FEATURE:
Spotlight
PHOTO CREDIT: Joel Thomas Wilson
sharing the work and brilliance of Miss Kaninna. Her mixtape, BLACKPRINT, was released last month. I am keen to spotlight her, as this is an artist that you should know about. At the moment, she is busy touring and is doing dates in her native Australia. I want to start out with an interview from CLASH. I am curious whether Miss Kaninna is coming to the U.K. to play soon enough, as people would love to see her:
“Back in 2021, you might have struggled to recognise Miss Kaninna. “I wore a hazmat suit, and I was fucking injecting people with shit,” she tells CLASH. What could be a scene from The Substance was, in fact, the rapper’s daily routine, working as a mental health nursing student during the pandemic.
As is the power of her ever-articulate tracks, a couple of underground gigs quickly spun into three ARIA nominations, an award for best Hip-Hop EP at the 2025 Australian Independent Music Awards for her debut, ‘Kaninna’, and a 2025 support tour with Kneecap. “I feel confident in things that I can do well, and I know that I’m good at,” she tells CLASH.
In BLACKPRINT you write: “My pen be a gun.” How did you know that being an artist was the way you wanted to share your story?
My whole family are performers and singers, and also very political. So, it wasn’t actually like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be a singer, I’m gonna be political.’ I never thought that politics was going to be a part of my music in such a big way. As a kid, I just wanted to be like Britney Spears, like Beyoncé and the Pussy Cat Dolls, and they’re not political at all.
I remember performing music as a kid – I liked musical theatre – and I was always put at the back. It was constantly like, while I know I’m good at this, because you’re black, because you’re Aboriginal, you have to be at the back, not sing anything too political. And then it’s like, well fuck you, I want to be the one in the front, the one that gets attention.
What was that experience like, the first time you got to be centre stage?
I was working in hospitality at the time, at a couple different bars, and a guy who ran one of the bars had his own band, and because it was lockdown, there were no gigs. A couple of underground gigs started to pop up, and he put on a show and was like, ‘Why don’t you come and open with me?’ I was like, ‘Well, I only have one song that I’ve written,’ and he said, ‘Well, we’ll just do all covers then.’
I did Naughty Girl by Beyoncé, Tyrone by Erykah Badu and some Sneaky Sound System. It was so random, but it was sick. There were no other girls doing music like that in Tasi, and no one was rapping either. So it was a pretty infectious feeling.
How does it feel to constantly describe your experience to all the people asking you to share your story?
It’s like trying to describe a dog to someone who’s never seen one. Unless you have been in Australia, lived there and know Aboriginal people, you really can’t fathom the history and the experience. Then I have to come over here and promote my music, which seems so irrelevant. I feel like I have an opportunity to speak about things that are not music-related, and gain allies in the white and black communities here so that they listen not only to my music, but to other Aboriginal creatives and politicians. Having my human rights is the goal, and music is the vessel.
Tell us about the upcoming Australia tour, and what’s next after that.
I’m really excited – it feels like my first time again. I haven’t had a chance to perform these songs in front of these people before, and a lot of them have been watching me since Black Britney. A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, your music is so different?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah!’ I’m just trying to figure it out. I’m writing an album at the moment, and I’m developing my sound a lot more.
On tour, I’ve got some incredible opening acts. I like to dictate my show a lot, so it’s really annoying when you go to a festival and you’re not allowed to have the visuals up. I like to create a show where I get to create the story and a space where people can come and feel safe and be part of music, of something, that doesn’t feel too judgemental”.
I want to move to Rolling Stone Australia. They caught her in the middle of her European tour recently. The Tasmania-born six-time ARIA nominee was in conversation about her tour and exciting mixtape. To her, changing the world is the goal. Music is the vessel in which she can do that. You just know that she is going to be making music for years to come. “As her profile within the Australian industry has risen, so too has the responsibility she feels to remain authentic, unapologetic, and real when it comes to how she steps in a room, shows up for her people and for those who may feel like their voices can’t be heard”. If you have not connected with Miss Kannina, then go and follow her on social media:
“The BLACKPRINT mixtape is a lesson in overcoming, achieving and embracing one’s own power. It’s also a lesson in letting the joy in; the Kaninna we hear on this project is a woman empowered, yes, but also a woman who is comfortable in balancing softness with the raw intensity audiences love about her.
