Jesswar

Last updated

Jesswar
Birth nameJessica Koroi
Born1994or1995(age 29–30)
Canberra, Australia
Genres Hip hop
OccupationArtist
Labels

Jesswar is a Fijian Australian artist based on Yugambeh/Kombumerri country. Jesswar's debut single, "Savage", released in 2017 and was followed by debut EP Tropixx in 2021 and debut mixtape LIFE'S SHORT, LIVE BIG in 2022. In 2021, Jesswar was a winner at the Queensland Music Awards and the APRA Professional Development Awards. [1]

Contents

Early life

Born in Canberra, Jesswar grew up partly in Fiji and partly on the Gold Coast, Queensland. They left home at 16 years old, [2] studying music at TAFE Queensland, and later at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. [3] In 2012 Jesswar formed a four-piece pop rap band, Sneeky Picnic, with fellow students. [4]

Music career

2017-present: TROPIXX & Life’s Short, Live Big

Jesswar's first release as a solo artist was "Savage" in 2017, though they later signed with Golden Era Records. [5] [6] In 2018 Jesswar performed at St Jerome's Laneway Festival. By 2019, they had collaborated with artists including Tasha the Amazon, Okenyo, DZ Deathrays, and B Wise. [7]

In 2021, Jesswar signed a global deal with PIAS Recordings and also released debut EP Tropixx. [2] [8] The EP the singles "Medusa" and "Venom", the latter of which won in the hip hop/rap category at the 2021 Queensland Music Awards. [9] Later that year, they released the lead single from their debut mixtape: a Rihanna-inspired collaboration with viral Texan rapper Erica Banks: "Bad Like Riri". [10] The single gained significant traction and is trap-laced celebration of strong, unapologetic voices and the self-possessed mindset of a baddie.

In September 2022, Jesswar released their debut mixtape, Life's Short, Live Big.

Personal life

Jesswar is non-binary, [11] and uses they/them pronouns. [12]

Discography

Mixtapes

TitleDetails
Life’s Short, Live Big

Extended play

TitleDetails
TROPIXX
  • Released: 5 March 2021
  • Label: PIAS Recordings
  • Formats: CD, Digital

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2022 TropixxBest Independent Hip Hop Album or EPNominated [14] [15]
2023 Life's Short, Live BigWon [16] [17]

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 JesswarBest Live Voice in QLDNominated [18]

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. [19]

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2022JesswarBest New ArtistNominated [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball Park Music</span> Australian indie rock band

Ball Park Music is an Australian five-piece indie rock band from Brisbane consisting of Sam Cromack, Jennifer Boyce, Paul Furness, Dean Hanson and Daniel Hanson. Since forming in 2008, the band has released seven studio albums. Their debut, Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs (2011), was nominated for Australian Album of the Year at the J Awards, and its 2012 follow-up, Museum, debuted at number nine on the ARIA charts. Their third album, Puddinghead (2014), was supported by the certified-platinum lead single "She Only Loves Me When I'm There".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flume (musician)</span> Australian electronic musician (born 1991)

Harley Edward Streten, known professionally as Flume, is an Australian musician, DJ, and record producer. He is regarded as a pioneer of future bass who helped popularise the genre. His self-titled debut studio album, Flume, was released in 2012 to positive reviews, topping the ARIA Albums Chart and reaching double-platinum accreditation in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelma Plum</span> Indigenous Australian musician (born 1994)

Thelma Amelina Plumbe, known professionally as Thelma Plum, is an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician from Delungra, New South Wales. 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">Tkay Maidza</span> Musical artist

Takudzwa Victoria Rosa "Tkay" Maidza is a Zimbabwean-born Australian singer-songwriter and rapper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DMA's</span> Australian band

DMA's are an Australian rock band formed in 2012 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band is composed of lead vocalist Tommy O'Dell, lead guitarist Matt Mason, and rhythm guitarist Johnny Took. They originally gained popularity for their debut single "Delete" and for their self-titled EP, which were both released in 2014. The band have since gone on to release four studio albums: Hills End (2016), For Now (2018), The Glow (2020) and How Many Dreams? (2023). All four albums have peaked within the top 10 of the ARIA Albums Chart, with the latter two also reaching the top five in the UK and Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Jacklin</span> Australian singer-songwriter

Julia Jacklin is an Australian singer-songwriter from the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. Jacklin's musical style has been described as indie pop, indie folk, and alternative country. She has released three studio albums, Don't Let the Kids Win (2016), Crushing (2019) and Pre Pleasure (2022). Jacklin has also performed with the band Phantastic Ferniture, with whom she released the debut single "Fuckin 'n' Rollin" and a self-titled album in 2018, followed by subsequent singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baker Boy</span> Indigenous Australian rapper, dancer, artist, and actor (born 1996)

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">Trials (musician)</span> Musical artist

