We're excited to present Melbourne-based APRA award-winning, rapper and poet of Maori & Samoan background Damon Paraha aka Nomad as part of the Resonate - Bowery Online Stage Series. Enjoy the best local hip hop, with Nomad delivering a slay of new age beats and rhymes. We caught up with Nomad to chat about music, collabs and more!
Describe your music in one sentence:
For the most part, I believe my music is sonically versatile, but relatable in subject matter.
What role does your cultural background play in your craft?
Music has always kept me connected to my roots and I do my best to capture that within my lyrics. I've also found that finding a balance between exploring my Maori/Samoan cultures and experimenting with new school sounds has made my experiences more relatable for a larger audience.
If you could collaborate with another artist / singer / producer, who would it be and why?
There are so many artists I'd love to collaborate with, including my all-time favourite rapper, J. Cole. However, my number one, must have, collab would be with the one and only, Sire. And I hope that happens soon!
Five artists you’re listening to right now:
Jordan Dennis, Clariyah Bo$$, Kyso, Antoine & Olivia Escuyos. All Aus-Based artists. All making some of the best music I've heard this year.
What’s on the cards for Nomad and TMRC in 2021?
Basically (and let's be honest, hopefully), our entire plan for 2020! We didn't get to do a lot of what we wanted to do this year since COVID-19 pretty much wiped our slate clean, so we're looking to bounce back with even MORE music, MORE shows and maybe even some apparel! I've personally been working on my debut album, "The Nomadic", featuring artists such as ThatKidMaz, Yung Shogun and Jordan Astra, as well as production from IconicBeats, ASTRO and DJ Spell.
Resonate - Bowery Online Stage Series feat. Nomad performance video premieres on Sunday 13 December, 3pm on Creative Brimbank's Facebook Page or YouTube Channel.