Barkaa

Barkaa (born 1995 as Chloe Quayle), styled BARKAA, is an Australian rapper and musician, and is a Malyangapa and Barkindji woman.

Early life

Barkaa was born as Chloe Quayle in 1995.[1] Her mother was one of the Stolen Generations, and she had an uncle to died in police custody.[2] She lived in the western Sydney suburb of Merrylands as a child. She was known for performing rap at high school, and entered rap competitions in Blacktown.[1] She is a Malyangapa and Barkindji woman.[3]

Career

Barkaa takes her name from the Barkindji word for the Darling River,[2] and says that she feels very honoured to have been given permission to use this name to represent her people.[4] Her music reflects her experiences with incarceration, child removal and addiction, with much of it overtly political; she has drawn from the words of Shareena Clanton and Rosalie Kunoth-Monks in her songs.[2]

She first performed in front of an audience in 2019, at a Klub Koori event.[2]

She released her debut single, "For My Tittas", in March 2020.[5][6] Her song "Our Lives Matter", released in June 2020,[7] became the unofficial anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement in Australia. She has collaborated with DOBBY ("I Can't Breathe"[8]) and Electric Fields, and has performed at the Sydney Opera House,[4] Enmore Theatre in Sydney and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.[8]

Her debut album was Blak Matriarchy, so named "in honour of powerful First Nations women who've paved the way for future generations", including her mother.[5] The song "King Brown", which she says is about a "shitty ex" is on the album.[2]

Barkaa performed at the Paartjima festival on the 2022 Easter weekend in Alice Springs.[4]

As of November 2021 Barkaa is signed to Bad Apples Music, founded by Briggs.[2]

Recognition and awards
  • Dubbed "the new matriarch of Australian rap" in a feature on her GQ Magazine in September 2020[8][9]
  • Red Bull has named Barkaa as a rapper to watch since 2020,[10] and one of "10 Sydney rappers who'll rule 2022"[11]
  • 2020: Listed as one of the top 5 female rappers in Australia by Triple J[12]
  • 2020: FBi Radio SMAC Award in the "Next Big Thing" category[8]
  • 2020: PUMA Rookie Of The Year Award for Acclaim magazine[8]

Personal life

Barkaa was addicted to methamphetamine as a teenager, and spent three periods in juvenile detention or prison, where she gave birth to her third child, a son, in around 2016. She has been free of drugs since then, and has her children back. Her daughter Alinta often performs with her.[2]

Discography
Extended plays
Title EP details Peak chart
AUS
Blak Matriarchy —[upper-alpha 1]
Singles
Title Year Album
"I Can't Breathe"
(with Dobby)[1]		 2020 Non-album singles
"Groovy"[15]
"King Brown"[16] 2021 Blak Matriarchy
"Fight for Me"[17]

(feat. Electric Fields)

 2022 TBA

Notes
  1. Blak Matriarchy did not enter the ARIA Albums Chart, but did peak at number 7 on the ARIA Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums Album Chart.[14]

References
  1. Byrne, Declan (10 November 2020). "Bars behind bars: How jail and motherhood forced rising rapper Barkaa to turn life around". Triple J. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  2. Israel, Janine (28 November 2021). "'Unapologetically truthful and unapologetically Blak': Australia bows down to Barkaa". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  3. Barkaa (14 April 2021). "Segments: Still Here: Barkaa On The Healing Power Of Rap". Triple R 102.7FM (Interview). Interviewed by Morris, Neil. Archived from the original (Audio + text) on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. BARKAA (16 April 2022). "Rap matriarch BARKAA and crossing the Borderlands with Van Diemen's Band's Julia Fredersdorff" (Audio + text). ABC Radio National (Interview). The Music Show. Interviewed by Keath, Alice. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  5. Silva, Nadine (3 December 2021). "Barkaa releases debut album honouring Blak matriarchs". NITV. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  6. BARKAA - For My Tittas (Official Video) on YouTube 7 March 2020.
  7. BARKAA - Our Lives Matter (Official Audio) on YouTube 6 June 2020.
  8. "About". BARKAA. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  9. Campbell, Amy (6 October 2020). "Meet Barkaa, the New Matriarch of Australian Rap". GQ Magazine. Retrieved 16 April 2022. This piece originally appeared in GQ Australia's September/October 2020 edition
  10. Lipz, Youngn (23 August 2021). "14 Sydney rappers ruling 2021". Red Bull. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  11. "10 Sydney rappers ruling 2022". Red Bull. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  12. Latukefu, Hau (7 August 2020). "Five female rappers you need to get around". triple j. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  13. Langford, Jackson (2 December 2021). "Barkaa releases her debut EP Blak Matriarchy". NME Australia. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  14. "ARIA Top 10 Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums for week of 13 December 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  15. "Groovy". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  16. "King Brown". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  17. Barkaa - Fight For Me (Official Video) ft. Electric Fields on YouTube 31 March 2022.
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