Sosefina Fuamoli’s Bigsound 2022 Recommendations
We tasked Bigsound conference speaker and friend Sosefina Fuamoli with narrowing down the huge lineup this year and putting together a list of her personal recommendations.
The Samoan-Australian music journalist, broadcaster and content producer has been working in the domestic & international music industry for over a decade. Back in 2020 Sose won the inaugural ‘Live Music Journalist’ award at the National Live Music Awards and has been published in the likes of the Australian Music Vault, Rolling Stone Australia, triple j, Junkee and NME Australia, among many others.
Always atop the best emerging artists in Aus, we knew we could trust Sose to put together a killer shortlist- check it out below!
I first became aware of Adrian when I was out in Perth for WAMfest in 2021. There’s a healthy batch of Western Australian artists on the BIGSOUND lineup this year and I feel it’s reflective of how WA artists are absolutely thriving right now. Adrian is one of those artists who I feel will come out of BIGSOUND with some offers and industry buzz around him: he deserves it. A soulful fusion of R&B and pop, delivered with a natural ease… Adrian is such a joy to listen to.
Ashwarya is easily one of the most engaging young songwriters and performers I’ve heard come through in the last few years. To punch through in 2020 as she did with tracks like ‘Biryani’ and ‘Psycho Hole’, then to show her versatility and growth with the NOCTURNAL HOURS EP at the end of 2021, Ashwarya had me hooked from the start. Emotionally resonant music that meets an attitude that lands like a breath of fresh air, Ashwarya keeps serving with each release.
Beckah Amani will be one of the best on ground at BIGSOUND this year, I’m calling it. It’s impossible not to look at the last year of successes the GC based artist has had internationally and not be intrigued as to where the rest of the year is going to take her here in Australia. Strong vocals are a running theme of these recommendations and I didn’t mean it to be, but here we are. Beckah arrives at a time where the likes of Joy Crookes, Arlo Parks and Kiana Ledé are picking up the mantle queens like Lianne La Havas and Valerie June set up some years ago – I think of these voices and I think of Beckah joining their league in time.
Originally from the UK but now residing in Sydney, Chanel is it, you hear me?! Her music makes me feel nostalgic but excited that there is a new wave of R&B and neo-soul music being created out of this country, driven by some stunning female voices. In Chanel’s music you can hear a variety of influences: from SZA to Erykah Badu, through to Frank Ocean and artists like Kelela. She’s gonna be one to watch, absolutely.
One of Melbourne’s most interesting and exciting producers at the moment (in my opinion), FOURA is an artist who – when I saw on the BIGSOUND lineup – I was praying I’d have a gap in my schedule to see. Her beats go hard, her switch ups and transitions are slick and her talents as a selector always set a heated tone whenever I’ve seen her in the club. Prepare to get sweaty.
I stan Jess, simple. More Australian fans likely know her for the fire bars she threw down on Baker Boy’s ‘Meditjin’ but if you’ve never ventured deeper into JessB’s catalogue, I urge you to do so. And once you’ve done that, go check out where she’s performing at BIGSOUND – she’ll be unmissable. Attitude meets natural confidence and a spitfire brand of lyricism and delivery that is untouchable.
‘October’ was the first song of Molly’s I heard – I’ll admit I’m probably a bit late to the game in catching on to how much potential this artist had, straight out the gate. Molly’s voice is so instantly endearing and she comes across as such a natural storyteller, which is super exciting for me heading into BIGSOUND. It’s a festival that can prove super successful for young artists getting in front of the right people; I think Molly Millington is in for a good run this September. Effortlessly charming.
Noah’s another WA artist I saw at WAMfest in 2021 – instantly taken by the amount of fun he and his band have with each other on stage. I was lucky enough to be DJing at a festival in South Australia he was performing at earlier this year, so I got to see him perform out of home turf and with an added few months’ worth of momentum behind the music. He’s got an electrifying stage presence and natural charm that is impossible to ignore. Can’t wait to see how BIGSOUND gets torn up!
I first saw Reb Fountain, quite by accident, at WOMADelaide earlier this year. She was on a stage nestled in a corner of the festival site and her voice was the first thing that caught me. Haunting, seductive and hypnotic. She creates such a unique world for the listener to get lost in; I think her music was described as ‘noir folk-punk’, which is pretty on the money. Reb’s music is like a gorgeous amalgamation of the drama of Nick Cave and Cat Power, meets the ethereal elements that make artists like Beach House and Weyes Blood so captivating. She’ll be performing as part of the NZ Music Commission’s showcase during BIGSOUND week, so be sure to make time to check her out – Reb and her band are stunning.
‘Country-grunge’ is how Siobhan’s music has been described – again, I think it’s pretty accurate. Another artist out at BIGSOUND from WA, I’m keen to see Siobhan because on record, her music is so gorgeously fleshed out…I’m so keen to see how it sounds live. The music reminds me a bit of a cross between Charlie Collins and Phoebe Bridgers, however Siobhan’s vocals are stunning in their own way.
Another visitor from Aotearoa performing at BIGSOUND is TE KAAHU, the project of performer and songwriter Theia. I first saw Theia performing her pop material years ago in Singapore and fell for her stylings then, so when I discovered she had branched out and produced this stunning album of waiata Māori, I was so happy to fall under the spell all over again. The music serves as a reminder that this current resurgence and revitalisation of the Māori language we’re seeing more and more in contemporary music is an important one.
Catch Sosefina speaking at Bigsound on Thursday this week- grab your tickets here and find the conference details below!
Bigsound Events
Thu 8th September
Critical Discourse and The Music Industry
Cloudland, Fortitude Valley
11:45am – 12:30pm
State of The Culture: Australian Hip Hop Artists and Producers Shifting The Dial
Cloudland, Fortitude Valley
3:00pm – 3:45pm
