Tash Sultana (born 15 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter,

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

, described as a " one-woman band". Sultana rose to international prominence with their 2016 single "

Jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

", which was voted into third place in

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 ...

's Hottest 100 countdown of 2016. The following year, Sultana had three songs voted into Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2017; " Mystik" placing at number 28, " Murder to the Mind" at number 43, and their '' Like a Version'' cover of MGMT's " Electric Feel" at number 78. Sultana grew up in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, and has been playing guitar from the age of three, beginning a career in music through busking. An active musician on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

since 2013, Sultana's recordings were viewed millions of times on YouTube in 2016. Sultana's EP, ''

Notion Notion or Notions may refer to: Software * Notion (music software), a music composition and performance program * Notion (productivity software), a note-taking and project-management program from Notion Labs Inc. * Notion (window manager), the s ...

'', was released on 23 September 2016, followed by a sold-out world tour in early 2017.

Early life

Australian of Maltese ancestry, Sultana was born and grew up in

, and received a guitar from their grandfather at the age of three. Sultana plays a large variety of instruments including piano, keyboard, synth, bass, drums/percussion, beat making/sampling, beatboxing, trumpet, saxophone, flute, mandolin, oud, harmonica, lapsteel, panpipes; and arranges it into loop style performances along with percussive and finger tapping style guitar playing. Sultana has a vocal range stretching 5 octaves.

Career

Early career: "Jungle" and home busking videos

At the age of 13, Sultana performed in

open mic An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether t ...

nights up to 6 times a week across Victoria. Their refusal to conform to social norms pushed the artist, who at the time was unable to find regular work, to busking on the streets of Melbourne in order to make a living. From 2008 to 2012, Sultana was the vocalist of the band Mindpilot with Patrick O'Brien, Emily Daye and David Herbert. This band won several Battles of the Bands competitions in Melbourne. The band split in 2012. In 2016, Sultana shared a video on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

of "Jungle" that amassed over one million views within five days, and has since been viewed over 40 million times. In the same year, they won Triple J's J Award for Unearthed Artist of the Year, and had two tracks voted into the

Triple J Hottest 100, 2016 The 2016 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day, 26 January 2017. It is the 24th countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station Triple J. 2016's countdown broke several Hot ...

: "Jungle" (No. 3) and "Notion" (No. 32). Both are singles from their subsequently released EP, ''

''. Sultana performed at the

Woodford Folk Festival The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music and cultural festival held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia. Every year ap ...

, Southbound, and St Jerome's Laneway Festival. Sultana is managed by Lemon Tree Music with whom they signed in June 2016. Sultana spent time in the recording studio with producer Nikita Miltiadou, and began working on the EP release ''

''. In September 2016, they released the EP through their own independent record label, Lonely Lands Records. The EP reached a peak position of number 8 on the ARIA Album Chart.

2016–2017: Debut world tour, and singles

Following the success of ''

'', Sultana announced a world tour, which included hundreds of live performances across Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Their father resigned from his job in order to become their

roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This ca ...

. A product of sessions with Miltiadou in April 2017, Sultana released " Murder to the Mind", the first single since the release of ''Notion''. It reached number 59 on the ARIA Australian Singles Chart. Not long after the release of "Murder to the Mind", Sultana was diagnosed with laryngitis, and was forced to cancel and postpone shows across Australia. In a June 2017 interview, Sultana told Fairfax that their debut album was slated for release in April 2018, after which they had planned to tour, record a second album, tour again, and then take a break and return to normal life. On 25 July 2017, Sultana announced the Homecoming Tour, including performances in Adelaide (Entertainment Centre), Sydney (Hordern Pavilion), Fremantle (Arts Centre), Margaret River (3 Oceans Winery), Melbourne (Margaret Court Arena) and Noosa (Noosa Sporting Grounds), with Pierce Brothers and Willow Beats as supporting acts. In October 2017, Sultana announced the premiere of a new single " Mystik" on

. Also in October, Sultana made their US late-night television debut on '' Late Night with Seth Meyers'', performing "Jungle". In the same year, Sultana was nominated for four

ARIA 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 Austra ...

: Breakthrough Artist, Best Independent Release, Best Blues and Roots Album and Best Australian Live Act. Following the Homecoming Tour, Sultana continued work on their debut LP, '' Flow State.''

