [5]

Discography

Extended plays

TitleEP detailsPeak chart
AUS
Blak Matriarchy— [upper-alpha 1]

Singles

TitleYearAlbum
"For My Tittas" [8] 2020Non-album singles
"Our Lives Matter"
"I Can't Breathe"
(with Dobby) [4]
"22Clan"
"Groovy" [14]
"King Brown" [15] 2021Blak Matriarchy
"Blak Matriarchy"
"Fight for Me" [16]
(featuring Electric Fields)		2022
"Ball On 'em" [17] TBA
"Division" [18] 2023TBA

Notes

  1. ↑ Blak Matriarchy did not enter the ARIA Albums Chart, but did peak at number 7 on the ARIA Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums Album Chart. [13]

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987.

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2022 Blak Matriarchy Best Hip Hop / Rap Release Nominated [19]
"Blak Matriarchy" (Barkaa, Selina Miles) Best Video Nominated

National Indigenous Music Awards

The National Indigenous Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises the achievements of Indigenous Australians in music.

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2022 BarkaaNew Talent of the YearNominated [20] [21]
"King Brown"Song of the YearWon
"King Brown"Film Clip of the YearNominated
"Blak Matriarchy"Film Clip of the YearNominated

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2023 BarkaaBest Hip Hop ActNominated [22] [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelma Plum</span> Indigenous Australian musician

Thelma Amelina Plumbe, known professionally as Thelma Plum, is an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician from Delungra, New South Wales. Her father is lore-man Paul Winanga-li Gii Spearim. Her debut album, Better in Blak, was released on 30 July 2019 and peaked at number 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meg Mac</span> Australian musical artist (born 1990)

Megan Sullivan McInerney, known by her stage name Meg Mac, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. She signed to littleBIGMAN Records in 2014, locally, and 300 Entertainment in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Shark</span> Australian indie pop musician (born 1986)

Amy Louise Billings, known professionally as Amy Shark, is an Australian indie pop singer-songwriter-guitarist and producer from the Gold Coast, Queensland. During 2008 to 2012, her early solo material was released and performed under the name Amy Cushway. Her 2016 single "Adore" peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was also listed at number 2 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2016. Her album Love Monster debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Shark has won 8 ARIA Music Awards from 29 nominations, including winning Best Pop Release three times: in 2017 for her extended play, Night Thinker, 2018 for Love Monster and 2020 for "Everybody Rise".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baker Boy</span> Indigenous Australian rapper, dancer, artist, and actor

Danzal James Baker, known professionally as Baker Boy, is a Yolngu rapper, dancer, artist, and actor. Baker Boy is known for performing original hip-hop songs incorporating both English and Yolŋu Matha and is one of the most prominent Aboriginal Australian rappers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mallrat</span> Australian pop musician (born 1998)

Grace Kathleen Elizabeth Shaw, known professionally as Mallrat, is an Australian musician, singer, and rapper from Brisbane. Mallrat has released three EPs: Uninvited (2016), In the Sky (2018) and Driving Music (2019). She also released her full-length debut studio album titled Butterfly Blue (2022) in May 2022 to critical acclaim. In 2019, her tracks "Groceries" and "UFO" placed at number 7 and 70, respectively, in the 2018 Triple J Hottest 100, in 2020, "Charlie" and "Nobody's Home" placed at number 3 and 59, respectively, in the 2019 Triple J Hottest 100 and in 2021, "Rockstar" placed 13 in the 2020 Triple J Hottest 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sampa the Great</span> Zambian rapper and musician

Sampa Tembo, known professionally as Sampa the Great, is a Zambian singer, rapper and songwriter. Between 2014 and 2020, she was based in Australia. Her debut solo album, The Return, peaked at No. 12 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019 she won Best Hip Hop Release for her second single, "Final Form". In the following year she won the same category for The Return, as well as Best Female Artist and Best Independent Release. In March 2020 Sampa became the first artist to win the Australian Music Prize twice: for Birds and the Bee9 and The Return. The artist was based back in Zambia from late 2020, where she issued her second studio album, As Above, So Below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Fields</span> Australian musician

Ruby Phillips, known professionally as Ruby Fields, is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Cronulla, New South Wales. In 2018, she released her debut EP Your Dad's Opinion for Dinner, followed by the singles "I Want", "P Plates", and "Ritalin". Her single "Dinosaurs" reached number nine on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2018.

<i>Better in Blak</i> 2019 studio album by Thelma Plum

Better in Blak is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Thelma Plum, released on 12 July 2019 through Warner Music Australia.

Tia Gostelow is an Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter from Mackay, Queensland. Gostelow released her debut studio album, Thick Skin, in 2018 on Lovely Records. Thick Skin was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2019 National Indigenous Music Awards.