As she simply puts, it’s a discovery in free will. “A lot of artists and people in the industry have a mindset of: how do we hop on a trend? How do we make this big? I think that the biggest songs in the world, the most important ones, were never made to do that,” she says. “They were made to get an emotion down on paper and record that, so that people could feel it too and be seen. Or they were songs that could speak on an issue that needed to be spoken on.”
“Someone gave me some really good advice just after ‘Blak Britney’ came out,” she remembers. “I was thinking that I needed to release another ‘Blak Britney’. I had caught the wave and I was focused on how to keep going, that if I didn’t go viral again it was all going to fall apart. I spoke to this big artist and she was like, ‘As long as you’re having fun when you’re releasing new music and you can stand back, look at it and be proud of what you’ve done… You know you’re creating art.’” That was just so fucking true.
“Even if you don’t like the song, it’s about having a relationship with that song, knowing that it’s not only doing something for you but also for other people.
“‘Dawg in Me’, for instance. I love that song but it’s not my favourite anymore and I don’t really like doing it, just because I’ve done it for so long. I took it out of the set and every show I’ve done in Europe, people are screaming an encore for ‘Dawg in Me’. It’s done so much for other people. I think that’s something I’m coming to terms with a lot more. As an artist, I’m around that music a lot and I listen to the music a lot, but it might be someone’s first time hearing it.”
Looking ahead to what this BLACKPRINT era can potentially grow into, the wheels are already turning for Kaninna.
Exposure to more audiences internationally is feeding into how she is approaching her live shows at home. The validation received on the other side of the world has only added fuel to the fire that has been burning bright since her powerful breakthrough year.
Continuing to grow as an artist and performer go hand in hand, and with the opportunity to grow BLACKPRINT throughout the rest of this year, she’s ready to push herself further than before.
“What I am excited about is being able to create a show that is high production, high quality, with really talented musicians,” she enthuses. “Doing it in front of 1,500 people, 800 people, 500 people, whatever. It’s a show where people can come and feel like they are part of something”.
I am going to finish with BRICKS and their recent interview with Miss Kaninna. Even if I am new to her music, this is someone who I am going to follow closely. For BRICKS, “The First Nations rapper talks honouring Aboriginal history, touring with Kneecap, and making music that demands to be heard live”:
“The mixtape’s title is more than just a play on words; it’s also an homage to the Black artists who have revolutionised rap, and paved the way for a new generation of artists to rise with them. “I’ve always been a big Nicky fan, and she has The Pinkprint,” she shares, also citing Jay-Z’s The Blueprint. “I don’t really fuck with Jay-Z like that, but you can’t deny his impact on hip hop.”
Taking her own unique spin on the metaphor, the title was imbued with personal meaning as the artist reflected on the vastly misunderstood and downright incorrect histories Aboriginal communities are expected to accept. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the connections between reality and lies,” she shares. “Lies about Aboriginal people’s right to this land and how long we’ve been here – and what has been taken from us is our humanity.”
For Miss Kaninna, her artistry is inspired by an inherent longing to correct the misinformation she repeatedly hears. “I really do believe that Aboriginal people have been here since the beginning of time. We are the oldest living culture in the whole world. We still practice what we practised 100,000 years ago, and before then, it’s probably lost,” she explains. “The BLACKPRINT is really reminding people that this is stolen land, and it is an illegal occupation.” She draws comparisons to other illegal occupations, such as the Palestinian genocide by Israel. “It’s become quite evident between colonised peoples that we have to find solidarity in one another, so the ‘blackprint’ is trying to pay homage to my family – my family has always known this land, and I’ve never left.”
While working on the mixtape, Miss Kaninna was far from the studio – supporting on the European leg of Kneecap’s Fenian Tour. The experience helped shape the project, doubling down on her vision for a fully-rapped record. “Going on tour with those boys was such a good full-send into rap,” she explains. “Coming off the back of a rap tour, I felt so focused on writing lyrics and what I was trying to say. Getting to play my songs live – I played ‘MOB TIES’ and ‘STOLEN WAGES’, which are two songs about my community – overseas was a trip, because I didn’t think anyone could relate to what I was saying.”