2018: Debut LP ''Flow State''

On 13 June 2018, Sultana sent out a private Facebook message to selected fans, with a video sneak peek of a new single titled "Salvation", accompanied by footage in the studio. In the same month, Sultana announced that the new single would premiere on

on 21 June, and would be released the following day on 22 June. On 21 June 2018, they announced the album's forthcoming release date would be 31 August 2018, and made pre-orders available. Sultana also announced the album's tracklist, including the previously released tracks " Mystik", "Murder To The Mind", "Harvest Love" and "Free Mind". The album was released on 31 August 2018 via Lonely Lands Records, distributed by Sony Music Australia in Australia, and Mom + Pop Music across the rest of the world. ''Flow State'' peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Albums Charts.Peaks in Australia: * All except noted: * "Murder to the Mind": * "Mystik": * "Salvation":

2019: ''Flow State'' Tour, "Can't Buy Happiness", "Daydreaming" and "Talk It Out"

In February 2019, and in support of ''Flow State'', Sultana played their biggest headlining Australian shows yet, including a sold-out show at Melbourne's

Sidney Myer Music Bowl The Sidney Myer Music Bowl is an outdoor bandshell performance venue in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the lawns and gardens of Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue close to the Arts Centre and the Southbank entertainment precinc ...

, and Brisbane's Riverstage. Sultana's first release for 2019 was the standalone single "Can't Buy Happiness", released on 4 April. Then, on 10 July, Sultana released their first collaborative track "Talk It Out", which featured Australian singer Matt Corby. Sultana's third and final single release for 2019 was the single "Daydreaming", a collaboration with

Milky Chance Milky Chance is a German rock band originating in Kassel. It consists of vocalist and guitarist Clemens Rehbein, bassist and percussionist Philipp Dausch, and their band members, Antonio Greger and Sebastian Schmidt. Their first single, "Stolen ...

2020–present: Sophomore album ''Terra Firma''

Early in 2020, Sultana announced they were recruiting for live session musicians to round out their on stage presence on social media, stating they 'didn't have enough hands' to play all instruments on stage at the same time. On 26 February, Sultana played their final partial solo live show at Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl as part of the one-day fundraising music festival Down To Earth. The event was raising funds for bushfire relief, following Australia's Black Summer bushfires, and included performances by

Gang of Youths Gang of Youths are an Australian alternative rock group from Sydney based in London. The band consists of principal songwriter David Le'aupepe (lead vocals, guitar), Max Dunn (bass guitar), Jung Kim (lead guitar, keyboards), Donnie Borzestowski ...

, Angus & Julia Stone and more. In April 2020, Sultana announced that they had found session band members to take on the road. They subsequently released their first single for 2020, "Pretty Lady" on 9 April. The track was premiered on triple j Breakfast the same day. Shortly after, Sultana released the "Pretty Lady" music video, featuring a selection of fans, friends and family from across the world dancing. In June 2020, Sultana announced the next single "Greed", which was released on 20 June 2020. This was followed by a third single, "Beyond The Pine" in September, and a fourth single "Willow Tree" in October, which featured Australian rapper

Jerome Farah Jerome Farah, is an Australian rapper. Farah co-wrote and co-produced "Waiting" with Kian before releasing his debut single in 2020. Early life Jerome Farah is the son of a Lebanese father and a Zimbabwean mother and grew up in suburban Melbou ...

. On the same day as the release of "Willow Tree", Sultana announced that their new album Terra Firma would be released on 19 February 2021. Written and recorded over a period of almost 2 years, between 2019 and 2021, Terra Firma saw Sultana lead the entire recording process. They recorded, engineered, performed, arranged and produced the album in its entirety. On 22 January 2021, Sultana released the fifth and final single from ''Terra Firma'', "Sweet & Dandy". ''Terra Firma'' was released on 19 February 2021, and was met with generally favourable reviews from critics. In 2021, Sultana announced a United Kingdom and Europe tour in support of ''Terra Firma,'' with dates taking place from March 2022. They also announced a one-off performance at Colorado's

Red Rocks Amphitheatre Red Rocks Amphitheatre (also colloquially as simply Red Rocks) is an open-air amphitheatre built into a rock structure in the western United States, near Morrison, Colorado, west of Denver. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind ...

, which sold 10,000 tickets within five minutes. On 1 February 2022, Sultana announced their anticipated two-month tour of North America. The North America tour has dates listed from 10 June (Las Vegas) to 23 July (Los Angeles). On 18 February 2022, Sultana released "Coma", the lead single from ''MTV Unplugged, Live in Melbourne'' album, scheduled for release in May 2022.

Discography

* '' Flow State'' (2018) * '' Terra Firma'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". , - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, , "Jungle" , , Song of the Year, , , - , 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 Unit ...

, "Murder to the Mind" , Song of the Year , , - , "Jungle" , , Blues & Roots Work of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

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 ...

, , Tash Sultana , , Songwriter of the Year, , , - , " Mystik" , , Blues & Roots Work of the Year , , , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, , "Blackbird" , , Most Performed Blues & Roots Work of the Year, , , - ,

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 ...

