Kankawa Nagarra, 80, wins the Australian Music Prize

The eighty-year-old Kankawa Nagarra won the $50,000 Australian Music Prize at a significant moment for the country’s music, beating out prestigious names for Australia’s top music award.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of the competition, which saw the participation of numerous renowned artists. Among them, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, nominated for their latest album, “Wild God.” This is the third nomination for the former Birthday Party leader, after “Ghosteen” in 2019 and “Carnage”, his collaboration with Warren Ellis in 2021.

The AMP is inspired by Britain’s esteemed Mercury Prize and aims to celebrate music of artistic merit, regardless of genre or commercial popularity. The nine albums in the running were chosen from a list of 46 nominations, which were in turn selected from 600 Australian albums released between 28 October 2023 and 25 October 2024.

In addition to the victorious “Wirlmarni” by Kankawa Nagarra, the other nominations were: “Cartoon Darkness” by Amyl and the Sniffers“From The Fire” by Audrey Powne“Warrangu” by Dobby; “River Story, Ramona” by Grace Cummings“Love Heart Cheat Code” by Hiatus Kaiyote, “Senseless Acts Of Beauty” by Rowena Wise and “Love Changes Everything” by The Dirty Three.

The winner was announced today 4 December during the Soundmerch AMP event, held at the APRA AMCOS offices in Sydney.

But who is Kankawa Nagarra?

Kankawa Nagarra, who won the $50,000 prize for her debut album, Wirlmarni, is a senior Walmatjarri. Also known as Olive Knight and Queen of the Bandaral Ngadu Delta, she is a member of The Stolen Generations. In what is one of Australia’s greatest historical controversies, the Stolen Generations were children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were forcibly removed from their families by federal and state governments and church missions. This process occurred approximately between 1905 and 1967.

Nagarra was separated from her parents and sent on a mission, where she was introduced to gospel music for the first time. She later discovered country and rock while working on farms, but it was the blues that had the most significant impact on her when she first heard it played by a busker.

He bought his first guitar only at the age of 40. Nagarra sings in Kriol and English and has toured around the world, including with Australian actor Hugh Jackman for his show Back on Broadway.

Outside of music, Nagarra helped develop the Walmatjarri dictionary in the 1960s and has since worked to raise awareness of youth suicide and substance abuse in Aboriginal communities.

Receiving the award on December 4, Nagarra said she was “excited and proud” to have won for “Wirlmarni,” which, she explained, “has been created for thousands of years” because it contains the sounds of the people and nature of Wangkatjungka , the Aboriginal community of Western Australia. “Coming from the remote community of Wangkatjungka, which in the past has been shown in a negative light, focusing on problems, people often don’t get to see the beautiful and positive aspects of my home,” he said. “I know this award brings a lot of pride to the people of Wangkatjungka, especially the school and all the children for whom I hope to be a role model.”

Nagarra also thanked the singer-songwriter Darren Hanlonwho recorded and produced the album “Wirlmarni”. “I feel like music is a responsibility,” he added. “Caring for nature is a responsibility, and protecting culture is a responsibility for its holistic well-being.” All these things are connected and I make it my life’s work.”