Ngaire Laun Joseph (born 1984, in Lae), known by her stage name Ngaiire (pronounced ''ny-ree'' or /naɪəriː/), is a

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

-born Australian-based R&B and future soul singer-songwriter. Her musical career commenced in 2003 with an enrollment in a bachelor of Jazz Studies at the

Central Queensland University Central Queensland University (alternatively known as CQUniversity) is an Australian public university based in central Queensland. CQUniversity is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. Its main campu ...

(CQU). In 2004, she competed in the second season of ''

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program '' Pop Ido ...

'', where she competed as a semi-finalist but did not make it to the final 12 singers. She then worked with Blue King Brown and

Paul Mac Paul Francis McDermott (born 17 September 1965), who performs as Paul Mac, is an Australian electropop musician, singer-songwriter, producer and music re-mixer. He was classically trained at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Mac has formed variou ...

as a session vocalist before re-focusing on her solo career in 2008. Ngaiire's debut studio album, ''

Lamentations The Book of Lamentations ( he, אֵיכָה, , from its incipit meaning "how") is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. In the Hebrew Bible it appears in the Ketuvim ("Writings") as one of the Five Megillo ...

'', was released in July 2013 and her second album, '' Blastoma'', was released in June 2016. Her third, '' 3'', was released in August 2021. In 2018

APRA AMCOS APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

appointed Ngaiire as an ambassador.

Biography

1984–1999: Early life

Ngaiire was born, as Ngaire Laun J Joseph, Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:' in 1984 in Lae, Papua New Guinea, and is the eldest of three siblings. Her Grandfather was a pastor. She is bilingual: being fluent in English and

Tok Pisin Tok Pisin (,Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh ; Tok Pisin ), often referred to by English speakers as "New Guinea Pidgin" or simply Pidgin, is a creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an ...

. Her parents moved to

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

when she was one year old to study and the family returned to Papua New Guinea (PNG) six years later. While in New Zealand Ngaiire was diagnosed with

ganglioneuroblastoma Ganglioneuroblastoma is a variant of neuroblastoma that is surrounded by ganglion cells. It can be difficult to diagnose. Nodular ganglioneuroblastoma can be divided by prognosis. Neuroblastic tumors It is contained within the ''neuroblastic tum ...

, which manifested as a cancer of her adrenal glands at the age of three. This later influenced the music video for her 2013 single, "Dirty Hercules" and choice of title for the album "Blastoma". Ngaiire and her family were living in

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...

until the Mt Tarvurvur volcano erupted in September 1994 and covered most of the town (including their home) with volcanic ash. She attended Sacred Heart International Primary School, Rabaul before going to Lae Christian Academy. Her parents had divorced after returning to PNG, both subsequently remarried. She learnt that music could make her life more stable, "When I was about 11 or 12 and I was living in PNG and singing was just one of those things I did. I listened to a lot of music. Life there has loads of craziness and so many unexpected things happen. Music gave me the ability to talk about and feel all the things that were going on in my world." She explained, "I always viewed songs as a form of poetry that didn't necessarily need to make sense to anyone else."

2000–2004: Career beginnings and ''Australian Idol''

In 2000, Ngaiire moved to

Lismore, New South Wales Lismore is a city in northeastern New South Wales, Australia and the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area; it is also a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State. It is situated on a low flood pl ...

, with her mother, Miriam Murphy, and stepfather where she attended

Kadina High School Kadina High Campus, part of The Rivers Secondary College, is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school campus, located in Goonellabah, a suburb of Lismore, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Austr ...

until 2003. She entered the local Accelerator music competition in 2002 and recorded her first song, "I Remember", for the ''Accelerator 2002: The Winners'' album at Top Cat Recording Studios, Alstonville for Windsong Records. In 2003, She moved to

Mackay, Queensland } Mackay () is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensla ...

to start her Bachelor of Jazz Studies at

(CQU). While at university she fronted local jazz bands.CQU's Australian Idol singer still jazzed-up
Accessed 8 October 2015 In 2004, Ngaiire's entered the second season of ''

''. She was voted off while in the top 30 but was brought back as a "wild card" for the live shows. Ngaiire was voted off a second time in the top 13. Ngaiire with other top 12 contestants, guested on the grand final night. In 2014, ''Buzzfeed''s Mikey Nicholson ranked Ngaiire's rendition of

India Arie India Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975), also known as India Arie (sometimes styled as india.arie), is an American singer and songwriter. She has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards ...

's "Back to the Middle" in the top 10 all time ''Australian Idol'' performances. Following Australian Idol, Ngaiire returned to her jazz studies and attempted to reduce the perceived stigma associated with appearing on the talent show. She turned down offers from American recording industry professionals and remained independent by signing with Wantok Musik Foundation. Her second solo recording was a four-track single, "Luv Sa Giaman", which translates as "Love Tells Lies". She recorded it with a Lismore-based band, the Rent, in 2005 and released it in Australia through WindSong Records label. Ngaiire and the Rent toured PNG in support of the single.

