“This album has been thousands of years in the making”: 80-year-old blues guitarist and singer-songwriter wins Australia's top music prize – beating Nick Cave and Amyl and the Sniffers

80-year-old Walmatjarri elder and blues musician Kankawa Nagarra has just won Australia's most prestigious music award – the $50,000 Australian Music Prize (AMP) – for her debut album Wirlmarni, beating established music acts such as Amyl and the Sniffers, Nick Cave, and the Dirty Three.

The AMP, now in its 20th year, aims to focus “entirely on artistic merit” and “financially reward and increase exposure” for Australian musicians who have released what they consider to be the best album of the year. It often goes to new acts, with previous winners including some of Australia's best exports, like Courtney Barnett, King Stingray, and the Avalanches.

Kankawa Nagara - 'Wirlmarni' - Live at Ngaarda Media - YouTube

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Nagarra, also known as Olive Knight and “the Queen of the Bandaral Ngadu Delta,” said she was “thrilled and proud” to win the award. She stated that the album “has been thousands of years in the making,” as it incorporates sounds from the nature and people of Wangkatjungka, a large Indigenous community in northern Western Australia.

“Coming from the remote community of Wangkatjungka, which in the past has been shown in a negative light with the focus on the issues and problems, people don’t often get to see the beautiful and positive aspects of my home,” she continued.

“And I know this award brings much pride to the people of Wangkatjungka, especially to the school and all the children who I hope to be a role model for.”

Nagarra is part of Australia's Stolen Generations – having been taken from her parents and sent to a mission where she first discovered gospel music.

While working on homesteads, she immersed herself in country music and rock – which were popular on radio at the time. However, she fell completely in love with the blues – the genre that made the most significant impact on her – when she first heard it played by a busker. She didn't buy her first guitar until she was 40.

Nagarra sings in both Kriol and English and has performed her works around the world, including touring with Hugh Jackman for his Back on Broadway show.

After thanking musician Darren Hanlon, who recorded and produced Wirlmarni, she added, “I feel that music is a responsibility. Caring for nature is a responsibility, and protecting culture is a responsibility for its holistic well-being. All these things are connected, and I make it my life’s work.”

Also included in the shortlist were Amyl and the Sniffers' Cartoon Darkness, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' Wild God, the Dirty Three's Love Changes Everything, Grace Cummings' Ramona, Dobby's Warrangu: River Story, Hiatus Kaiyote’s Love Heart Cheat Code, Rowena Wise’s Senseless Acts of Beauty, and Audrey Powne's From the Fire.