Sound Advice: Making Music in Language (Western Sydney)

As an artist, embracing your language and cultural heritage through music can feel deeply authentic, foster connections within and across communities, and set you apart in a crowded industry.

Join us for a conversation with artists who have made and released music in languages other than English:

• Lamira, a young poet-turned-musician from Venezuela who, after moving to Australia by herself at the age of 13, made her debut a year ago and has performed over 30 shows since.
• Maanyung, whose 2024 single Bilwaali (Home) was added to rotation on triple j and his Like A Version rendition of Billie Eilish’s ‘What Was I Made For?’ quickly drew over a million views.
• Sathyan Ilanko, who often draws on Tamil classics for inspiration and whose 2024 single Aasa Kooda reached #2 on the Indian Billboard Charts.

Facilitated by Christopher Kevin Au, who manages artists including SPEED, Maanyun and Shady Nasty and has become one of the loudest voices championing hip-hop from Australia. 

The panellists will talk about:

• Their inspiration to write in multiple languages
• Navigating the challenges of writing, rhyming, and flow across languages
• Marketing bilingual music
• Overcoming industry barriers, including bias and lack of representation

Whether you're just beginning to explore your cultural identity through music or are already releasing music in language, this session will empower you to take the next steps in your journey.

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MusicNSW pays respect to Elders past and present, and extend those respects to the First Nations peoples of NSW and beyond. Always was, always will be.

MusicNSW is supported by Create NSW and APRA AMCOS.

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