2004–2006: Blue King Brown and Paul Mac

Ngaiire joined Blue King Brown as a backing vocalist in 2004 following their debut single, "Water". She toured with them for the next four years in support of the band's self-titled debut EP and first album, ''Stand Up'' in 2006. With Ngaiire they toured the United Kingdom, Japan, Europe and Canada as well as regional Australia. She explained to Miranda Freeman of ''Rip It Up!'' that during this period she matured as a musician and learned how to be a successful independent artist. Ngaiire was the featured vocalist on

's single, "It's Not Me, It's You", released in December 2005. The song reached No. 8 on the ARIA Club Tracks chart. Ngaiire was a vocalist on Paul Mac's Australian tour in support of his second studio album, ''

Panic Room ''Panic Room'' is a 2002 American thriller film directed by David Fincher. The film stars Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter whose new home is invaded by burglars, played by Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoaka ...

''. He described her as a "diminutive bomb of goodness" to ''AustralianStage''s Lloyd Bradford Syke.

2007–2010: ''Song for No One'' and ''Two Minds''

Ngaiire recorded her debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''Song for No One'', in 2007 with Sydney-based producer, Tony Buchen (aka Buchman). The EP provided the singles "Song for No One", and the 1920s-style "Glorious". "Glorious" was a popular track with

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

and

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...

(NIDA) supporting the creation of a music video, produced by Karla Conway. John Butler asked Ngaiire to precede his set at the 2009 East Coast Blues and Roots Festival and supported her professional development with management training and funding via his JB Seed Fund. In March 2010, Ngaiire release a second EP titled ''Two Minds''. In 2010,

listed Ngaiire on the 2010 Next Crop artist list and played her tracks on

Triple J Unearthed Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

2011–2014: ''Lamentations''

In 2013, Ngaiire contacted jazz pianist and producer Aaron Choulai via email, starting with, "Hey, man, I just really love what you do. Can I come over to Japan and hang out with you a bit and write some music?" Choulai agreed and they spent two weeks working together, which she described to Kate Kingsmill of ''theMusic.com.au'' as, "you just had to keep cracking and keep cracking until it burst open. And once you got there it was the best feeling. Nothing could really replace the feeling of having completed a song." For recording sessions she returned to Sydney where she used Tim Curnick on bass guitar and as another co-producer. Ngaiire released her debut studio album, ''

'' in July 2013. The title was inspired by a combination of Henry Purcell's ''

Dido's Lament Dido's Lament is the aria "When I am laid in earth" from the opera ''Dido and Aeneas'' by Henry Purcell (libretto by Nahum Tate). It is included in many classical music textbooks on account of its exemplary use of the passus duriusculus in t ...

'' and the

Book of Lamentations The Book of Lamentations ( he, אֵיכָה, , from its incipit meaning "how") is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. In the Hebrew Bible it appears in the Ketuvim ("Writings") as one of the Five Megill ...

, together with fantasy and personal experience. Prior to finishing the album Ngaiire damaged her spine in a car accident and experienced the death of two close relatives. The album received positive reviews. At the 9th Australian Music Prize, ''

'' was nominated the Most Highly Regarded Album in 2013 and was ranked at number 27 by Faster Louder on the 2013 Critics list and number 25 on the Readers List. In 2014, Ngaiire returned from performing at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

to the news that her partner of five years (and co-producer of ''Lamentations'') had ended their relationship.

2015–2016: ''Blastoma''

In July 2015, Ngaiire released, "Once", the lead single from her second studio album. The accompanying music video was styled in the form of an interview and biographical dream, with a live recording also being produced in the

Like a Version studio. "Once" polled 73rd on the

Triple J Hottest 100, 2015 The 2015 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced Australia Day, 26 January 2016. It is the 23rd countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station Triple J. Voting commenced on 9 December 2015, ...

and was noted for appearing on the list despite being released on an independent label by an unsigned artist. "Once" resulted in Ngaiire's first solo appearance on the list and is the first instance of a Papua New Guinean-born artist making it into the Hottest 100. The second single, "Diggin'" was released in February 2016, and debuted at number 16 on the Australian Independent Music Charts. The music video is heavy in its use of shadows and gold with lithe, provocative dance moves. "Diggin'" is a track that speaks of "being found before you find yourself in a permanent state of no return", and was called a "triumphant celebration of life". The album's third single "House on a Rock", was released in May 2016. It was described as being more electronic and dance-able than previous singles, and was also called "the most innovative soul music Australia has seen". The accompanying music video was shot in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

and gives a "behind closed doors" look at a failed relationship. In June 2016, Ngaiire released her second studio album '' Blastoma'', named after her childhood disease. The album was produced by Choulai, Mac and Jack Grace ( Jack Britten). Ngaiire collaborated more widely than on previous works and recorded it over two years, primarily at Mac's studio in Erskineville. ''Howl & Echoes'' called it "a carefully considered, cohesive and dynamic album", while ''The Interns'' wrote that it "form da happy marriage of old soul, experimentation and futuristic vision". and ''Beat Magazine'' described it as an evolution on prior works, with a more mature and refined sound than on ''Lamentations''. On 18 June 2016, the album debuted at number 41 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart.

