Chloe Quayle (born 1995), known by her stage name Barkaa (stylised in all caps) is an Aboriginal Australian rapper and musician.
In September 2020, GQ Magazine dubbed her "the new matriarch of Australian rap".[1] and in 2020, Triple J listed her as one of the top 5 female rappers in Australia.[2]
Barkaa was born as Chloe Quayle in 1995. Her mother was one of the Stolen Generations, and she had an uncle who died in police custody.[3] She lived in the Great western Sydney suburb of Merrylands as a child. She was known for performing rap at high school, and entered rap competitions in Blacktown.[4] She is a Malyangapa and Barkindji woman.[5]
Barkaa takes her name from the Barkindji word for the Darling River,[3] and says that she feels very honoured to have been given permission to use this name to represent her people.[6] Her music reflects her experiences with incarceration, child removal and addiction, with much of it overtly political; she has drawn from the words of Shareena Clanton and Rosalie Kunoth-Monks in her songs.
She first performed in front of an audience in 2019, at a Klub Koori event.[3]
She released her debut single, "For My Tittas", in March 2020.[7] Her song "Our Lives Matter", released in June 2020,[8] became the unofficial anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement in Australia.[3] She has collaborated with DOBBY ("I Can't Breathe") and Electric Fields, and has performed at the Sydney Opera House,[6] Enmore Theatre in Sydney and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.[9]
As of November 2021, Barkaa is signed to Bad Apples Music, founded by Briggs.[3]
Her debut album was Blak Matriarchy, so named "in honour of powerful First Nations women who've paved the way for future generations", including her mother.[10] The song "King Brown", which she says is about a "shitty ex" is on the album.[3] The album was produced by jayteehazard.[11] The Blak Matriarchy EP begins with a sample of actress Shareena Clanton.
Barkaa performed at the Paartjima festival on the 2022 Easter weekend in Alice Springs.[6]
IN August 2024, Barkaa announced the forthcoming release of her second EP Big Tidda which she described as "a celebration of Blak joy, the importance of Blak love and just feeling yourself."[12]
Barkaa grew up with a single mother. She was addicted to methamphetamine as a teenager, and spent three periods in juvenile detention, where she gave birth to her third child, a son, . She has been sober since, and has her children back. Her daughter Alinta often performs with her.[3]
| Title | EP details | Peak chart | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| Blak Matriarchy |
| — | |
| Big Tidda |
|
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "For My Tittas" | 2020 | rowspan="5" |
| "Our Lives Matter" | ||
| "I Can't Breathe" | ||
| "22Clan" | ||
| "Groovy"[14] | ||
| "King Brown"[15] | 2021 | Blak Matriarchy |
| "Blak Matriarchy" | ||
| "Fight for Me"[16] | 2022 | |
| "Ball On 'em"[17] | rowspan="2" | |
| "Division"[18] | 2023 | |
| "We Up"[19] | 2024 | Big Tidda |
| "Preach"[20] | ||
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987. ! |-| rowspan="2"| 2022| Blak Matriarchy| Best Hip Hop / Rap Release| | rowspan="2"| [21] |-| "Blak Matriarchy" (Barkaa, Selina Miles)| Best Video| |-
The National Indigenous Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises the achievements of Indigenous Australians in music.
! |-! scope="row" rowspan="4"| 2022| Barkaa| New Talent of the Year| | rowspan="4"| [22] [23] |-| "King Brown"| Song of the Year| |-| "King Brown"| Film Clip of the Year| |-| "Blak Matriarchy"| Film Clip of the Year| |-! scope="row" rowspan="3"| 2024| Barkaa| Artist of the Year| | rowspan="3"| [24] [25] |-| "We Up"| Film Clip of the Year| |-| "We Up"| Song of the Year| |-|}
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.
! |-| rowspan="1" | 2023| Barkaa| Best Hip Hop Act| | rowspan="1" | [26] [27]