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After years of postponements and delays, 2022 brings not only a return to live music and events around Australia - it also means the return of the annual Australian Women In Music Awards.
Supported by the Queensland Government, the AWMAs brings together an array of high profile performers, finalists and industry professionals, heading to Brisbane this May for both an awards ceremony, as well as some extremely anticipated showcases and conferences to truly welcome back music in incredible fashion.
The 2022 event will see a lineup of performances that spans classical, pop and rock genres, as well as the first inaugural First Nations Women's Hip Hop showcase LOVE FOR MY SISTERS, curated by Cairns-based First Nations Hip Hop superstar and MC Dizzy Doolan.
Taking place at What's Golden at The Tivoli in Brisbane, LOVE FOR MY SISTERS is undeniably set to be an unforgettable evening, exploring deep storytelling through music in sonic genres that will traverse neo-soul, Rnb, rap, hip hop and house, as well as plenty of politics, identity and shared experiences voiced and presented in dazzling display onstage.
Doolan will not only be performing at the showcase this year, she will also MC the Award Ceremony alongside returning host Yumi Stynes, with the event also set to broadcast on ABC TV for the first time ever.
The AWMAs were originally established in 2018 by founder Vicki Gordon, and the 2022 iteration is set to be its biggest and brightest yet, as Gordon elaborates.
"With our peers from all areas of industry, across every state including regional and remote communities, AWMA provides a unique opportunity for us to come together to acknowledge the value and contributions of women in music and celebrate the significant shift we have achieved in such a short time” - Vicki Gordon, AWMAs Founding Executive Producer & Program Director
After two years of disruption following the ongoing global pandemic, Gordon has also credited the #METOO movement as a lightning rod for focus in the Australian landscape, with multiple generations of women in the industry calling to end the toxic culture that can permeate the overarching profession.
The celebration of all genres and the contributions of women in every corner of the music industry, the AWMAs will also feature a premiere performance of a new classical composition specially commissioned by the AWMA, as well as performances from:
Emma Donovan &Kee àhn
Tina Arena
BARKAA
Dizzy Doolan
Sahara Beck
DJ Red Belly
Sandy Evans & Satsuki Odamura
Kween G & Lady Lash
Hot Brown Honey
Montaigne
Shakaya
Kaylah Truth
And a snapshot of the finalists this year includes:
Kate Ceberano
Deborah Cheetham AO
Elena Kats Chernin, Genevieve Lacey, and Tania Doko
Music journalists Sosefina Fuamoli and Poppy Reid
Emerging artist Glves
Industry leaders Marianna Annas and Jodi Field
Dina Bassile, Sahara Herald and Sonja Horbelt up for the inaugural Tina Arena Special Impact Award alongside producers Antonia Gauci, Alice Ivy, Annie Peterson and many, MANY more.
Tickets are on sale right now for the Australian Women In Music Awards and the Conference in Brisbane on Tuesday 17 May and Wednesday 18 May, for Ceremony and Awards tickets head here. For AWMA Conference tickets, head here, and for tickets to the First Nations Women's Hip Hop showcase, head here.
BY TIANA SPETER