Daniel Hendle Rankine, known professionally as Trials, is an Ngarrindjeri rapper, songwriter, and record producer hailing from Adelaide, South Australia. In 2020, he signed to Island Records Australia and Universal Music Australia to release his debut solo album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polaris (Australian band)</span> Australian metalcore band

Polaris are an Australian metalcore band from Sydney. The band consists of vocalist Jamie Hails, guitarist Rick Schneider, bassist/vocalist Jake Steinhauser and drummer Daniel Furnari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Teskey Brothers</span> Blues rock group

The Teskey Brothers are an Australian blues rock band from Melbourne, named after the two brothers who formed the group in 2008: Josh Teskey and Sam Teskey. In 2019, they signed with Glassnote Records and Ivy League Records. They have released three albums: Half Mile Harvest (2017), Run Home Slow (2019) and The Winding Way (2023). At the 2019 ARIA Music Awards, The Teskey Brothers were nominated for seven awards. They won three categories for the album Run Home Slow, Best Group, Best Blues and Roots Album and Engineer of the Year.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spacey Jane</span> Australian indie rock band

Spacey Jane are an Australian indie rock band formed in Fremantle in 2016. The group consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Caleb Harper, lead guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu, drummer Kieran Lama and bassist Peppa Lane, who replaced Amelia Murray in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Buoys (Australian band)</span> Australian punk band

The Buoys are an Australian alternative rock band formed in 2016. Since May 2019 the line-up has been Courtney Cunningham on bass guitar, Hilary Geddes on lead guitar, Tess Wilkin on drums, and Zoe Catterall, the band's founding mainstay, on rhythm guitar and lead vocals. The Buoys released their debut studio album Lustre in 2024, and have released three extended plays, Soft Boy (2017), All This Talking Gets Us Nowhere (2020) and Unsolicited Advice for Your DIY Disaster (2021), as well as several singles. They have toured both nationally and internationally with the likes of Hoodoo Gurus, IDLES, The Dandy Warhols, Arctic Monkeys and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Budjerah</span> Australian pop musician

Budjerah Julum Slabb, known mononymously as Budjerah, is an Australian singer from Fingal Head, New South Wales. He is a Coodjinburra man from the Bundjalung nation.

Brad Cox is an Australian country singer-songwriter from Jindabyne, New South Wales.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers</span> Australian rock band

Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers are an Australian rock band formed in Canberra in 2015. The group consists of vocalist Anna Ryan, guitarist Scarlett McKahey, drummer Neve van Boxsel and bass guitarist Jaida Stephenson. Their debut extended play, Pretty Good for a Girl Band, was released in 2022 through Domestic La La, and won Best Independent Punk Album or EP at the 2023 AIR Awards. They released their debut studio album, I Love You, in October 2023, which peaked at number 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

1300 (pronounced "one three hundred" are an Australian 5-piece hip-hop group from West Sydney.

References

  1. ↑ "APRA reveals winners of 2021 Professional Development Awards". 24 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Jesswar Is the Fijian Rap Rebel Who Wants You to Know Your Power". them. 12 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Jesswar: "I can walk into any space anywhere and be proud of who I am"". NME . 8 March 2021.
  4. ↑ Butler, Nicole (18 January 2013). "Big day out for Sneeky Picnic". news.griffith.edu.au.
  5. ↑ "Introducing Jesswar and her tough-as-nails debut single/video clip - Savage". PILERATS.
  6. ↑ "Interview: Jesswar's "Savage" earns the aunties' seal of approval as the official music video drops today". 20 November 2017.
  7. ↑ "Premiere: Jesswar is on top of her game with HEATA feat. Tasha The Amazon". PILERATS.
  8. ↑ MTV News Staff. "Jesswar Transformed Her Anger At Being Overlooked Into 'Venom'". MTV News. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Here's the big winners from the 2021 Queensland Music Awards". 6 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Newstead, Al (14 October 2021). "First Play: Jesswar taps viral rapper Erica Banks for Rihanna-inspired 'BAD LIKE RIRI'". triple j.
  11. ↑ "Jesswar on TikTok". TikTok. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Watch: Jesswar - FELL IN LOVE". PILERATS. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "Jesswar Announces Debut Mixtape 'Life's Short, Live Big'". MusicFeeds . 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "Nominees Announced For AIR Independent Music Awards 2022". musicfeeds. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  15. ↑ Tyler Jenke (5 August 2022). "Genesis Owusu Wins Big At The 2022 AIR Awards". MusicFeeds . Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "Nominees Announced for the Australian Independent Music Awards 2023". Music Feeds . 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "King Stingray and Genesis Owusu Win Big at 2023 AIR Awards". Music Feeds . 4 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "Nominees Announced For The 2023 National Live Music Awards". The Music . 5 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  19. ↑ Barnes, Amelia (5 December 2011). "Rolling Stone Magazine Australia announces 3rd annual awards event". The AU Review. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  20. ↑ "Have Your Say in This Year's Rolling Stone Australia Reader's Choice Award". au.rollingstone.com. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
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.