Australian Women in Music Awards launched in Brisbane

Some of the nation’s top female musicians and performers have got behind the inaugural Australian Women in Music Awards.

Christine Anu and Katie Noonan at the launch of the inaugural Australian Women in Music Awards at the Brisbane Powerhouse yesterday. Picture: Glenn Hunt.

Some of the nation’s top female musicians and performers, including Tina Arena, Deborah Conway and Kate Ceberano, have put their significant artistic weight behind the inaugural Australian Women in Music Awards.

The awards will celebrate ­excellence in fields such as cross-cultural development, photography and education, as well as the musicians’ bread-and-butter of songwriting and performance.

Speaking at the Brisbane Powerhouse yesterday on the eve of International Women’s Day, AWMAs founding director, Vicki Gordon, directly addressed the question of why she and her colleagues had elected to establish a women-only event.

“We need it because, in the Australian music industry, women’s contribution continues to be sidelined in too many areas,” said Gordon, a music industry veteran of 30 years. “Too many festival line-ups are still dominated — sometimes entirely — by male artists.

“Too many boards still deny women their rightful place as ­decision-makers on our national music industry peak bodies.

“Too often the visionary contribution of women historically has been derogated, and still too regularly, women are overlooked at our most prestigious awards ceremonies.”

Singer, songwriter and Queensland Music Festival artistic director Katie Noonan said: “I believe these awards are a powerful signal to our industry, our artists and our audience that female artists can, should, and will take centre stage. As Queensland minister (for women) Shannon Fentiman quoted last year: ‘You cannot be who you cannot see’.”

The inaugural awards will be held at the Brisbane Powerhouse in October as part of a two-day event that will explore and promote gender and cultural equity within the music industry.

Financial and marketing support will be contributed by the Queensland government, whose roles of Premier, Deputy Premier and Arts Minister are held by women.

“When I came to Queensland to have conversations around this idea, I was fully embraced by the Queensland government,” Gordon said.

“I knew instantly that I was in the right hands.”

The empowering thrust of the initiative — which is timely in the wake of the global movement known as #MeToo — was neatly summed up by artist, broadcaster and AWMAs adviser Christine Anu.

“Frank Sinatra might have thought he did it his way,” Anu said. “But he’s got nothing on us.”