Following her impressive performance at this month's National Indigenous Music Awards, multi award-winning Naarm/Melbourne-via lutriwita/Tasmania artist, Miss Kaninna has announced the release of her debut EP, details of her first headline tour while sharing her new single 'Dawg In Me'.
Set to be released in September ahead of her speaker appearance on BIGSOUND's Artist vs Advocacy panel, the proud Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali woman's new EP – tilted KANINNA – sees her utilise her "powerful voice" to explore freedom, sexuality and reassertion of dominance atop irresistibly tight production.
Showcasing the multi-award-winning "past, present and future of music in this country's jaw-dropping range", the debut EP features club-ready music with resistance at its core, underpinned by unashamed authenticity, truth and intensity.
KANINNA is a powerful and vulnerable statement of arrival and expression of the artist's experiences as a young black woman, drawing from a rich cultural heritage with a mission to bring new representation to the scene and an urgency to dismantle oppressive structure.
The talented musician said naming the EP KANINNA was somewhat of a natural progression, stepping into her power as both an artist and an individual.
"It took me a while to finally name the EP KANINNA. I had other names circling in my head but none of them really felt right," she said.
"This being my first body of work as an artist I wanted to name it something I can be proud of and look back at in years time and still feel a connection to it. That's when I realised it had to be my name.
"Since releasing music, people often ask me 'what my real name is' which is so funny because my name is so unique that people must think it's made up. As a child I was given a nickname because people either couldn't be bothered learning how to say my name - or were just racist. A lot of the time when I introduced myself people would say "do you have an easier name I can call you" which really affected my identify and made me ashamed of my name."
"Now as a young adult I find empowerment in reclaiming my name and make sure people make an effort to say it right. I no longer accept people saying my name wrong or not making an effort to my face as my name hold power and deep meaning in my culture. This is why it was so important to name the EP KANINNA - it's my name and you will know my power."
The KANINNA EP reflects the music Miss Kaninna grew up loving, from hip-hop to rap, R&B and pop.
The EP also includes touches of Amapiano, Afrobeats, Reggaetón and Middle Eastern influences thanks to a collaboration with producer YAOB (Dean Brady, KYE, Adrian Eagle), and Jerome Farah adding his own flourishes via an instrumental feature.
"Working with Jacob (Farah - aka YAOB) has been an incredible experience - as two Black artists, we wanted to deliver music that has the potential to stand up against international acts, music that feels good, music for our communities and music we wanna listen to," she said.
Inspired by her musician and activist mother Ruth Langford – who works with the Indigenous Women's Legal Centre – and her late grandmother Rosalind Langford – a famed painter and activist who played a vital role in starting the first Aboriginal organisation (Aboriginal Information Service) in Tasmania in the 1970s – Miss Kaninna's work sees her draw from the paths laid before her by her Matriarchs.
Aseasoned performer and successful First Nations musician, Miss Kaninna continues to not just break, but remake (or reclaim) the mould in 2024.
Miss Kaninna's upcoming tour dates:
5 September - BIGSOUND Panel: Artist vs Advocacy, Meanjin/Brisbane, Turrbal Country QLD^
7 September - Wonder Mountain, Beechworth, Dudoroa & Yorta Yorta Country VIC
21 September - The Fortitude Music Hall, Meanjin/Brisbane, Turrbal Country QLD^^
27 September - Listen Out, Naarm/Melbourne, Wurundjeri Country VIC
28th September - Listen Out, Boorloo/Perth, Whadjuk Noongar Country WA
5 October - Listen Out, Meanjin/Brisbane, Turrbal Country QLD
6 October - Listen Out, Eora/Sydney, Gadigal Country NSW
18 October - ALTAR, lutruwita TAS^^^
15 November - Strawberry Fields, Yorta Yorta Country VIC
23 November - Howler, Naarm/Melbourne, Wurundjeri Country VIC*
29 November - Black Bear Lodge, Meanjin/Brisbane, Turrbal Country QLD*
30 November - The Lansdowne, Eora/Sydney, Gadigal Country NSW*
Tickets go on sale Tuesday 20 August for Miss Kaninna's debut headline tour.
For more fashion, beauty and lifestyle news subscribe for free to the Style Up newsletter.
