“When I get on stage, something happens – I go to a different place,’’ Chia explains.

“I’m pretty quiet and introverted in my normal life, and I’m very extroverted on stage. And they both feel like authentic parts of me. It just naturally comes out on stage, a part of me I only feel like I share in those spaces … so, it’s a really special space … it’s such a release … it feels very out-of-body sometimes.

“There are times where maybe I’ve had a bad week and I get on stage and talk about what’s going on in my head and connect with people in a really honest way and it just feels like the biggest relief.’’

The emerging poet and rapper – known for her unique sound, social commentary and hard-hitting lyrics – has attracted plenty of attention in the past year. She was nominated for a string of local and national awards, including Best Live Act in Tasmania in the National Live Music Awards for 2023, and as a finalist in the 2023 Tasmanian Young Achiever Awards, in which the soulful and heartfelt performer was voted as the People’s Choice winner.

Chia was also named in The Push’s 25 Under 25 emerging artists of 2023 list, which celebrates the best and brightest new faces of Australian music. She also released her debut album – Mars Apollo – in August and has played a raft of solo and collaborative gigs.

Chia is now gearing up to perform as part of Mona Foma – the Museum of Old and New Art’s Festival of Music and Art – which will run over the next three weekends, from February 15 to 25 in Hobart and March 2 in Launceston.

She will be in good company, with headline acts including American rockers Queens of the Stone Age, Scottish post-rock ensemble Mogwai, Aussie alternate rockers TISM, Japanese pop-punk band Shonen Knife, and Tasmanian turned international superstar Courtney Barnett.

Chia performed at the Mona Foma launch in November – a “vibrant, crazy, wonderful day” – in which she performed on the Mona ferry in the morning and then performed on the pontoon at Mona in the afternoon as her audience watched on from the Mona ferry – a few metres away – where a launch party was being held.

Being involved in such a high-profile Tassie music and arts festival feels fitting for Chia, who grew up in Melbourne but says her life didn’t truly begin until she moved to Tasmania nine years ago.

In fact, Chia credits music – and her family’s move to Tasmania just before she turned 16 – for saving her life.

“Art has saved my life over and over again and I have no doubt it will continue to,’’ she says.

“Moving to Tasmania was a big change, I was really depressed when I lived in Melbourne, I was really fighting with my mental health, I was really struggling with bullying. And when I think about it, my life restarted when I moved here, I was able to re-find myself and collect myself and build from there.’’

Chia pauses thoughtfully as she chooses the words to best describe the toughest period of her life.

“It was a really dark time,’’ she says of her mental health throughout her teens.

“I was in and out of hospital from ages 16 to 20, for mental health stays. I had a really good support system with my family, but I really struggled making friends, and opening up to friends about my struggles.’’

But she says despite the struggles, art was always with her.

“I have battled some really intense anxiety and treatment-resistant depression,’’ Chia says. And I think those times really did show me that art is such an important way to express myself and survive. Even in the darkest times when I couldn’t leave my bed I’d be drawing or writing songs or making origami. Art has always been there for me.’’

Chia’s mum hails from Turners Beach, in Tasmania’s north, and the family moved here to be closer to extended family. Chia says although she was struggling with her mental health when she arrived here, she quickly established some creative outlets which ultimately saved her.

When she was just 16, the entrepreneurial teen started her own photography business, which has since become known as CHIA Studios, a digital, media and performing arts production house.

She initially photographed festivals and events, but Chia now mostly works with emerging local artists and musicians to produce industry-standard content. As well as photography and videography, Chia – a talented artist – produces graphic design content, including album artworks, gig posters and other promotional content.

“I always loved photography,’’ Chia says.

“I would take a lot of self-portraits, and take photos at people’s parties. When I was in Grade 9, I did work experience with a couple of different photographers in Melbourne, and I started working as a retoucher when I was 15.’’

So, starting her own business once she arrived in Tasmania seemed like the next logical step. It was while establishing this business that Chia discovered the world of hip hop and spoken word performance.

Chia grew up around music – she had always sung at school and her dad is a pianist and composer – but moving to Tasmania saw her musical interests blossom.

“When I moved to Tasmania in 2015 I was quite shy about music,’’ Chia recalls. “I played piano, but just at home.’’

But then she decided to step out of her comfort zone and started performing as part of the line-up at monthly Music Madness gigs in Launceston.

She was initially singing acoustic and pop songs, but most of the other performers were hip hop artists, which Chia found captivating.

“I started writing songs, which were a blend of spoken word, hip hop and R&B and I really found a love for it,’’ Chia says.

“One of the great things when you attend these gigs, is you see all these people who are really introverted, who are often quite guarded. And then they get on stage and talk about their most vulnerable things, and there’s something really special about that, something really pulled me in.

“I’d always loved linguistics, and writing stories, and writing poetry.’’

So, she says, spoken word poetry was enticing. And she started attending monthly Slamduggery poetry slam events in Launceston.

“It really shaped me into writing about – and processing – my life, and what was going on in my life,’’ she says.