To build the visual language of BLACKPRINT, Miss Kaninna worked with Adriane Neshoda. “I talked to her about colour schemes early on, and just how important colours are,” she shares. Central to the project was the original Aboriginal flag, designed by Luritja artist Harold Thomas in 1970, along with an alternative design that features a golden spear and its ties to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, the longest continuous protest for Indigenous land rights in the world. “If people want to really learn about Aboriginal history, they need to look into the Tent Embassy,” she asserts.
Both flags prominently feature the colour yellow, leading to the golden yellow wig Miss Kaninna adorns on the mixtape cover. “Half of my face is covered because I wanted to represent any of us, all of us, from this country,” she explains. “Any Aboriginal person is the blackprint. Any black fella, any person with Aboriginal blood in their veins, is the blackprint. It’s not just me I’m representing anymore”.
The final thing I am dropping in is from Beat. They shared their thoughts on a furious and funny mixtape. BLACKPRINT is one of the most immediate and memorable releases of this year. I do wonder how much support she has in the U.K. I feel that her music should be played on our stations. There will definitely be demand for her to come and play for us:
“A proud Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali sovereign woman, Miss Kaninna relishes in calling out “Aussie-Aussie-Aussie/ Oi-Oi-Oi” chanters (mad props) and gets dirty/freaky in a casually graphic way (eg. “Do the splits lickin’ back on a dick” – the Parental Advisory Explicit Content sticker is valid). “I ain’t afraid to take it there” is an understatement. Sorry not sorry, prudes, Miss Kaninna’s not for you.
She’s hilarious, too: “Mug too fug, I had to go celibate.”
BLACKPRINT mixtape is great party music, but it’s born from resistance. She’s all about educating people the world over on the true history of “so-called Australia”, with a focus on Indigenous land rights, preserving the oldest living culture on Earth and fostering Black power. Every single word on here is worth memorising.
With its hi-hat-heavy beat, CHAT MY SHIT references old-school hip hop. This intro cut runs for one minute only, but cuts to the chase: “I’m Indigenous so you know you gon’ be feelin’ this and if you don’t then you’re prob’ly white supremacist… I got land back on my mind and I’m looking for a fight.”
The title track opens with a tweaky drone, before thwacking drums bring it home; the big-beat mayhem of Smack My Bitch Up by The Prodigy is referenced on this one. Listen out for the sound of silence, used to spectacular effect in the track’s final quarter.
Slinky bass glides through the creepy-hot LOOK AT ME NOW (feat. Kobie Dee). Sax is used sparingly, hitting like sprinklings of gold dust.
Bass notes played on piano, blazing electric guitar licks, clanking sounds that bring RATM to mind – her nuanced beats are delightfully unpredictable with a live-sounding edge.
“FUCK YOU, BITCH!” – HANDOUT, which features Waanyi/Gangaliida MC Jamahl Yami, opens with a bang. Miss Kaninna’s scattergun rapping astounds while she dismantles white Australia’s systemic racism. Inspired percussion drops later in the arrangement and the dancefloor beckons.
When her delivery hits boiling point, we hear Kelis’s Caught Out There choruses (the fuming “I hate you so much right now!” parts) as an influence.
“You hide behind your screen but ima meet you at your front door, BITCH!” – the hectic STOLEN WAGES veers into punk-rock territory while exposing cyclic dispossession.
A self-described “Black pop baddie”, Miss Kaninna is ultimately a truthteller. She’s furious about injustice, but also chic and unmesswithable.
Miss Kaninna’s braggadocio is warranted (“Deadly bitch ’til the day I die”). Bring on the debut album!”.
I am going to finish things here. The sensational Miss Kaninna is an artist that you definitely need to know. She is simply incredible. Go and check out BLACKPRINT. It is a mesmerising project. There is going to be that excitement around a debut album. This Australian-born queen is…
A major talent.
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