14 grants of $20,000 have today been awarded to a selection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music creator with the NATSIMO LIFECYCLE Recording Grants.
Presented in partnership with the NATSIMO and Music Australia, these creators will receive funding for the recording of their original music.
Recipients include familiar faces like Bumpy, Tasman Keith and 2024 PDA NATSIMO Senior winner Warren Mason, as well as some more emerging acts.
These are the very first ‘LIFECYCLE’ grants to be awarded. The second round of grants (NATSIMO LIFECYCLE Marketing & Promotion Grants) are open for applications now, where 15 recipients will each receive $10,000 for the marketing and promotion of their original music. Applications close 25 October.
Congratulations to everyone, we can’t wait to hear your music!
See the full list of recipients below, along with a description of their proposed projects
Amy Dowd (Bumpy)
This grant will support Naarm-based Noongar artist Bumpy to develop, produce, present and distribute her debut album.
This album will showcase Bumpy's multifaceted artistry across multiple genres and themes, and will be recorded across various studios in Victoria with many new collaborators.
Deline Briscoe
Deline Briscoe is a Yalanji woman of song from the Daintree Region of Far North Queensland. The Light Line Album project aims to elevate the voices and stories of Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Elders while nurturing the next generation of singers from these communities. The recordings will blend traditional Aboriginal styles with experimental musical elements.
Desert Stars
The Desert Stars, hailing from Tjuntjuntjara on the edge of the Great Victoria Desert, are one of the most remote rock bands in the world. They are set to record their third album, " Outback and Beyond Rock’," featuring new songs that express their deep connection to country and culture.
Jessie Lloyd
The Kala Lagaw Ya Learning Songs project aims to professionally record newly composed songs in the Kala Lagaw Ya language to support cultural sustainability and community access. This initiative will contribute to the preservation of the severely endangered language, which plays a vital role in maintaining Indigenous song. This work is not only about language reclamation and revitalisation but also about adapting and modernising Indigenous languages for the future.
Jungaji Brady
Jungaji is a Gugu Yalanji creative who advocates for social justice and mental health. His FATHERHOOD ALBUM is an upcoming collection of songs, created by Jungaji in collaboration with First Nations and non-Indigenous songwriters, his band, Topology, and producer.
Lilly Gogos
Lilly is a proud Noongar Greek woman from Perth, WA. For her debut album, she'll collaborate with First Nations musician and producer Candice Lloyd. The album will explore a range of genres that showcase Lilly's roots and influences.
Loren Ryan
Proud Gamillaraay woman and the 2023 Tamworth Country Music Festival Toyota Star Maker Winner, Loren will collaborate will award-winning producers and mastering engineers to bring her debut album to life. Loren aims to elevate her profile in the Australian and international music scenes, establishing herself as a leading figure in country music.
RONA
RONA is a Kaytetye producer and DJ who is grounded by the sounds of her culture and community. RONA'S debut album will centre on the ancestral and community stories held by Kaytetye women, blending Kaytetye language and song with contemporary electronic production.
Sachém
Sachém holds both ancestral ties to Noonuccal (Stradbroke Island) and African American with his family roots currently leading to Florida. His story, experience and approach to music are ones that the Australian community has not seen before, reflecting both front-line First Nation / African American perspectives within the Australian environment and a deep understanding of the hip-hop community and its culture.
Shannon Williams (BrothaBlack)
Shannon Williams (BrothaBlack) is a multi-platform artist and one of Australia's pioneers of Indigenous Hip Hop, with a career spanning over 30 years. His record will showcase the depth and diversity of BrothaBlack's artistry. The album, titled "The Ember - Birang," will blend traditional Yiman Nation heritage with contemporary Hip Hop/Rap.
Sue Ray
Gamilaraay country artist Sue Ray will record a project looking back on her artistic growth over the past decade. The album will blend modern production techniques with traditional country sounds.
Tasman Keith
Tasman's next album aims to yet again defy genre and develop a national and global understanding of his experience of the last two years since his debut and his experience within this country in general. A lot of the current themes within this project are to be kept under wraps, only adding to the excitement of the project to come.
Warren Mason
Proud Yuwaalaraay man Warren Mason will record his debut album"My Story." This album, recorded in lutruwita/Tasmania, marks a significant milestone in his healing journey and artistic career, capturing the truths that have shaped him. Utilising a collaborative model, Mason's record will advocate for truth-telling, healing, and human connection.
William Russell Smith
Proud Pitjantjatjara/ Kokatha singer/songwriter William Russell Smith's new record will tell the powerful story of his journey from growing up on Umeewarra Mission to being inducted into the South Australia Music Hall of Fame. This project will culminate in a two-man stage show, incorporating orchestral and contemporary music. He aims to highlight the Maralinga atomic bomb testing and the legacy of his mother, renowned painter Winnie Bamara. Russell Smith aims to preserve and share these important stories, fostering understanding and connection.