Emma Donovan - Songs, Stories and Soul from Family and Country

This concert showcases the talent and the new work of celebrated, ARIA-nominated, award-winning Indigenous singer and songwriter Emma Donovan. 

Friday 2 August | 7.30pm | GPAC Little Theatre

The concert with Emma and her accompaniment will include songs off her highly anticipated new album ‘Til My Song is Done'.  

This will be an opportunity for the winner of the Australia Council for the Arts 2022 First Nations Arts and Culture Fellowship to share her new music with regional and remote audiences. The project will reconnect Emma with existing fans & help her build new audiences in locations where professional music of this standard is rarely performed. She will also share stories, providing her audiences with an understanding of Country & community.  

Joining Emma (vocals/ukulele) will be Steve Magnusson (guitar) & Samuel Anning (double bass).  

“I am very proud to introduce new words and share languages with audiences and fans. It’s so important to preserve this part of our history, family and country. For me to write my solo album, I needed to go back into my own family musical archives to rediscover the country music I was raised on and that I performed. My solo work will be richly influenced by my family and memories of touring with The Donovans performing country and gospel music. My family’s musical history is known but not yet world renowned. This project will shine a light on Indigenous music culture, sharing stories and preserving language in song. I want to share my story with Australia and the world, and I want audiences to hear my songs and languages to enhance their knowledge of our expansive history of this country". Emma Donovan 

Since then, Emma has toured & recorded with the best in the Australian music scene including Paul Kelly, The Teskey Brothers, Paul Grabowsky, Spinifex Gum and the late Uncle Archie Roach and Aunty Ruby Hunter. 

Emma is also well known for her work with the highly regarded Melbourne rhythm combo The Putbacks & the extraordinary Black Arm Band project. Her collaboration with The Putbacks has won multiple awards including best Soul/RnB album 2021 (Crossover) and 2022 (Under These Streets) at the AIR Awards and Best Soul, Funk R&B or Gospel Act, Best Group and Best Album for ‘Crossover’ at the 2021 Music Victoria Awards. 

This exciting new album 'Til My Song is Done'  follows Emma’s recent, hugely successful national tour with legendary US country star Charley Crockett, where they kicked off in Tamworth and traversing the nation with performances in Queensland, Canberra, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

“Emma’s voice is everything you’d want in a soul singer. She’s the real deal.” – Wax Poetics 

"Donovan can front a well-oiled soul band in her sleep” – Rolling Stone