2017–2021: ''3''

In October 2019, Ngaiire released "Shiver", which she co-wrote with Jack Grace, and according to the ''AU Review'' is "bout getting goosebumps for no reason in broad daylight or seeing things that your mind doesn't have the intelligence to compute." It was shortlisted for the 2019

Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by Albert Music and APRA AMCOS. The competition awards a ...

. On 12 March 2020, Ngaiire released "Boom", which is reported to explore the taboo nature of sex and the tension between lust and suppression. In May 2021, Ngaiire announced the release of her third studio album '' 3'' with the aim of "extracting unique visual aspects of my culture to present in a contemporary context". These preparations have included trips back to Papua New Guinea and a much stronger focus on collaborative songwriting than has occurred in previous albums. Ngaiire originally intended to tour in support of this new album starting in March 2020, but was forced to postpone the tour due to

Covid 19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. The album's third single, "Closer", was released on 20 May 2021.

Collaborations, styles and influences

Ngaiire's music is rooted in a resurgent Australian Neo-Soul movement, and she was listed as one of Australia's leading live R&B/Soul in 2015 by ''The [AU] Review'', being described as "the beating heart of the contemporary live music scene in Australia." She has been compared to the artists,

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...

, Hiatus Kaiyote,

Kimbra Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and s ...

, and

Angie Stone Angela Laverne Brown (born December 18, 1961) known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s ...

and her music both expands and transcends musical boundaries. Her collaborations span multiple genres; including experimental jazz, contemporary synth and electro-pop, Melanesian string band, roots, blues and world music as well as hip hop, rap and future bass. Ngaiire's musical style includes pronounced vocals, which are accompanied by layered harmonies and rhythms. Her sound was described by Jordan Hirst of ''Music Feeds'', as a combination of Mary J. Blige and

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

's voices mixed with M.I.A.'s genre-bending sensibility. According to Tedi Bills of ''BMA Magazine'', her lyrics express complex emotional and social issues, her performances are notable for her flamboyant costumes, and her music videos have been described as more typical of art films than a 'normal' music video.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other appearances

Notes

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. ! , - , AIR Awards of 2017 , ''Blastomia'' , Best Independent Album , , , - , AIR Awards of 2022 , ''3'' , Best Independent Pop Album or EP , ,

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

(APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982. ! , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

, "Closer" (Ngaiire, Jack Grace, Gabriel Strum) , Song of the Year , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual ceremony presented by

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987. ! , - , rowspan="4",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, , rowspan="3", ''3'' , , Best Artist , , , rowspan="4", , - , Breakthrough Artist , , , - , Best Soul/R&B Release , , , - , Ngaiire Joseph & Dan Segal ''3'' , , Best Cover Art , , , -

Australian Women in Music Awards

The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the Australian Music Industry who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018. ! , - , rowspan="2" ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, Ngaiire , Songwriter Award , , rowspan="2" , , - , Ngaiire , Artistic Excellence Award , , - , rowspan="3" ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, Ngaiire , Diversity in Music Award , , rowspan="3" , , - , Ngaiire , Songwriter Award , , - , Ngaiire , Artistic Excellence Award ,

J Awards

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

's youth-focused radio station

. They commenced in 2005. ! , - ,

J Awards of 2016 The J Award of 2016 is the twelfth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station ...

, herself , Double J Artist of the Year , , , - , J Awards of 2021 , Ngaiire , Double J Artist of the Year , ,

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the Australian live scene – recognising the best vocal talents and musicians alongside ...

(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. ! , - , rowspan="3" , National Live Music Awards of 2016 , rowspan="3" , Ngaiire , Live Voice of the Year , , rowspan="3" , , - , Live R&B or Soul Act of the Year , , - , NSW Live Voice of the Year , , - , rowspan="2" , National Live Music Awards of 2017 , rowspan="2" , Ngaiire , Live R&B or Soul Act of the Year , , rowspan="2" , , - , People's Choice - Best Live Voice of the Year , , - , rowspan="2" , National Live Music Awards of 2020 , rowspan="2" , Ngaiire , Live Voice of the Year , , rowspan="2" , , - , NSW Live Voice of the Year , , -

References

External links

* {{authority control 1984 births Living people People from Morobe Province Australian women pop singers 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers