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NIMA nominations and triple j Indigenous competition now open by Chryss Carr 5 May 2014 In Melbourne, ex AFL footballer and Founding Director of Payback Records Nathan Lovett-Murray joined rising rock star Dan Sultan, triple j Unearthed Community Producer Ariel Katz and Mark Smith the Executive Director of MusicNT & NIMAs in a dynamic discussion regarding the latest in the Indigenous music scene. The purpose of the gathering was to announce the news that Dan Sultan will headline this year’s National Indigenous Music Awards [NIMA] and that triple j Unearthed’s incredibly successful NIMAs competition, along with nominations for NIMAs, were now open for entries. In addition to this Lovett-Murray gave an update on the latest in the Indigenous hip hop scene – agreed by the group to be one of the leading genres for Indigenous musicians to enter the wider marketplace. To honour this growing opportunity for Indigenous artists, Mark Smith announced this year’s NIMAs will pay homage to the scene with a showcase co-presented by Lovett-Murray and featuring some of the most important
figures in the current scene; Briggs and Jimblah, with others to be announced shortly. “This year’s NIMA’s will celebrate the Indigenous hip hop scene which has grown from strength to strength. “The NIMAs have the capacity to bring a national focus to these artists and I believe this showcase will consolidate the strength of the genre in the minds of the music media and the general public. “This promises to be something special and the NIMA’s are proud to present such a showcase for the first time,” said Mark Smith - Executive Director of MusicNT & NIMAs. To bring a focus to his words Nathan introduced emerging hip hop artist Miss Hood who sang her soon to be released single Stronger.
The partnership between NIMA and triple j Unearthed to undertake the only national Indigenous Unearthed competition has yielded outstanding results since its inception two years ago. After Unearthing the amazing Thelma Plum in 2012 and Robbie Miller in 2013, there is much anticipation for 2014’s discovery. “Before winning, music was only a bedroom hobby that honestly wouldn’t have gone much further but since winning, it has enabled me to play shows across Australia, sign on with a great manager and have my music aired to a national audience”, said Miller, who is about to release a new single later this month. Nominations for the 2014 National Indigenous Music Awards and entries for the triple j Unearthed NIMAs competition are now open. http://www.musicnt.com.au/ national-indigenous-music-awards National Indigenous Music Awards Ceremony & Concert will be held in Darwin on Friday August 15th. The National Indigenous Music Awards are presented by MusicNT in partnership with the NT Government and presented at the Darwin Festival.
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