Baker Boy, Drifting Clouds, Birdz & Fred Leone and more took out the big wins at this year’s NIMAs on Larrakia Country.
The National Indigenous Music Awards returned to Darwin Amphitheatre on Larrakia Country over the weekend, and Baker Boy had a very good night.
He walked away with three of the biggest awards, taking Album of the Year for DJANDJAY, along with Song of the Year and Film Clip of the Year for ‘THICK SKIN’, featuring Thelma Plum, Emma Donovan, Kee’ahn and Jada Weazel.
It’s a pretty strong snapshot of where First Nations music is at right now. The NIMAs have always managed to put huge artists beside emerging names, community projects and music made in language without making any of those things feel secondary.
Baker Boy later performed ‘THICK SKIN’ with Emma Donovan, while Birdz & Fred Leone picked up their first NIMA, winning Artist of the Year following the release of GIRA.
Drifting Clouds took out Best New Talent with only two singles behind him, while Northern Peninsula Area won Community Clip of the Year for All The Way From The NPA. Bulman School & Community received the Indigenous Language Award for LOK LOK MAH BURARR (Lizard & Goanna).
That last part is always one of the things I like most about the NIMAs, with hip-hop, soul, community music and language all sitting side by side, it shows just how big First Nations music is, and how central it is to the story of music in this country.
The live side of the night was just as broad, with sets from Kyla Belle, Casii Williams, Bumpy, Zipporah, Stiff Gins, South Summit, Electric Fields and Briggs’ new project BIG NOTER.
There was plenty of history in the room too. Marlene Cummins and Saltwater Band were both inducted into the NIMAs Hall of Fame, with Saltwater Band closing the night themselves with ‘Bolu’ and ‘Sailing Boat’.
Briggs also used BIG NOTER’s set to acknowledge the late Gurrumul, ten years after ‘The Children Came Back’ won Song of the Year at the NIMAs.
That mix of new artists, established names, community and history is really what makes the NIMAs work. The awards matter, obviously, but the bigger picture is seeing just how much First Nations music is happening across the country, and how many different forms it can take.
Head to the National Indigenous Music Awards website for the full list of 2026 winners and more from this year’s ceremony.
