Adelaide artist Nat Luna dropped from Scouted music festival, forcing state government to step in
A wheelchair-using artist was sensationally dropped from a SA music festival due to the venue’s lack of accessibility. Now, the state government has stepped in.
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A wheelchair-using Adelaide artist who was sensationally dropped from a State Government-backed music festival after the organisers could not meet her accessibility needs has been offered a lifeline by the state government.
Pop singer and producer Nat Luna was selected to play at MusicSA’s Scouted festival – a showcase of 14 unsigned South Australian artists.
Held on August 1, the event brings together the best emerging talent to play shows at Jive, The Grace Emily and the Ed Castle in the city’s West End.
But after being unveiled as one of the artists, the singer was told by MusicSA the venues were not accessible.
The decision was then made to pull her from the bill altogether – a move which sparked outrage online.
“They say the best apology is changed behaviour, so I appreciate the plans and commitment to doing better and putting policies in place for a more inclusive industry for all,” Nat said in a post on social media.
“I look forward to working with MusicSA to ensure exclusion is prevented and that access and inclusion are never overlooked again – not just for me, but for all other artists, industry workers, and audience members. Excited for some much needed change for access in the industry.”
But just days after being removed from the line-up, the State Government has stepped in, offering the festival the use of accessible staging equipment.
“South Australia’s arts and cultural events should be inclusive and enable artists to participate equally and we were disappointed to learn that Ms Luna would not be accommodated,” SA’s Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels said.
“That’s why the State Government stepped in and found a solution that would allow Ms Luna to perform at MusicSA’s Scouted event, organising for accessible staging equipment to be made available.”
It is now up to the not-for-profit organisation, the State Government and Nat whether they go ahead with her gig.
A MusicSA statement, released before the State Government stepped in, said they would “aim” to give her “well deserved” spot on next year’s line-up.
“We sincerely regret that Nat Luna is not part of the 2025 Scouted line-up,” the statement read.
“This has been deeply felt, by Nat, by the music community and by the team at MusicSA.
“Nat is a standout artist who earned her place in Scouted. We actively worked to solve access challenges across multiple venues and could not find satisfactory outcomes. For that, we apologise.
“We don’t want to minimise this situation and we accept responsibility for not doing better. “This matter speaks to a broader issue in South Australia, where access is often limited, especially for artists and audiences with disabilities.
“This is not something MusicSA takes lightly. We take this seriously and commit to doing better.”
Nat Luna has been contacted for comment.
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