Feature: Music In Exile - Bringing Untold Australian Stories to The Front

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: THE BIG ISSUE, MARCH 2020

The term ‘multicultural’ is one that has been applied to the Australian landscape and social economy frequently over the years. It carries with it a positive and negative connotation (depending on which politician it is coming from), though what remains true is that within the culturally and linguistically diverse communities in this country there exists stories of strength. Stories of accomplishment through adversity. Stories of artistic creation and growth.

Melbourne based record label and initiative Music In Exile is providing a space for artists creating in these communities to thrive, and be seen on a national platform. Established by Bedroom Suck Records label head Joe Alexander, Music In Exile encourages originality, collaboration and opportunities to share the unique stories from artists from migrant and/or refugee backgrounds who now call Australian home.

Home to some of the country’s most intriguing new talent including Gordon Koang, Mindy Meng Wang and Ajak Kwai, Music In Exile builds trajectory for their artists in a way that does not intrude on their creative processes, nor do they profit. All income from Music In Exile activities go directly to their artists; at the time of writing, the initiative has generated over $80,000 for their roster.

Says Alexander of Music In Exile’s beginnings, the idea for this sort of label was born out of exploring the multitude of diverse communities in Melbourne alone. 

“I come from an independent music background and have been an active part of the Australian scene for many years, touring in bands and running Bedroom Suck Records. I wanted to know whether there were other musicians out there having trouble accessing the scene. Whether [it] was because of language barriers, prejudice, social structures, geography, finances, whatever! It turns out, there are. We came across so many incredible musicians, artists like Gordon Koang and Ajak Kwai, who have so much to offer but have been unable to access the resources and the networks that those more privileged can access.”

The success stories began to flourish quickly. South Sudanese artist Koang became an industry-praised highlight of the 2019 BIGSOUND festival in Brisbane, and has gone on to become a favourite on Melbourne’s wider touring circuit. Also hailing from South Sudan, Kwai has also become a favourite with broader audiences as her stories of home, hope and freedom are delivered so beautifully across three different languages (English, Arabic and Sudanese). 

The scope of the Music In Exile label has extended beyond Melbourne, with the introduction of hip-hop/soul artist Elsy Wameyo joining the fold from Adelaide in 2019. Twice nominated at the South Australian Music Awards in 2018 before winning at the event in 2019, Kenyan-born Wameyo’s presence and charm has already seen her perform alongside the likes of Maségo, Lady Léshur and the Hilltop Hoods..

Her music, marrying together her Christian background together with the myriad of challenges and new experiences she has gained from exploring young adulthood in contemporary Australia, has struck a chord with audiences around the country.

“Creating in Adelaide has given me room to be who I am.” Wameyo explains. “The music scene here is definitely smaller compared to cities like Melbourne and Sydney. I’m grateful for this because It left room for us as artists to shape and form how we wanted the scene to look like. It gave me the opportunity to add my flavour and colours. We’re definitely still growing and evolving. Very far from where we need to be but we’re moving in the right direction.”

“I’m really excited to bring music that says things that are not often spoken about.” she says. “I think as humans we go through a lot but get so uncomfortable and too scared to talk about it. I want to be authentic and raw, tell real stories that someone can relate to and not feel alone.”

As 2020 opens up more opportunities for the Music In Exile label to introduce themselves to more audiences Australia-wide, the roster of artists is hard at work in creating some of their best music yet. For Alexander, a new year (and new decade) poses many possibilities for Music In Exile artists and for the Australian music industry as a whole, as it moves further into a space of support for artists who buck the long-established moulds of accepted music here.

“I’ve learnt that the range of artists Music in Exile can represent is far more diverse than I initially imagined. When the label started, we expressly wanted to help artists that have recently settled in Australia, artists like Gordon Koang. I’ve since found that it can be really powerful to add a range of different voices to this conversation.” 

“There are so many different lived experiences of ‘place' and of alienation, of struggling to find your place and struggling to be accepted for who you are. I think the term ‘Music in Exile’ has really struck a chord with a range of different artists, and I’m so glad that we are able to enter into this conversation with them. I feel very lucky to be doing this work.”

