Kankawa Nagarra will bring her truth-telling songs to WOMADelaide in March, performing on Kaurna Country as part of the four-day festival at Tainmuntilla (Botanic Park).

The Walmatjarri Elder from the Kimberley is known for blending folk, gospel and blues into music shaped by a life of work, community and deep connection to Country.

Ms Nagarra told National Indigenous Times she was looking forward to the festival experience and described it as another step in a journey she has taken through music.

"I feel good about WOMADelaide because it's going to be a very interesting journey," she said.

"I've been on those sorts of music journeys before, but this one is going to be really good."

While her performances draw crowds, Ms Nagarra said she does not see herself as someone who belongs on a stage for the sake of it.

A big part of her work is telling the truth about the experiences carried by Indigenous people, while using music as a way to speak to pain, loss and survival.

"I don't see myself as a stage person," she said.

"I'm here to truth-tell and to spread my stories and my feelings."

Her message is grounded in what she feels for land and community, with a focus on younger people who are struggling and those who feel pushed to the margins.

"What I feel about our land, our soil, you know, that we walk on because I also feel for the youth, for the ostracized and those who are suicidal," she said.

Ms Nagarra's commitment to that message comes from personal grief after losing two sons to suicide.

She said those realities are present across Indigenous nations and remain an urgent issue.

The songs Ms Nagarra performs often reflect the different influences that have shaped her life, from the music she grew up with to what she discovered later.

She said audiences at WOMADelaide can expect stories that reach beyond the performance itself, with each track introduced in a way that explains its origins.

"I want people to understand and I do talk about each song before I perform it and where it comes from," she said.

Her work is guided by a belief that Indigenous people hold a responsibility to stand strong and lead, particularly in moments when the country is facing major decisions about its future.

"We as Indigenous people are in this country for a purpose," she said.

"Everything has happened for a purpose for us as Indigenous people so that we can be made prominent out there."

Ms Nagarra was recognised nationally in 2024 when she won the Australian Music Prize for her album 'Wirlmarni', becoming one of the oldest winners in the award's history.

Looking beyond WOMADelaide, Ms Nagarra said she is working on a plan to build a women's choir back home in the Kimberley, bringing together voices from different language groups across the region.

She said the goal is to create a choir where women can sing in their languages and feel their stories are valued.

"There's a lot of things back home... and I've been talking to a group of women... to create a choir of women, all singing the languages," she said.

"So we kind of get all these women to start seeing themselves and know that they are important."

WOMADelaide runs from 6 to 9 March, with Ms Nagarra set to perform during the festival program.