Announcing Sachém, the 2025/26 First Nations Artist Residency program leader

Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF), together with the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) and Songlines Aboriginal Music Corporation, is excited to announce that Sachém has been selected as the 2025/26 First Nations Artist Residency program leader.

Sachém is a recording artist, storyteller, and cultural documentarian who blends lyricism, spoken word and hip-hop to craft narratives that honour his heritage and lived experiences. Raised between Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and Adelaide, he is connected to his Noonuccal roots while also drawing from his lineage in the Black American diaspora to create music that is both grounded and global.

Winner of the 2017 Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry Prize, 2023 triple j Unearthed Artist of the Month and a 2024 Queensland Music Award nominee, Sachém’s music reflects his dual heritage, exploring themes of identity, legacy, and resilience to contribute to the global hip-hop landscape.

Sachém has collaborated with artists such as Kobie Dee, LaRussell, WYES, Tasman Keith, Last Dinosaur’s Lachlan Caskey and Tom Thum, and has performed at BIGSOUND, QPAC, and Jungle Love Festival. His debut album easier said than done is releasing October 2025.

Delivered in partnership between MIJF, the AAO and Songlines, the First Nations Artist Residency program was launched in 2021 to support the career development of a First Nations musician. As part of his residency, Sachém will be supported by MIJF, AAO and Songlines, to develop an ambitious new work, to be premiered at the 2026 Melbourne International Jazz Festival.

Sachém says of the program: “It’s an honour to be the recipient of this artist residency. The intersections between jazz and hip hop are often overlooked, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent the hip hop world at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, while paying respect to the genre’s deep roots in jazz and blues”.

Read more about the program here.

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