Kee’ahn is a proud Kuku Yalanji, Jirrbal, Zenadh Kes song woman who has recently ventured from her home town in North Queensland, to pursue her dream in the Kulin Nation (Melbourne, Australia).
With a name coming from the Wik people, meaning to dance, to sing, to play, Kee’ahn aims to honour her name and Ancestors through her soulful music that weaves lush melodies and words reminiscent of heartbreak and healing. Kee’ahn released her debut single ‘Better Things’ on May 28, 2020. Kee’ahn was awarded the Archie Roach Foundation Award at the 2020 National Indigenous Music Awards.
The Kilda Festival has returned. It on from 5-13 February 2022- to celebrate summer, to celebrate Australian music, but more than anything to celebrate our community. The Festival will look a little different from recent years, but it will continue a 40-year tradition as a community celebration of and for our beloved suburb and Australian live music, and we cannot wait to welcome you back.
Shifting from the one-day format of recent years, the extended nine-day program in 2022 will activate specific St Kilda precincts with an eclectic array of programming from February 5 - February 13. The same event you love, with a little more time and space to enjoy it.
With over 50 artists performing across the nine-day event-plus street performers, family entertainment, sports demonstrations, market stalls, local community group activations, and more - there's bound to be someone you love!
As a Kuku Yalanji, Jirrbal and Zenadth Kes woman growing up in a community heavily indebted to culture and dance, Kee’ahn’s creativeness strived from the beginning. She was quiet and timid but wouldn’t be afraid to jump on the closest stage, recalling her earliest musical memory as a time she sang in front of her Grandma, the first person to really understand the depths of Kee’ahn’s vocal and the talent she had. She started singing more often, doing choir practice - “I didn’t love it,” she laughs - and busking throughout her teens.
Unsure whether her musical passion was realistic as a full-time career, she eventually started university to study physiotherapy, which she eventually quit to continue playing shows at open mic nights in regional centres such as Townsville. “[Having a career in music] was something that I just always had in the back of my head,” she says. She recalls always jumping at the opportunity to perform at school, including NAIDOC Week assemblies in which Kee’ahn was always a key star. “Eventually, I figured out that studying wasn’t the best thing for me to do, and that I instead wanted to focus on working, writing music and busking.”
At one point, she decided to explore a world away from her long-time home; her and her boyfriend taking a van around Australia for a two-month-long trip that eventually, saw them end up in Melbourne. “I just wanted to stay,’ she says. “I know I didn’t want to live in Townsville forever. I love the place and the community, but I really wanted to travel and figure things out.”
ARTISTS appearing are… All The Queens Men. Approachable Members Of Your Local Community. Archie Roach. shwarya. Ausecuma Beats. Baker Boy. Benny Walker. Big Fish Little Fish. Big Rig. BIRDZ. Brotha Asanti ft Soulectric. Chasing Ghosts. Cong Josie. Daryl Braithwaite. Devy. dj pgz. Emma Donovan and The Putbacks. Franko Gonzo. FREAKCLUB. Freeds. General Feelings. George Alice. Gordi. IJALE. Izy. Jack Stirling and The Perfect. Jalmar. Jawbreakers. Jordan Dennis. June Jones. JXCKY. Kanani. Keaper. Kee'ahn. Mo'Ju. Nuestro Planeta.PET$. Pevan & Sarah. PRICIE. Romero. Rya Park. Shaad. Shannen James.S plash Test Dummies. Squid The Kid. The Bamboos. The Merindas. TSEBA. Vetta Borne. Walien