Lo-fi folk soul star Kee'ahn has been announced the 2022 Port Fairy Folk Festival Emerging Artist of the Year.
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Hear the Kuku Yalanji, Jirrbal, Zenadth Kes songbird talk about connection to Country and a huge two years since the release of her debut single on The Folkie Podcast.
"It's incredible, I'm so honored and so grateful," she said. "It's pretty special, I've been looking forward to being a part of the magic at Port Fairy Folk Festival and to be honored with this award as well as being able to perform is incredible.
"And I love that I've got connections to the other the artists that have won in the past so it feels really special to be one of those artists as well."
Kee'ahn is both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and grew up in Thul Garrie Waja and Currumbilbarra Country of the Bindal and Wulgurukaba people, the traditional name for Townsville.
Her father is an Aboriginal man from Kuku Yalanji Country, near Port Douglas way on and their family has connections to Jirrbal and Warungnu mobs, and further up to Wik Country near Cape York. Her mother is a Zenadth Kes Torres Strait Islander woman from Badu Island.
She said it's been a big change moving to Naarm, Melbourne, and growing with language, culture and community.
"It was very special to grow up with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and community," she said.
"It's been such a journey moving down here to Melbourne and meeting other Koori Aboriginal people from Victoria and it being so different from North Queensland but so many similarities as well.
"It's very important to me, learning my culture and sharing that when I guess when it's safe to do so and when I have permission to do so. It's very special and important to me to speak about my identity.
"With language I'm still learning so much. Within my sets, I've only been able to just learn how to say 'hello' and my 'name is' and 'thank you' in the different languages that I have connections to.
"As I grow with my language and with my culture and within my community, it'd be wonderful to be able to put that more into my music. I think it's one facet of my my creative pursuit and my art and but there's a lot more as well - it's all interwoven."
Indigenous talent will shine at the 2022 Port Fairy Folk Festival.
Standing alongside Kee'ahn will be acclaimed Mutti Mutti man, singer and songwriter Kutcha Edwards, who is the 2022 Artist of the Year.
The great bluesman has perform at many Port Fairy Folk Festivals over the years and has a deep connection to Country in South West Victoria.
The festival has announced it will have a new stage named in honour of Indigenous music icon Archie Roach at its 45th festival in March.
The Archie Roach Foundation Stage will shine a spotlight on First Nations artists.
Kee'ahn will join a formidable lineup of artists to perform on that stage including Emma Donovan, Shellie Morris, The Merindas, Amos Roach, Lee Morgan, Nola Lauch, the Singing Our Futures collective, NT rapper J-MILLA and Black Rock Band plus an on-stage "Kitchen Table Yarn" with Roach and special guests.
"I'm so excited and it's such an honor to be able to perform for the Archie Roach Foundation on his Country, Gunditjmara Country and be surrounded by mob," Kee'ahn said. "There'll be lots of beautiful yarns, really insightful and connective and incredible music as well. So it's an honor and I can't wait to share it with everyone."
Kee'ahn has had a whirlwind two years which have seen her win a number of accolades and a place in the festival touring circuit after the release of her debut song 'Better Things'.
Her live shows are always intimate and thought-provoking, while weaving in her gentle humour and grounded take on the world.
"I love that people define my music as low-fi folk," Kee'ahn said. "I think when I first got into songwriting I was listening to a lot of folk music and a lot of guitar singer-songwriters, that's really special to hear for me.
"I feel like folk music is the connection that you have as a songwriter. For me folk music has this really intimate connection with the audience and listeners; I think it is quite traditional but there's so many different artists falling under the umbrella of folk music that are performing at Port Fairy.
"It's really wonderful to be I guess, a part of that bracket and that genre with my music."
Kee'ahn is currently writing a song with acclaimed Indigenous Australian singer and songwriter Emma Donovan to be unveiled at the festival.
"It's real deadly, I look up to her so much she is an incredible artist," she said. "I'm kind of super nervous songwriting with her, it's such a spin out but I'm really grateful to have the opportunity and hopefully we'll be able to perform at that Port Fairy Folk Festival.
"We've both drawn from our experiences with being First Nations in this country. We wanted to write a powerful song about that."
Kee'ahn's name means to dance and play. She's looking forward to performing and sharing her music after a tough two years through the pandemic.
"Same with everyone coming into the new year you have high hopes for the industry and how your art will take place in the rest of the year," she said.
"I've been looking forward to being able to gig and songwriter in person again, but it's so touch and go. But I've got a lot happening at Port Fairy Folkie and doing my own gigs so I'm mostly just excited for the year."
In the lead up to the 45th annual Port Fairy Folk Festival hear from your current, or next, favourite folk star mixed with songs from their catalogue in The Folkie Podcast.
Kee'ahn will be perfoming at Folkie, for more info go to: portfairyfolkfestival.com.
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