The National Indigenous Music Awards 2020 are the 17th annual

National Indigenous Music Awards The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA), also known as the NT Indigenous Music Awards from 2004 to 2008, are music awards presented to recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians in ...

. The nominations were announced on 13 July 2020 and the awards ceremony was held on 8 August 2020 and broadcast on the

National Indigenous Television National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the half-hourly nightly ''NITV News'' ...

and simulcast across the country on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

, Double J, NIRS,

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Performers

Archie Roach Archibald William Roach (8 January 1956 – 30 July 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter and Aboriginal Australian, Aboriginal activist. Often referred to as "Uncle Archie", Roach was a Gunditjmara and Western Bundjalung people, Bundjalu ...

Thelma Plum Thelma Amelina Plumbe (born 21 December 1994), known professionally as Thelma Plum, is an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician from Delungra, New South Wales. Her father is renowned lore-man Paul Winanga-li Gii Spear ...

Miiesha Miiesha is an Australian singer-songwriter from the Aboriginal community of Woorabinda, Queensland. She was the recipient of New Talent of the Year at the 2020 National Indigenous Music Awards and won the ARIA Award for Best Soul/R&B Release ...

Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by ...

- "

Gadigal Land "Gadigal Land" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil featuring Dan Sultan, Joel Davison, Kaleena Briggs and Bunna Lawrie. The song was released on 7 August 2020. It is the band's first single in 17 years, and is part of '' The Makarrat ...

" *Neil Murray,

Christine Anu Christine Anu (born 15 March 1970) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She gained popularity with the cover song release of the Warumpi Band's song " My Island Home". Anu has been nominated for 17 ARIA Awards. Early life Anu was bo ...

, Mau Power, Jim Moginie and Rob Hirst - "

My Island Home "My Island Home" is a rock song written by Neil Murray and George Burarrwanga. It was originally performed by the Warumpi Band. The song references lead singer's ( George Burarrwanga) home up at Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem Land in th ...

Hall of Fame inductee

Ruby Hunter Ruby Charlotte Margaret Hunter (31 October 195517 February 2010), also known as Aunty Ruby, was an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist, and the life and musical partner of Archie Roach . Early life Ruby Hunter was born on 31 ...

Ruby Hunter was born in 1955, on the banks of the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

in South Australia, Hunter was a Ngarrindjeri, Kokatha and Pitjantjatjara woman. During her lifetime, Hunter cut several landmark records. Her song "

Down City Streets "Down City Streets" is a song written by Australian singer songwriter Ruby Hunter and recorded by her husband Archie Roach. The song was released in 1991 as the second single from Roach's debut studio album ''Charcoal Lane'' (1990). "Down City ...

" appeared on

's debut ''

Charcoal Lane ''Charcoal Lane'' is the debut studio album by Australian singer song writer Archie Roach, released in 1990. Name From the 1960s through to the 1980s, the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy was a meeting place for Aboriginal people who had l ...

'' from 1990, and in 1994, she became the first Indigenous woman to release a solo album with the ARIA Award-nominated ''Thoughts Within''. A second album, ''Feeling Good'' was released in 2000. Hunter passed away in 2010.

Triple J Unearthed National Indigenous Winner

JK-47 Jacob Paulson (born 1997/1998), known professionally as JK-47, is an Indigenous Australian rapper, musician, and activist from Tweed Heads South, New South Wales. His debut album, ''Made for This'', was released independently on 4 September 2 ...

is a rapper from Tweed Heads South,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. JK-47 is best known for his appearance on

Nerve A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system. A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the e ...

's 2019 single "Sunday Roast". He released the tracks "The Recipe" in May 2020 and "I Am Here (Trust Me)" in July 2020.

Archie Roach Foundation Award

The second Archie Roach Foundation Award for an emerging NT artist was awarded to Kee'Anh.

Awards

Artist of the Year New Talent of the Year Album of the Year Film Clip of the Year Song of the Year Community Clip of the Year Indigenous Language Award

References

{{National Indigenous Music Awards 2020 in Australian music 2020 music awards National Indigenous Music Awards