Interview: Sampa The Great

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: THE BIG ISSUE, SEPTEMBER 2019

Sampa The Great. A name that already indicates confidence and flair. 

For the Zambia-born, Botswana-raised emcee, poet and songwriter, her journey towards fulfilment and greatness has been an ongoing one. Calling Australia home since 2014, Sampa’s presence on the Australian music scene began with the release of The Great Mixtape in 2015; an introduction of a fresh and exciting voice out of Sydney that would change the hip-hop landscape in Australia indomitably.

Since relocating to Melbourne, Sampa has become a significant voice to be reckoned with in the thriving musical community that fuses hip-hop, funk, jazz and soul with ease. Her acclaimed mixtape, Birds and The Bee9, experimented sonically, while thematically, Sampa Tembo’s exploration of what, creatively, formed her own identity was laid bare on record.

As a live performer, Sampa The Great has become a favourite on the Australian scene while international love has also come her way. Supporting the likes of Lauryn Hill and Kendrick Lamar, while also growing her own headline presence impressively, Sampa’s talent has long been seen as a powder-keg ready to detonate. 

She definitely feels the love, too. “I can’t wait for the touring that’s about to come because we’re playing all the songs, most of the songs on the album are going to be played live. Everyone can feel it, they can feel the difference. They can feel the growth. It’s something else. The whole band can feel it as well.”

With a massive run of Australian touring on the near horizon, including a stop at this year’s Lost Lands Festival, Sampa The Great is currently preparing to introduce fans and newcomers alike to the sounds of her new album, The Return. If the Australian Music Prize-winning Birds and The Bee9 was an introduction, The Return is a powerful, confident statement of intent.  

“We were breaking down in the sessions,” Sampa remembers. “On that level, already I was like, ‘This is way different’. Not hella different to the other sessions, especially BB9, where you’re super vulnerable, you’re talking about issues that affect us, but this one was really the naked truth. It is what it was. Now we’re not scared to say anything; this is where we are.”

Dropping the first hints of the return in singles ‘Final Form’ and ‘OMG’, Sampa The Great unleashed a beast of musicality that proved to be an exciting smack to wake listeners up. A rallying sense of strength permeated both singles as well as the music videos, filmed on Sampa’s latest trip back to Africa. Re-engaging with her homeland in Zambia, bringing her music home for the first time, was a daunting experience.

“We were all excited, obviously.” she remembers. “We were preparing the venue and I meet one of Zambia’s finest rappers - Chef 187 - and we’re just talking about how he used to spend the first half of his career wishing he was doing what I’m doing and I spent the first half of my career wishing I was doing what he’s doing. There was that realisation. I could with all my mind, wish that my career started somewhere else, but there are many people wishing the opposite.”

Imposter syndrome, an emotional and mental struggle many can encounter, is something Sampa is open about experiencing. Even now, as her star is rising in Australia and international attention is turning her way, that desire for that connection and platform back home is something that has remained, even in a small way.”

“It’s still a thing.” she says. “There’s always going to be a sense of imposter syndrome. I experienced a small, minor sense of displacement whereas you know, some of my friends can’t go home to South Sudan. That made me explore what is ‘home’ to me and all these different answers came out in this album, with the conclusion that home is also yourself. The body. Your soul has made a place in this body which is your home. How do we live with that, how do we deal with that without the culture that we’re from? How do we deal with this one, first of all?”

“As much as I still feel imposter syndrome, I am learning things and Australia has provided a lot of opportunities and avenues that I can bring home and help people back home with.”

Navigating themes of self-satisfaction, fully embracing one’s identity and exploring a connection to a culture one finds themself not living in day in, day out, The Return is equal parts love letter to Sampa’s heritage as it is a touchstone of the artist she is today - an artist stood at the doorstep of global influences, being welcomed in with open arms.

“With The Return, it’s no longer a question of finding myself and who I was,” she says. “It was like, ‘This is me. I’ll show you where me came from and I’ll show you where me is going. This is solid. This is who I am, guys. Anything after this is just growth.’ It’s more assured. It’s more assured of who I am. It’s the journey as a whole.”