Blake James Turnell, known professionally as Chillinit, is an Australian rapper and musician. He is from Sydney, New South Wales and released his debut studio album Women Weed & Wordplay in October 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Better in Blak (song)</span> 2019 single by Thelma Plum

"Better in Blak" is a song by Australian singer/songwriter Thelma Plum, released on 26 April 2019 as the third single from her debut studio album of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesis Owusu</span> Ghanaian-Australian singer (born 1998)

Kofi Owusu-Ansah, known by his stage name Genesis Owusu, is a Ghanaian-Australian rapper and singer from Canberra. He is the younger brother of fellow hip hop rapper, Kojo Owusu-Ansah p.k.a. Citizen Kay. Owusu's debut studio album, Smiling with No Teeth, reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 30. At the 2021 ARIA Music Awards he won four trophies for Album of the Year, Best Hip Hop Release, Best Independent Release and Best Cover Art.

Onefour are an Australian drill and rap group originating from the Western Sydney suburb of Mount Druitt. They are regarded by many as the pioneers of drill music in Australia, following a run of viral singles in 2019. The group has five core members: J Emz, Spenny, YP, Lekks and Celly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meditjin</span> 2019 single by Baker Boy featuring JessB

"Meditjin" is a song by Indigenous Australian musician Baker Boy featuring New Zealand rapper JessB, released on 21 November 2019 as the second single from his debut album Gela (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JK-47</span> Indigenous Australian rapper and activist

Jacob Paulson, known professionally as JK-47, is an Indigenous Australian rapper, musician, and activist from Tweed Heads South, New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ziggy Ramo</span> Australian singer

Ziggy Ramo Burrmuruk Fatnowna, known professionally as Ziggy Ramo, is an Australian singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasman Keith</span> Australian rapper

Tasman Keith is an Australian rapper and singer-songwriter.

Beddy Rays are an Australian rock band from the outer Brisbane suburb of Redland Bay, Queensland. With music described as "rollicking coastal punk rock", they are best known for their 2020 single "Sobercoaster". The band have supported Tones and I on tour, as well as Dune Rats and Hockey Dad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Stingray</span> Australian rock band

King Stingray is an Australian rock band from Northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. With a sound self-described as "Yolŋu surf rock", the band perform songs with lyrics in both English and Yolŋu Matha. King Stingray released their debut single, "Hey Wanhaka", in October 2020, and their self-titled debut album on 5 August 2022.

Bianca Hunt is an Australian television presenter and talent agent.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About". BARKAA. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  2. ↑ Campbell, Amy (6 October 2020). "Meet Barkaa, the New Matriarch of Australian Rap". GQ Magazine . Retrieved 16 April 2022. This piece originally appeared in GQ Australia's September/October 2020 edition
  3. ↑ Latukefu, Hau (7 August 2020). "Five female rappers you need to get around". triple j . Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Byrne, Declan (10 November 2020). "Bars behind bars: How jail and motherhood forced rising rapper Barkaa to turn life around". Triple J . Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Israel, Janine (28 November 2021). "'Unapologetically truthful and unapologetically Blak': Australia bows down to Barkaa". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  6. ↑ Barkaa (14 April 2021). "Segments: Still Here: Barkaa On The Healing Power Of Rap". Triple R 102.7FM (Interview). Interviewed by Morris, Neil. Archived from the original (Audio + text) on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 BARKAA (16 April 2022). "Rap matriarch BARKAA and crossing the Borderlands with Van Diemen's Band's Julia Fredersdorff" (Audio + text). ABC Radio National (Interview). The Music Show. Interviewed by Keath, Alice. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 Silva, Nadine (3 December 2021). "Barkaa releases debut album honouring Blak matriarchs". NITV . Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  9. ↑ BARKAA - For My Tittas (Official Video) on YouTube 7 March 2020.
  10. ↑ BARKAA - Our Lives Matter (Official Audio) on YouTube 6 June 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 Howarth, Madison (15 December 2021). "BARKAA: Rapper claims the crown with fiery hip-hop that honours Blak women". NME. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  12. ↑ Langford, Jackson (2 December 2021). "Barkaa releases her debut EP Blak Matriarchy". NME Australia . Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "ARIA Top 10 Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums for week of 13 December 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  14. ↑ "Groovy". AllMusic . Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  15. ↑ "King Brown". AllMusic . Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "New Aus Music Playlist ADDITIONS – 01/04/22". Music Feeds . 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  17. ↑ "Chillinit, Sahxl and Barkaa Score Big With NBA 2K23 Campaign". The Music Network. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  18. ↑ "Barkaa responds to rejection of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament with new single 'Division'". NME . 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  19. ↑ Lars Brandle (12 October 2022). "Rüfüs Du Sol Leads 2022 ARIA Awards Nominees (Full List)". The Music Network. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  20. ↑ "Nominees and Performers Announced For National Indigenous Music Awards 2022". Music Feeds . 13 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  21. ↑ "2022 NIMAs: Baker Boy Wins Two Awards, Archie Roach and Gurrumul Honoured". The Music Network. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  22. ↑ "Nominees Announced For The 2023 National Live Music Awards". The Music . 5 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  23. ↑ "Genesis Owusu And Amyl & The Sniffers Win Big At The 2023 National Live Music Awards". The Music . 11 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.