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Five up-next Aussie acts you need to know, according to Tkay Maidza

From they honeyed vocals of Maya Hirasedo to the unbridled energy of KWAME, these are the up-next acts Tkay's passing the torch to.

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Tkay Maidza’s currently locked down in the studio, hard at work on new material. So, while we wait on fresh tracks from the global rap star, we thought we’d ask Tkay to share her favourite dedicated, rising artists around the country. “Anything is possible if you put in the work,” she tells us.

Keep reading to find out why Tkay loves the 18-year-old Perth producer-rapper Arno, what she learned touring with Sydney’s Kwame, and plenty more. These are the five dedicated artists she’s tipping to follow in her footsteps.


KAIIT
I came across Kaiit when she released her first song ‘Natural Woman’. We have a lot of mutual friends. I was instantly blown away at the power in her voice and the confidence in her delivery—super inspiring. She’s really the complete package: crazy hard worker, melodies, lyrics, voice, everything. I honestly think she would kill it working with someone like Dr. Dre or even Timbaland in the future. I’d say my favourite track of hers is ‘OG Kush Love p.2’.


Maya Hirasedo
I came across Maya’s music on Instagram. She used to regularly post acoustic videos of herself which were really mesmerising. I somehow managed to watch her play a year ago and became a solidified fan. ‘Cocaine’ is my favourite song of hers so far. Her vocal control and melodies are so amazing. Seeing her collaborate with a group like Tame Impala down the road could be really amazing too!


Kwame
I first heard Kwame on Spotify, and I’d also seen his name around quite a lot, so I finally decided to check him out myself. I was blown away at how different he was (and is!) to a lot of Australian rap music, and how clean his music sounded. He’s an amazing producer, and is also phenomenal live. I had the opportunity to tour with him two months ago, and every night he brought so much energy. I feel like it would be a fire combination to pair him with a cool producer like Sango. Right now, I love his track ‘WOW’.


DVNA
I heard DVNA’s first single on JJJ Unearthed. I thought it was super polished and instantly I feel in love. My favourite track of hers has to be ‘Girl on the Move’. Her Melodies are crazy. I’d love to see her work with someone like Kaytranada or The Internet.


Arno
I first heard about Arno through Triple J Unearthed High where he was a finalist. He actually ended up winning. I love his charm, his flow, and live performances. He’s such a bright light. I love his song ‘Bless’. It would so cool to see him work with a vocalist like SZA.

Between studio sessions, Tkay Maidza is host song writing workshops for future female talent—a partnership with Nike Sportswear. She will also perform at Nike’s 2018 Battle Force Melbourne, an event celebrating the iconic Air Force 1. It’s going down in Docklands on Sunday 25 November.

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