Rising out of the underground to emerge as one of Australia’s most electrifying artists, singer/rapper Tkay Maidza brings her rapid-fire flow, frenetic beats, and fiercely inventive lyrics to The Tanks Arts Centre on Friday 10th November.
Touring off the back of her unstoppable debut album ‘TKAY’, the 21 year old Zimbabwe born artist will be performing in Cairns for the first time this Friday evening.
“I’ve never been to Cairns and I’ve heard that the shows at The Tanks are really special, so I’m really excited for it.” said Tkay Maidza.
Having been born in Zimbabwe and then moving to Australia with her family at the age of 6, music was always a big part of Tkay’s upbringing.
“I grew up in music; my Dad plays a lot of instruments and my family had a lot of friends who were touring artists in Africa. But I guess, back then when I was younger I didn’t really appreciate it, as every weekend was like ‘we have to go to the show again’. Where when you’re a kid you sort of feel like you’re being dragged along and want to do your own thing.”
“I didn’t really get into Hip Hop till I was around 16; I started discovering people like Kendrick Lamar and Nicky Minaj which is what a lot of my friends were listening to at the time. I wasn’t really aware of Triple J until I started releasing my own music.”
Rounding out a massive year for the exciting performer, Tkay recently returned from Jamaica where she filmed an advertisement with the fastest man in history Usain Bolt for Champaign G.H.MUMM.
“They were looking for a song to be on the advert and I think they really connected with my track ‘Tennies’. They asked me if I wanted to be in the clip and I jumped at it. It was a 4 day trip to Jamaica to film the commercial, I got to meet Usain Bolt and spoke to him a few times; it was a really great experience.”
With her debut album ‘TKAY’ still receiving plenty of love across the country, the young performer was also recently nominated for two awards (Best Breakthrough Artist and Best Urban Release)at the upcoming ARIA Awards.
“I watched the ARIA’s all the time when I was younger so it’s really nice to be nominated. My Mum sent me this long message about how proud she was, so I then realised how important it was. It’s like a milestone or a check point, and I guess in a way a source of validation that you always dream to have. It makes me feel like I’m a real musician, which is cool.”
Tkay Maidza performs at The Tanks Arts Centre on Friday 10th November. Doors Open 6.30pm. Show Starts 7.30pm. Support by Jordan De La Cruz. Tickets from Ticketlink.
Mitch Sullivan
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