BARKAA doesn’t enter rooms quietly, she bursts into them.
Loud, courageous and proudly self-described as “scary,” the Barkindji rapper carries herself with an unapologetic confidence that’s quickly become her signature. Yet when we sit down to chat, what’s immediately striking is her warmth. She’s bubbly, relaxed, and radiates an easy, chilled energy that makes the conversation feel effortless. It’s a reminder that strength and softness aren’t opposites, and that BARKAA embodies both with ease.
It’s been a monumental year for the Western Sydney artist. With the release of her Big Tidda EP in 2024, she’s been riding the high with a major ARIA win, high-profile collaborations and an upcoming headline slot at St Kilda Festival on First Peoples First Day. BARKAA is standing firmly in her moment, saying, “I’m overwhelmed. It’s really exciting, it’s nice to get flowers and it’s been really beautiful to get that accolade.”
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Recognition, particularly in an industry that hasn’t always made space for First Nations voices, carries real weight. “As a Blak woman in this industry, I didn’t really think many people would listen to me, or many people would even gravitate towards my music,” she explains. That changed as Big Tidda resonated far beyond its initial reach. “To have this amount of support from my First Nations brothers and sisters always, but also from our non-Indigenous brothers and sisters to be supporting us and to be like a part of this movement is amazing.”
Her ARIA win marked a historic first- becoming the first Blak woman to take home a hip-hop award- but BARKAA is clear that the moment extended far beyond personal success. “Winning that ARIA was for radical little Blak angry women everywhere,” she laughs. “It was for, you know, those women that get called a bitch everywhere.” The validation hit on multiple levels. “Not only am I a successful Blak woman, I’m a fat Blak successful woman. I’m a fat Blak angry successful woman.” She says with pride, laughing but also being entirely serious.
With that visibility comes expectation, something BARKAA acknowledges openly. “There’s like a whole lot more responsibility now to come out with better work,” she says. But instead of feeling paralysed by pressure, the moment has reignited her creative drive. “With all eyes on me and my pressure, I’ve also felt that like igniting a fire inside of me… it kind of lighted that fire and made me hungry again.” After a period where music began to feel transactional, the spark returned. “I remembered why I fell in love with it.”
That renewed hunger is already showing up in her recent collaboration Nothing’s Free with Sydney rap group 046. For BARKAA, the partnership felt natural, rooted in shared geography and lived experience. “They’re from South West Sydney where I’m from as well,” she says. “It was really beautiful to be able to collaborate with boys from my are, because we grew up around that same, you know- South West Sydney rugrat kids, eshays. It was really beautiful to represent that side of me.” Despite initially feeling intimidated, the experience quickly became affirming. “I love their music. They look scary, but they’re not. I think I’m scarier,” she laughs. “They’re just angels.”
Next on the horizon is St Kilda Festival, where BARKAA will headline on the Saturday- a date that also marks the 20th anniversary of First Peoples First Day. As always, St Kilda Festival is dedicating Day 1 to First Nations programming, with BARKAA headlining. For her, the significance of the day is deeply personal. “It’s an honour to be able to represent them,” she says, “I always love being a part of First Nation showcases, because it’s everything that I am.” Beyond performance, it’s about pride and visibility. “I take that with the greatest honour, to be able to instil pride into my mob…if you don’t feel it, I’ll yell it at you.”
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BARKAA is also clear about what meaningful support for First Nations artists looks like, and it goes far beyond symbolic gestures. “Rock up to shows, buy our merch, donate to places that we share… sit with Blakfellas, talk to us.” She urges, and that support extends into action. “Come to protests- when we’re doing protests for Black Lives Matter, protesting for our brothers and sisters who have died in custody, come to those marches…don’t celebrate Australia Day- just don’t do it. come to NAIDOC, enjoy Blak Christmas with us. just come to Blak events, you’re all invited and you’re all so welcome.”
As our chat wraps up, it’s hard not to feel energised by her presence. Loud, loving, principled and deeply generous, BARKAA is exactly where she’s meant to be. Her St Kilda Festival performance will signify a celebration of culture, community and resistance, and who better to deliver this than one of the most vital voices in Australian music right now?
St Kilda Festival returns to the St Kilda foreshore and surrounds from February 14-15 this year. Find out more information here.
This article was made in partnership with St Kilda Festival.
