APRA AMCOS and NATSIMO reveal the 2024 PDAs, championing emerging talents across contemporary, hip-hop, electronic, jazz, country, stage and screen
Meet the 2024 APRA Professional Development Award winners! APRA AMCOS and NATSIMO just revealed a talented bunch, from classical to hip-hop.
These rising stars picked up a sweet $10,000 each and a well deserved shout out. Cheers to the diverse sounds shaping Aussie music!
Among the winning artists are Rebecca Bracewell, a hard-of-hearing composer making waves in classical/experimental; Elsy Wameyo, a Kenyan-born, Nairobi-raised singer and producer spitting out Hip Hop/Rap/R&B/Soul vibes; and Aidan Hogg, who’s been in the mix with G Flip, Jaguar Jonze, and Holy Holy. Don’t forget the cheeky duo Mel & Sam, taking home the Music Theatre accolade.
Dean Ormston, the head honcho at APRA AMCOS, sees these awards as not just a nod to the new wave of talent but also a shoutout to the strength of Aussie music on the global stage.
NATSIMO, for the second year running, is shining a light on three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Kaninna Langford (Miss Kaninna) grabs NATSIMO General, THOM scores NATSIMO Youth, and Warren Mason from Tin Camp Studio nails NATSIMO Senior PDA.
Leah Flanagan, the NATSIMO director, is pumped to back these artists at different stages in their careers, from THOM’s youthful audacity to Miss Kaninna’s pop path from musical theatre, and Warren Mason’s songwriting as a form of healing.
Here are your 2024 PDA champs:
- Rebecca Bracewell: Classical/Experimental
- Sara Berki: Country/Americana
- Nina Wilson (Ninajirachi): Dance/Electronic
- Elsy Wameyo: Hip Hop/Rap/R&B/Soul
- Vanessa Perica: Jazz/Improvised
- Mel & Sam: Music Theatre
- Kaninna Langford (Miss Kaninna): NATSIMO General
- Amelia Thompson (THOM): NATSIMO Youth
- Warren Mason: NATSIMO Senior
- Aidan Hogg: Popular Contemporary
- Hannah Cameron: Popular Contemporary
- Michael Allen: Screen Composition
Shout out to the bunch of music pros, like Sally Seltmann, Imogen Clark, Hau Latukefu, Kristy Gostelow, and more, who had the tough job of picking these winners.
If you’re itching to dive into the sounds of these rising stars, there’s a playlist on Spotify that’ll give you a taste of what’s brewing in the Aussie music scene.