Interview: Briggs

PHOTO CREDIT: Michelle Grace Hunder
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY https://www.thebigissue.org.au #588, JUNE 2019

With creative powerhouse Briggs at its helm, record label Bad Apples is set to push Indigenous musicians squarely into the spotlight. 

BRIGGS. One name for one man with many guises. A rapper with a unique sense of humour that’s made him a regular on the ABC’s The Weekly. A Simpsons fan invited to write for creator Matt Groening on his new Netflix series, Disenchantment. The man who made music for Indigenous sci-fi series Cleverman while playing the character Maliyan. The solo artist who teamed with producer Trials to create the earth-shaking duo A.B. Original. The Yorta Yorta man from Shepparton emblazoned with tattoos honouring his people. And, in what may turn out to be his most significant role yet, record label boss at Bad Apples.

“[I’m] trying to change the way that Australians perceive what Indigenous artists can be and who they are,” Adam Briggs says ahead of the Bad Apples showcase, taking place at the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid Live.

Bad Apples is helmed by Briggs and label manager Coco Eke, who together nurture the careers of hip-hop artists BIRDZ, Nooky and Philly. The label is also home to A.B. Original.

“I don’t think it was as reactionary as people might think,” he muses of the label’s creation. “We often spoke, for the last few years, of how there was a lack of representation and there always has been, you know? The label doesn’t feel like a reaction to that; it feels like it’s actively trying to change the space and what the scene looked like. We were just trying to create a new lane, a new pathway.”

As one of the artists who has forged a career on this new pathway, emcee BIRDZ details the significance of Bad Apples Music when it’s come to his own creative direction: “When I first joined [the label], it was exciting to have a home and a support network,” he says. “It’s a label, but it’s a family and a home. There’s really no other way to describe it. I was excited about joining a movement that was led by someone that understood who I was and where I came from.” 

Releasing his debut album Train of Thought to industry acclaim in 2017, the Melbourne-based rapper has become a fixture on stages around the country, and is acknowledged as an important new voice of Australian hip-hop. The confidence to opine as strongly and freely as he has stems from the support of Briggs and Bad Apples.

“I have a vision and they’re like, ‘This is how you make it great’,” he says. “Just having that support and having them reaffirming and instilling that confidence in me, that’s really been significant. Those kinds of things led to me making an album I wanted to make and to be recognised the way it was recognised.”

Similarly, fellow Bad Apples artists Nooky and Philly have undergone immense levels of creative change in the years since their signing. Young artists cutting their teeth on stages and behind the production desk, they are prime examples of Australian excellence born out of determination and hunger for success.

Briggs is full of praise. “The growth of dudes like Nooky — being such a fantastic producer as well — watching that part of his career grow over the last couple of years [has been great]. Being able to be there for Phil, and helping guide him through his album and video; just being able to be there for these dudes at this point and also having the scope to grow it.” 

The ambition and broadened scope have culminated in a handful of successfully curated events, where Bad Apples have been able to give more emerging artists a platform – an exciting indicator of the kind of Indigenous talent approaching the precipice of wider acclaim. 

“Bad Apples did two all female line-ups for the Brunswick Music Festival and the Parramasala one in Parramatta.” Briggs says. “That was a conscious effort on our behalf over the last 18 months. I was like, ‘Look, it’s really easy for us to sign black men rappers, they’re everywhere! If we want to make the impact we want to make across the community, we need to be representative of the community’.

“It’s the exact same execution and method that we had when we started the label,” he continues. “It’s like, ‘There’s not enough blackfella rappers who have pathways, let’s make one.’ Alright, now we’ve done that, how do we bring in women and how do we make them feel safe and comfortable as well? Let’s work at that. I understand that I’m a dude in that world too, so I’m trying to navigate that and be as helpful as possible.”

For BIRDZ, this Sydney Opera House event in particular is exciting to be a part of. “It’s a real example of where Bad Apples is heading and it feels like there’s no real limit. I think that’s a big thing. For so long, a lot of us had felt there was a limit on us, but Bad Apples has really shown that there isn’t.”