Barkaa

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Chloe Quayle (born 1995), known by her stage name Barkaa (stylised in all caps) is an Aboriginal Australian rapper and musician.

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 Great 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]

Her debut album, released on 2 December 2021, [11] 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. [12] The Blak Matriarchy EP begins with a sample of actress Shareena Clanton. [12] One of the standout tracks is "Bow Down", [13] [5] which was used in Warwick Thornton's 2021/2 vampire TV series, Firebite . [14]

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

In August 2024, Barkaa announced the forthcoming release of her second EP Big Tidda which she described as "a celebration of Blak joy, the importance of Blak love and just feeling yourself." [15]

As of September 2024, Barkaa is signed to Bad Apples Music, [16] which was founded by Briggs. [5]

Personal life

Barkaa grew up with a single mother. [12] She was addicted to methamphetamine as a teenager, and spent three periods in juvenile detention, where she gave birth to her third child, a son, c. 2016. She has been sober since, and has her children back. Her daughter Alinta often performs with her. [5]

Discography

Extended plays

TitleEP detailsPeak chart positions
AUS
HH/R&B
[17] 		AUS
Aus.
HH/R&B
[18]
Blak Matriarchy—7
Big Tidda
  • Released: 30 August 2024 [15]
  • Label: Bad Apples
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
262

Singles

TitleYearAlbum
"For My Tittas" [8] 2020Non-album singles
"Our Lives Matter"
"I Can't Breathe"
(with Dobby) [4]
"22Clan"
"Groovy" [19]
"King Brown" [20] 2021Blak Matriarchy
"Blak Matriarchy"
"Fight for Me" [21]
(featuring Electric Fields)		2022
"Ball On 'em" [22] Non-album singles
"Division" [23] 2023
"We Up" [24] 2024Big Tidda
"Preach" [25]

Notes

    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 [26]
    "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 [27] [28]
    "King Brown"Song of the YearWon
    "King Brown"Film Clip of the YearNominated
    "Blak Matriarchy"Film Clip of the YearNominated
    2024 BarkaaArtist of the YearWon [29] [30]
    "We Up"Film Clip of the YearWon
    "We Up"Song 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 [31] [32]

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    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 9 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 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.
    12. 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.
    13. ↑ Billy, August (15 October 2023). "The Indigenous Hip Hop Takeover: Barkaa, Kobie Dee, Briggs + More". Music Feeds. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
    14. ↑ "New TV Series To Showcase Aussie Artists To Millions Worldwide". The Music . 16 December 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
    15. 1 2 "Barkaa Announces New EP 'Big Tidda': "A Celebration Of Blak Joy"". MusicFeeds . 6 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
    16. ↑ "BARKAA". Bad Apples Music. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
    17. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Hip Hop/R&B Albums for week of 9 September 2024". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 9 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
    18. ↑ "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.
    19. ↑ "Groovy". AllMusic . Retrieved 4 November 2021.
    20. ↑ "King Brown". AllMusic . Retrieved 4 November 2021.
    21. ↑ "New Aus Music Playlist ADDITIONS – 01/04/22". Music Feeds . 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
    22. ↑ "Chillinit, Sahxl and Barkaa Score Big With NBA 2K23 Campaign". The Music Network. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
    23. ↑ "Barkaa responds to rejection of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament with new single 'Division'". NME . 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
    24. ↑ "Barkaa's shares new music video for latest single 'We Up'". Happy Mag TV. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
    25. ↑ "BARKAA Drops Defiant Anthem 'Preach'". Happy Mag TV. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
    26. ↑ Lars Brandle (12 October 2022). "Rüfüs Du Sol Leads 2022 ARIA Awards Nominees (Full List)". The Music Network. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
    27. ↑ "Nominees and Performers Announced For National Indigenous Music Awards 2022". Music Feeds . 13 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
    28. ↑ "2022 NIMAs: Baker Boy Wins Two Awards, Archie Roach and Gurrumul Honoured". The Music Network. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
    29. ↑ Mary Varvaris (19 July 2024). "The Kid LAROI & Barkaa Lead National Indigenous Music Awards Nominations". The Music . Retrieved 19 July 2024.
    30. ↑ Charles, Bronte (10 August 2024). "Check out the full list of winners of the National Indigenous Music Awards 2024". NITV . Retrieved 11 August 2024.
    31. ↑ "Nominees Announced For The 2023 National Live Music Awards". The Music . 5 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
    32. ↑ "Genesis Owusu And Amyl & The Sniffers Win Big At The 2023 National Live Music Awards". The Music . 11 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
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