As her confidence grew, more gigs followed, including Party In The Paddock, Junction Arts Festival and the Homebrew stage at Falls Festival. She has supported national and international hip hop and electronic music acts including Drapht, Manaz III, Allday, Grouch in Dub and Dub Princess.

Chia moved to Hobart in 2020 to further her musical pursuits.

Through her business she organises and promotes regular hip hop gigs in Hobart.

“When I started doing hip hop I was usually the only woman performing,’’ Chia says. “It was a very misogynistic vibe. You really felt it – sometimes I’d get harassed.

“So, a big focus of mine is to create safe spaces for women in hip hop. It’s really healing for me. A lot of music and things I do, I do to be the person I needed when I was younger, and that guides me in a lot of the work that I do. It’s very healing and motivating.’’

Chia, who is Chinese-Australian, also champions cultural diversity.

She performs with her heart worn proudly on her sleeve and uses her music to speak on racism, womanhood and the power in embracing flaws and differences.

“I know when I was younger, I would have loved to see a singer or someone who looked like me, who was mixed race, doing all these things and being in all these spaces,’’ she says.

Her dad was born in China and came to Australia with his family as a seven-year-old.

“He didn’t speak much English but he learnt very quickly,’’ Chia says proudly.“He is a brilliant multidisciplinary creative who works in many fields, like me.’’

Chia also has a younger sister – 21-year-old Ella Chia – a musician and artist who performs under the stage name Ezmarella. The sisters collaborated for a track on Chia’s debut album.

Chia admits that while her varied workload – as a performer, photographer, graphic artist, small business owner, event planner and mentor – can be hectic, she loves having so many creative outlets.

“My mind doesn’t sit still,’’ she says.

“I think that’s why I work in so many mediums, I love them all but I couldn’t pick just one. I always have an itch to learn something new, to try something different.

“I think when I look at the world there’s so much that I want to capture and express, so working in different mediums allows me to do that. Doing all of them feels like I’m doing the most I can to better the world and better myself.

“Whilst you will always have to do things in life you don’t want to do, my work is not one of them.’’

And it’s a formula that seems to be working.

“This is the longest time I’ve been out of a hospital stay,’’ Chia says. “And I definitely attribute it to being in a really supportive friendship group, being a lot healthier physically and I think, as well, just working on my music and art and having such a good outlet to process those things. Instead of sitting with the pain and letting it wash over me, I acknowledge it, I’m writing about it and I’m not making myself feel terrible about it.’’

And she says sharing her story has also helped with healing and has made her feel less alone. “Making my music has connected me to so many other people who have felt a similar way,’’ Chia explains.

“It has given me purpose to talk about these things. Often when you’re feeling these things, you feel really alone, but if I can help someone feel less alone or understood or heard then I feel like I’m doing what I need to do in this world.

“I think having a little sister has always motivated me to be transparent about my struggles. Life isn’t always easy or happy at times, but everything you feel is valid.’’

Chia is currently preparing for Mona Foma, where she’ll play two gigs. The first is part of Faux Mo Friday on February 23 at the Granada Tavern (across the road from Mona) which will be converted into a hub of late-night fun.

The second is a collaboration with eight-piece improvisation group FFLORA at Launceston’s Cataract Gorge on Saturday March 2. Both performances with have an Auslan interpreter.

“I am really excited to play with FFLORA, it has been a really amazing opportunity to work with such warm, welcoming, talented people,’’ Chia says.

“It’s so great working with other women and non-binary folk, as I’m usually the only girl in the room when I work in hip hop spaces.’’

Chia says her younger self would never have believed she’d be having this kind of musical success.

“When I was really depressed when I was younger, I could have never imagined any of this would happen,’’ Chia says.

“I think I always had dreams to take art somewhere, and to help other people. But I think that just says, ‘You never know what’s around the corner.’ So for people struggling with mental health or who are in a dark place in life – I’d say, ‘Keep doing what you love and lean on people you love.’

“So much has changed in my life in a short amount of time – I think back to a time when I couldn’t get out of bed or talk to people, and how drastically that’s changed for the better. So, if I can say one thing it would be to keep pursuing what you love and believe in yourself, everything passes, even if it feels like it will never end.’’

Not one to rest on her successes, Chia has a long list of things she’d still like to achieve.

She’s determined to work hard and keep improving her music, and has “a lot of unreleased music I’m really excited to put out in the world this year’’.

She’s keen to collaborate more – both in Australia and overseas – and would love to travel more with music and go on tour.

She’d also love to showcase her artwork in a solo exhibition, and she’s excited to be running workshops for young people focused around hip hop and mental health.

“And I guess just feel the span of my wings, and see how far I can take things,’’ Chia adds.

“My goal is to have goals in the next few years that I can’t even imagine now.’’

Grace Chia will perform two gigs as part of Mona Foma, which runs events in Hobart and Launceston between February 15 and March 2. For details visit monafoma.net.au For more information about Grace Chia, or to hear music from her debut album, visit gracechia.com or follow g_chichia on Instagram.

If this story raises concerns for you, call Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 224 636).