Briggs curates inaugural SongHubs First Nations

Yorta Yorta man, rapper and multi-media creative Briggs is curating APRA AMCOS’ inaugural SongHubs for First Nations artists.

Co-presented with the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, it takes place at Abbey Road Institute in Melbourne.

International guest writers:

Renata Flores, electro-pop star from Peru who sings in the Quecha language.

Dakota/Boricua, Turtle Island, hip-hop artist and activist Tufawon from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

APRA AMCOS guest writers:

10A (Aotearoa)

Alice Skye (Wergaia/Wemba Wemba)

Birdz (Butchulla)

Naomi Wenitong (Kabi Kabi) of The Last Kinection and Shakaya.

“I am honoured to be bringing together some of the world’s most captivating First Nations artists to collaborate on new songs with the talent that is on the rise here in the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Māori and Pasifika music communities,” said Briggs.

“SongHubs First Nations is going to be an intensely inspiring four days in the studio at Abbey Road Institute.”

Eleven additional SongHubs First Nations participants will be selected through an open application process.

Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Māori, and Pasifika artists who have recently released music, have plans for upcoming projects, and are keen to collaborate on creating new works are encouraged to apply.

Eligibility and applications guidelines are available here.

Applications close Sunday, March 31 at 11pm AEDT.

Now in its sixth year, SongHubs continues to expand musically and geographically, with cross-genre sessions having taken place throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as in São Paulo, Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Berlin and Singapore.

APRA AMCOS says commercial releases from the likes of John Butler Trio, Tkay Maidza, Chelsea Jade, Guy Sebastian, SAFIA and Ainslie Wills have resulted in over $1.8 million dollars in songwriting royalties for the collaborators, as well as creative and industry connections for its members.