, , "Pretty Lady" , , Most Performed Blues & Roots Work of the Year, , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are annual awards, which recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Sultana has won one award from thirteen nominations. ! , - , rowspan="4",

, , rowspan="3", ''Notion'' , , Best Independent Release , , , style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4" , , - , Breakthrough Artists , , , - , Best Blues and Roots Album , , , - , Notion Tour , , Best Australian Live Act , , , - , rowspan="6",

, , rowspan="2", ''Flow State'' , , Best Female Artist , , , style="text-align:center;" rowspan="6" , , - , Best Blues and Roots Album , , , - , Homecoming Tour , , Best Australian Live Act , , , - , Tash Sultana for ''Flow State'' , , Producer of the Year , , , - , Ben Lopez for ''Flow State'' , , Best Cover Art , , , - , Glenn Mossop and Tash Sultana for "Salvation" , , Best Video , , , - ,

, , "Can't Buy Happiness" , , Best Soul/R&B Release , , , , - ,

, "Pretty Lady" , ARIA Award for Best Soul/R&B Release , , , - ,

, ''Terra Firma'' , Best Soul/R&B Release , , , -

J Award

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J, ...

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-own ...

's youth-focused radio station

. They commenced in 2005. , - , J Awards of 2016 , Themself , Unearthed Artist of the Year , , - , J Awards of 2018 , ''Flow State'' , Australian Album of the Year ,

Music Victoria Awards

The

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006. ! , - ,

Music Victoria Awards of 2017 The Music Victoria Awards of 2017 are the 12th Annual Music Victoria Awards and consist of a series of awards, presented on 22 November 2017. For the first time this year, the Best Regional Venue award was separated into of over and under 50 gigs ...

, Tash Sultana , Best Female Artist , , rowspan="2", , - ,

Music Victoria Awards of 2018 The Music Victoria Awards of 2018 are the 13th Annual Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australia ...

, Tash Sultana , Best Solo Artist , , -

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. , - ,

National Live Music Awards of 2016 The National Live Music Awards of 2016 are the inaugural 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 ...

, Tash Sultana , Live Roots Act of the Year , , - , rowspan="4" ,

National Live Music Awards of 2017 The National Live Music Awards of 2017 are the second 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 ...

, rowspan="4" , Tash Sultana , Live Country or Folk Act of the Year , , - , Live Guitarist of the Year , , - , International Live Achievement (Solo) , , - , Best Live Voice - People's Choice , , - ,

National Live Music Awards of 2018 The National Live Music Awards of 2018 are the third National Live Music Awards. The event took place on 6 December 2018. The event moved its gala event to Brisbane – following events in Sydney and Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ W ...

, Tash Sultana , International Live Achievement (Solo) , , - , rowspan="2" ,

National Live Music Awards of 2019 The National Live Music Awards of 2019 are the 4th annual National Live Music Awards. The nominations were announced on 22 October 2020 and the awards ceremony was held on 4 December 2020. For the first time ever, all State and Territory catego ...

, rowspan="2" , Tash Sultana , Live Blues and Roots Act of the Year , , - , International Live Achievement (Solo) , , -

Pop Awards

The Pop Awards are presented annually by Pop Magazine, honoring the best in popular music. Tash Sultana has won two awards from two nominations and is the first artist to win multiple Pop Awards. ! , - , rowspan="2" , 2019 , ''Flow State'' , Album Of The Year Award , , style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2" , , - , Tash Sultana , Emerging Artist Of The Year Award ,

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. ! , - , rowspan="2" , 2021 , "Pretty Lady" , Best Single , , rowspan="2" , , - , Tash Sultana , Rolling Stone Global Award , , - , 2022 , ''Terra Firma'' , Best Record , , , -

Touring

All tour dates and ticketing information can be located a
www.tashsultana.com
* Gemini Tour: Australia (2016) * Notion World Tour: Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand (2016-17) * USA Tour 2017: United States (2017) * North American Tour: United States (2017) * Australia/New Zealand Tour: Australia, New Zealand (2017) * UK/Europe Tour: United Kingdom (2017) * Homecoming Tour: Australia (2017) * World Tour 2018: Europe, United States, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom (2018) * Flow State World Tour: Canada, United States, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand (2019) * Tash Sultana And Friends: Australia, New Zealand (2019) * UK And Europe 2022: United Kingdom, Europe (2022) * North America 2022: North America, USA (2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sultana, Tash 1995 births 21st-century Australian singers ARIA Award winners Australian multi-instrumentalists Australian people of Maltese descent Australian singer-songwriters Genderqueer people LGBT singers from Australia Living people Non-binary musicians One-man bands Queer musicians Singers from Melbourne Sony Music Australia artists Mom + Pop Music artists