The Walmatjarri elder and blues musician Kankawa Nagarra has won the $50,000 Australian Music prize (AMP) for her debut album Wirlmarni, seeing off competition from Nick Cave, the Dirty Three and Amyl and the Sniffers . Inspired by the UK’s Mercury prize, the AMP focuses “entirely on artistic merit” and aims to “financially reward and increase exposure” for Australian musicians who release the best album in a calendar year. The prize – now in its 20th year – is considered Australia’s most prestigious music award and is judged by a panel of musicians, critics and industry figures.
Previous winners include King Stingray, Courtney Barnett and the Avalanches. It often goes to new acts, with 10 of the 20 winners being debut albums. Also known as Olive Knight and “the Queen of the Bandaral Ngadu Delta”, 80-year-old Nagarra is a member of the stolen generations, having been taken from her parents and sent to a mission where she was immersed in gospel music.
She discovered country music and rock on the radio while working on homesteads, but fell in love with the blues after overhearing a busker. She did not buy her first guitar until she was 40. She sings in both Kriol and English, and has performed all over the world, including touring with Hugh Jackman for his Back on Broadway show.
On Wednesday, Nagarra said she was “thrilled and proud” to win for Wirlmarni, which “has been thousands of years in the making” as it contains sounds of the nature and people.