Gurrumul Entering NIMAs Hall of Fame on Saturday
A highlight of the first live National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) since 2019 will be the induction of Gurrumul into its Hall of Fame.
The NIMAs are held at Darwin Amphitheater on August 6 and broadcast nationally.
Past inductees were Warumpi Band, Archie Roach, Roger Knox, Kev Carmody and Gurrumul’s former band Yothu Yindi.
Two other events also mark the induction.
The August 4 opening concert of the Darwin Festival is Bungul, a meeting place of dance, song and ritual, at Darwin Amphitheatre.
It is a 90-minute live performance by Yolŋu dancers, songmen and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra of the traditional songs, dances and paintings that inspired his acclaimed final album “Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)”, the first in-language record to top the ARIA chart.
The following day is the opening of a Gurrumul-themed exhibition at the Australian Music Vault in Melbourne, with an essay penned by award-winning journalist Tracee Hutchison.
The physical return of the NIMAs has live sets by Thelma Plum, King Stingray, Emma Donovan & the Putbacks, Birdz & Fred Leone, Yirrmal, J-MILLA and the Red Flag Dancers.
It also marks the awards’ live debut of Noongar woman and soul singer-songwriter Bumpy as part of her winning triple j Unearthed.
Her impressive debut “Falling” was followed after a two-year hiatus with “Return Home” and “Leave It All Behind”.
Presented by Amazon Music, the NIMAs are broadcast around Australia from 7 p.m. on NITV, SBS Viceland, NIRS, Facebook and SBS On Demand.
Head of Entertainment, Events & Creative, NITV, Adam Manovic, emphasised the awards’ role in championing emerging artists and honouring legends in First Nations music.
“The NIMAs are an integral part of our music/arts event slate at NITV – and – music is culture, and culture is culture, the foundation of all First Nations storytelling,” Manovic said.
Finalists are Jessica Mauboy, Roach, The Kid Laroi, Electric Fields, King Stingray, Miiesha, Mo Ju, Emma Donovan & the Putbacks, Birdz, Dallas Woods, Tasman Keith and Tilly Tjala Thomas.