Well-known for her breathtaking, soulful voice and storytelling through music, Mi‑kaisha currently balances her time between Warang (Sydney) and Lenapehoking (New York City) and we are incredibly excited she is able to join our community celebration.
Based in Brooklyn, Mi‑kaisha – the first Indigenous Australian to be accepted into an undergraduate degree at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University – has now completed her degree and is working as a full-time artist, releasing music and playing shows in the city. She is also writing for other artists. Her recent singles include Seen and, more recently, Eternity – an anthem celebrating culture and the unbreakable bonds of community.
An IGS Indigenous Scholar, Mi‑kaisha is fondly remembered as 2018 IGS Head Girl, and for using music to engage, inform and incite debate about issues affecting Indigenous people. Mi‑kaisha has gone on to further study and stunning career highlights.
Mi‑kaisha will perform Eternity at Vive la Révolution! in June.
Purchase tickets HERE
“Mi-kaisha’s voice is just like silk,” says Triple J’s Tyrone Pynor. With her honey vocals at centre stage, the NYC-via-Sydney vocalist draws equally from soul tradition and pop melody, guided by hard-hitting lyrics about her experience as a young Aboriginal and Pacific Islander woman. Growing up on the streets of her local music scene, the soundtrack of her childhood included soulful 90s tunes and the island music of her father’s Koori Radio hip-hop show Island Hopping.
Expression and Empowerment
Mi‑kaisha is a proud Darumbal Murri and Tongan woman who is part of the inner city Aboriginal community of Sydney and the central Queensland Aboriginal community. In 2019 she was recognised as the NAIDOC Youth of the Year, and she continues to be a champion of the rights and voices of Indigenous communities. Mi‑kaisha is a social entrepreneur and political activist who has a national reach and is regularly featured on SBS, ABC and NITV. She frequently speaks about contemporary issues which impact young Aboriginal people.
Her advocacy extends to empowering young Indigenous voices in decision-making processes and fostering creativity as a means of expression and empowerment. She is a founding member of the Steering Committee for Kimberwalli at the Western Sydney Indigenous Centre of Excellence, where she advocates for creative avenues for young Aboriginal people to share their stories and be heard.
Mi‑kaisha embodies the ethos of our School community. We are so proud of her!
Mi‑kaisha to Headline Vive la Révolution!
For one spectacular performance, Vive la Révolution! will be held at the ICC Sydney Theatre in Darling Harbour on Wednesday 26 June 2024 from 5pm.
In what is sure to be a dazzling show, IGS Alums will take centre stage. Headline vocalist and 2018 Head Girl Mi‑kaisha Masella, joins us all the way from NYC! Meanwhile talented dancer and Class of 2023 graduate Jono Riesel will perform the contemporary work Freedom by Jon Baptiste.
The IGS Festival Ensembles will also bring together students, staff, alums, and parents and carers to perform musical extracts from Les Misérables and repertoire by Australian Composers.
Highlights will include the premieres of remarkable works such as Harry Sdraulig’s moving Acknowledgement of Country, and Ella Macens’ captivating Earthbound, which portrays a deep connection to land. Guiding the ensemble is esteemed guest conductor, Mr Paul Jarman, who will introduce his composition of the new School Anthem – United Through Diversity.
More about Mi-kaisha
To find out more about Mi-kaisha, see her website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify accounts.
You can also read Mi-kaisha’s November 2023 interview with Paul Galea here.