Features July 1, 2020

Spotlight: At work with Emily Nicol, Radio and Digital Producer

Emily Nicol gets a kick out of showcasing First Nations music and industry talent. As the playlist curator for Spotify’s Blak Australia playlist, a radio and podcast producer, and as one of the Board of Directors for MusicNSW, Nicol ensures she’s amplifying BIPOC voices as much as she can.

Emily Nicol’s heritage is Birri Gubba (North Queensland), Ugar Island (Torres Strait) and Welsh from her father’s side and Dutch and English from her mother’s side. As a digital producer with NITV, and an accomplished freelance journalist with bylines featured in The Guardian, SBS Life, and Time Out, Nicol has a unique lens into what’s needed to create real change for First Nations peoples.

Check out our Q&A with Nicol below where she touches on the many professional hats she wears, what she has learned about the impact of Indigenous-curated playlists, and the impact she hopes the current Black Lives Matter movement has on Australia’s music and arts industries.

You’re a playlist curator, a podcast producer, a radio producer, and on the Board of Directors for MusicNSW. How do you explain your job to someone outside of the music industry?

It’s always tricky but put simply, I’m involved in a few different areas that have the same aim: to amplify the voices and experiences of the BIPOC community and artists in general through music curation, radio and journalism.

You’ve been curating the Blak Australia playlist on Spotify since 2017. What has that experience been like?

To be able to showcase the incredible talent and diversity of First Nations artists on a huge platform like Spotify is an honour! It’s tough editing the list to 50 tracks each month.

It’s always been my aim to break down stereotypes, especially around the kind of music we as a cultural group are creating, and nothing makes me happier than getting positive feedback and seeing the list gain followers each day.

I get so much out of knowing that new listeners are being exposed to some of our country’s best artists firstly and then realising that the thing they all have in common is being Indigenous Australian, and with that – bringing a whole other depth to their artform that is unique and hopefully turning people’s prejudice on it’s head.

Check our the Blak Australia playlist, curated by Emily Nicol:

What have you learned about the impact of Indigenous-curated and focused playlists?

When you have an Indigenous curator of this type of playlist, you are tapping into a wealth of knowledge and crucially, giving space for more autonomy. Real change occurs in this way.

For the streaming platform, it’s essential to create this kind of space and pave the way for even more ownership.

You also do so much with radio. What are you working on at the moment?

I’m one of the producers of national weekly radio show Jam Pakt with Jonzy, a relatively new show hosted by musician and cultural advocate Jonathan Lindsay-Tjapaltjarri Hermawan (aka Jonzy) a Pintupi-Luritja man.

The show is an entertaining and fun celebration of First Nations music, talent and culture that goes out to 265 stations across the country. We’ve had artists such as Briggs, Christine Anu, Uncle Archie Roach and many more come on for a yarn and a laugh.

Listen in! I can guarantee you will become a fan.

Check out Jam Pakt with Jonzy ft. Archie Roach:

What motivates you?

The opportunity to connect with others, hear their stories and then share them is what keeps me going. There’s so much beauty in the simple act of connecting.

From your career working in many corporate spaces in the local music industry, what have you learned about how the local music sector handles First Nations culture?

I have witnessed the whole spectrum from ignorance to thoughtful and considered inquiry and collaboration. I feel there is a long way to go still towards a place where First Nations people in music can say that they are seen, heard and understood, but to be fair, that is not entirely from a lack of desire from the local music sector.

I know many in the industry are wanting to connect and engage with First Nations culture, but this is something that naturally takes time, resources, and the right environment and opportunity for anything beyond tokenism to occur.

There are spaces in the industry that are really taking the lead in this area and others that are further behind but there’s a clear timeline and for solid progress to happen, the right foundation needs to be laid. Patience is key.

How can the music industry better unite with First Nations peoples?

Seek out First Nations artists, creatives and voices. Ask questions. Listen. And then take some time to reflect on where and how you can work together to foster equality and follow through.

It doesn’t matter where your organisation sits on the spectrum, it’s key to take an honest look at how you can be a better ally. If it feels like you are hitting roadblocks, change the questions, change the approach.

Keep checking in to see if you are on the right track and reaching your goals.

What impact are you hoping the current Black Lives Matter movement has on Australia’s music and arts industries?

I hope that the current movement continues to spark conversations that lead to more from the BIPOC community in positions of leadership, front and centre stage and more representation on artist rosters, festival stages and airplay.

I feel like there’s so much wisdom from a First Nations perspective and it’s felt like a round hole, square peg scenario for so long now. I hope to see some of that wisdom and those ideas tapped into with the result being real structural change that is exciting and taking us in new directions.

If you could share just three links for people in the music industry who want to further educate themselves on Australia’s Blak history, which would you choose?

Kanyini – A film by Melanie Hogan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmpNZZKWwT4

Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe