In Melbourne whilst hosting an all-female hip hop event, multidisciplinary artist Grace Chia stops by Brunswick to share some of her stories on the podcast.

Grace is very talented and successful in various artistic endeavours, so in our conversation we focus mostly on her journey with music making. We discuss her move to Tasmania where she established herself as a spoken word artist to where she has gained widespread attention for her performances as rapper and singer in the hip-hop scene.

We cover a lot of ground, as Grace shares inspiring and vulnerable experiences as a young female performer in male dominated spaces, and her success in creating safe events and supporting female and other identifying artists in the current hip hop scene in Tasmania and across Australia. Grace is also one of the first touring guests I’ve had on the podcast which is special as it’s expanding the show but also maintaining the very special in-person conversations here in Melbourne with musicians.

Grace is a self-made multidisciplinary artist who’s been making waves across the Tasmanian music scene, regularly releasing music and video content, including more than a single each month this year! With roots in spoken word poetry, Grace infuses her lyricism with deep thought, blending R&B melodies and old-school boom-bap beats to create raw, soulful performances. She uses the stage as a platform to address political and social issues often overlooked in mainstream hip-hop, empowering those who feel alone and voiceless.

Regularly performing at local hip-hop, queer-allied, and female-led gigs around Hobart, including MONA, Grace recently headlined MONA FOMA and has shared the stage with artists like Drapht, Allday, and international poets such as Alok Vaid-Menon. In collaboration with the all-female and non-binary band, FFLORA, Grace has taken her performances to new heights, reimagining her tracks for live band settings.

On top of her music career, Grace organises and promotes local hip-hop gigs, open mic nights, and facilitates tour stops for interstate artists in Tasmania. She’s just wrapped up an intense two-month run of 15 shows and is joining us today while in Melbourne for a special Australian hip-hop event she’s organised.

The conversation is now available on all streaming platforms, YouTube and our website.

For more info and links to music, visit:

aredrummersmusicians.com/conversations/gracechia