Barkaa

Barkaa (born 1995 as Chloe Quayle), styled BARKAA, is an Australian rapper and musician, and is a Malyangapa and Barkindji woman.

In September 2020, GQ Magazine dubbed her "the new matriarch of Australian rap".[1][2] and in 2020, Triple J listed her as one of the top 5 female rappers in Australia.[3]

Early life

Barkaa was born as Chloe Quayle in 1995.[4] Her mother was one of the Stolen Generations, and she had an uncle who died in police custody.[5] She lived in the western Sydney suburb of Merrylands as a child. She was known for performing rap at high school, and entered rap competitions in Blacktown.[4] She is a Malyangapa and Barkindji woman.[6]

Career

Barkaa takes her name from the Barkindji word for the Darling River,[5] and says that she feels very honoured to have been given permission to use this name to represent her people.[7] Her music reflects her experiences with incarceration, child removal and addiction, with much of it overtly political; she has drawn from the words of Shareena Clanton and Rosalie Kunoth-Monks in her songs.[5]

She first performed in front of an audience in 2019, at a Klub Koori event.[5]

She released her debut single, "For My Tittas", in March 2020.[8][9] Her song "Our Lives Matter", released in June 2020,[10] became the unofficial anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement in Australia.[5] She has collaborated with DOBBY ("I Can't Breathe"[1]) and Electric Fields, and has performed at the Sydney Opera House,[7] Enmore Theatre in Sydney and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.[1]

As of November 2021 Barkaa is signed to Bad Apples Music, founded by Briggs.[5]

Her debut album was Blak Matriarchy, so named "in honour of powerful First Nations women who've paved the way for future generations", including her mother.[8] The song "King Brown", which she says is about a "shitty ex" is on the album.[5] The album was produced by jayteehazard.[11] The Blak Matriarchy EP begins with a sample of actress Shareena Clanton.[11]

Barkaa performed at the Paartjima festival on the 2022 Easter weekend in Alice Springs.[7]

Personal life

Barkaa grew up with a single mother.[11] She was addicted to methamphetamine as a teenager, and spent three periods in juvenile detention or prison, where she gave birth to her third child, a son, in around 2016. She has been free of drugs since then, and has her children back. Her daughter Alinta often performs with her.[5]

Discography

Extended plays
Title EP details Peak chart
AUS
Blak Matriarchy —[upper-alpha 1]

Singles
Title Year Album
"For My Tittas"[8] 2020 Non-album singles
"Our Lives Matter"
"I Can't Breathe"
(with Dobby)[4]
"22Clan"
"Groovy"[14]
"King Brown"[15] 2021 Blak Matriarchy
"Blak Matriarchy"
"Fight for Me"[16]
(featuring Electric Fields)		 2022
"Ball On 'em"[17] TBA

Notes
  1. Blak Matriarchy did not enter the ARIA Albums Chart, but did peak at number 7 on the ARIA Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums Album Chart.[13]

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2022 Blak Matriarchy Best Hip Hop / Rap Release Nominated [18]
"Blak Matriarchy" (Barkaa, Selina Miles) Best Video Nominated

National Indigenous Music Awards

The National Indigenous Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises the achievements of Indigenous Australians in music.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2022 Barkaa New Talent of the Year Nominated [19][20]
"King Brown" Song of the Year Won
"King Brown" Film Clip of the Year Nominated
"Blak Matriarchy" Film Clip of the Year Nominated

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2023 Barkaa Best Hip Hop Act Nominated [21][22]

References
  1. "About". BARKAA. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  2. Campbell, Amy (6 October 2020). "Meet Barkaa, the New Matriarch of Australian Rap". GQ Magazine. Retrieved 16 April 2022. This piece originally appeared in GQ Australia's September/October 2020 edition
  3. Latukefu, Hau (7 August 2020). "Five female rappers you need to get around". triple j. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. Byrne, Declan (10 November 2020). "Bars behind bars: How jail and motherhood forced rising rapper Barkaa to turn life around". Triple J. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  5. Israel, Janine (28 November 2021). "'Unapologetically truthful and unapologetically Blak': Australia bows down to Barkaa". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  6. Barkaa (14 April 2021). "Segments: Still Here: Barkaa On The Healing Power Of Rap". Triple R 102.7FM (Interview). Interviewed by Morris, Neil. Archived from the original (Audio + text) on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  7. BARKAA (16 April 2022). "Rap matriarch BARKAA and crossing the Borderlands with Van Diemen's Band's Julia Fredersdorff" (Audio + text). ABC Radio National (Interview). The Music Show. Interviewed by Keath, Alice. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  8. Silva, Nadine (3 December 2021). "Barkaa releases debut album honouring Blak matriarchs". NITV. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  9. BARKAA - For My Tittas (Official Video) on YouTube 7 March 2020.
  10. BARKAA - Our Lives Matter (Official Audio) on YouTube 6 June 2020.
  11. Howarth, Madison (15 December 2021). "BARKAA: Rapper claims the crown with fiery hip-hop that honours Blak women". NME. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  12. Langford, Jackson (2 December 2021). "Barkaa releases her debut EP Blak Matriarchy". NME Australia. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  13. "ARIA Top 10 Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums for week of 13 December 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  14. "Groovy". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  15. "King Brown". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  16. "New Aus Music Playlist ADDITIONS – 01/04/22". Music Feeds. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  17. "Chillinit, Sahxl and Barkaa Score Big With NBA 2K23 Campaign". The Music Network. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  18. Lars Brandle (12 October 2022). "Rüfüs Du Sol Leads 2022 ARIA Awards Nominees (Full List)". The Music Network. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  19. "Nominees and Performers Announced For National Indigenous Music Awards 2022". Music Feeds. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  20. "2022 NIMAs: Baker Boy Wins Two Awards, Archie Roach and Gurrumul Honoured". The Music Network. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  21. "Nominees Announced For The 2023 National Live Music Awards". The Music. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  22. "Genesis Owusu And Amyl & The Sniffers Win Big At The 2023 National Live Music Awards". The Music. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
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