The FreshPrince of Arnhem Land and Young Australian of the Year, Baker Boy took out themajor award at the 16th National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) at GardensAmphitheatre on Saturday night.
The NIMAs are Australiaspremier First Nations music event, honouring the best in Indigenous music from aroundthe country and are supported by the Territory Labor Government with aninvestment of $200,000 for this years event.
Baker Boy went home with Artist Of The Yearfollowing his success as Young Australian Of The Year with hit singles Mr La Di Da Di, Cool As Hell and In Control.
Mojo Juju won both Song Of The Year and Album Of TheYear for her album Native Tongue and its title-track.
Other winners ofthe night included:
NewTalent Of The Year: Kaiit
FilmClip Of The Year: Briggs – Life Is Incredible
CommunityClip Of The Year: Deni Mob State of the Heart
Musical icons Tiddas and Cairns jazz vocalist, Wilma Reading were inducted into theNIMA Hall Of Fame.
The night featuredperformances from Archie Roach, Jessica Mauboy, Dan Sultan, Electric Fields,Tasman Keith, Spinifex Gum, Deborah Cheetham, Darwin Larrakia/Belyuen Dancers,Eric Avery, Wilma Reading and Dallas Woods.
Mambali took out the inaugural Archie RoachFoundation Award which provides $2,000 and mentoring from industry professionalsto an emerging Territory artist.
This year Indigenousmusic had strong airplay with ARIA charting albums, commercial radiobreakthroughs, national tours, Hottest 100 placements and acts playing festivalsacross the country.
For moreinformation visit https://nima.musicnt.com.au/
Quotesfrom Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture, Lauren Moss:
The NIMAs continue to grow each year and create a wider national imprint onthe musical landscape showcasing the creativity and talent of Australias Indigenousartists.
The calibre of the Awards and its performing artists are outstanding and offerup a truly unique experience for audiences who can see their favourite FirstNations artists on the one stage.
The Territory Labor Government is once againpleased to support live music in the Territory through its continued investmentinto arts and culture demonstrating the capacity of the NT to deliver importantnational music industry events like the NIMAs.
As stated by Executive Director, MusicNT,Mark Smith:
This years NIMAsbrought together arguably the strongest Indigenous music line-ups everassembled.
MusicNT is proud torecognise the talent and achievement of Indigenous musicians from across thecountry and celebrate this wave of incredible talent.
