Starting next Monday and running all week in Tkaronto, North Turtle Island (Toronto, Canada) is the return of the International Indigenous Music Summit (IIMS).
The five day annual event is the largest global gathering of Indigenous artists, knowledge keepers, community builders, allies and cultural innovators.
This year, IIMS is featuring six Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander artists – the most ever! – who are making the long trip to Tkaronto for the event. Sounds Australia’s Larry Heath will also be on ground at the event.
Here’s who you’ll be able to see at the event, and when they’re performing.
BUMPY
Bumpy will perform as part of the Closing Night Party at TD Music Hall on Friday 6th June. The event runs from 7pm to 10.30pm.
With a voice that balances tenderness and power, award-winning Naarm-based artist Bumpy is a magnetic force in Australian music. Her sound is a shimmering mosaic of contemporary soul laced with folk, funk, and jazz. She captivates with her hypnotic stage presence and evocative voice turning raw emotion into something universally resonant.
Bumpy has wowed audiences at the London Jazz Festival, Headlined the Sydney Opera House, Meredith Music Festival, WOMADelaide, and more. She’s shared stages with legends like Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, Hiatus Kaiyote, and Meshell Ndegeocello. Her work has been featured in Rolling Stone, NME, and on the cover of Coles Magazine, alongside her role co-hosting the 2024 APRA Awards and broadcasting Pebbles on Triple R 102.7fm.
Bumpy has garnered several prestigious accolades, including New Talent of the Year at the 2023 National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs), the Archie Roach Foundation for Emerging Talent at the 2023 Music Victoria Awards (MVA), Best Soul/RnB/Funk & Gospel Work at the 2024 MVAs, and a nomination for Best Soul/RnB Work at the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) Awards.
Fresh off an international tour through the UK and Japan, and being the First Nations Artist in Residence for both the Melbourne International Jazz Festival and the Australian Art Orchestra, Bumpy is now crafting a new body of work set to define the next chapter of her musical journey to be released in 2025.
FLEWNT
Flwent will be performing with Inkabee on Thursday 5th June at the TD Music Hall as part of the official showcase running from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Joshua “Flewnt” Eggington is an award winning, Proud Nyoongar Wongi rapper from Boorloo (Perth). With a strong family legacy rooted in activism. Flewnt uses his raw Hip Hop flow and modern-day musings as his platform to articulate a powerful, positive, and uplifting message for his people.
Emerging in 2018 with the breakout single “Kya Kyana,” a Noongar anthem celebrating his family and heritage, FLEWNT quickly became a leading voice in Australian hip-hop. The track won West Australian Music’s Song of the Year and cemented his reputation for delivering powerful messages through music. His follow-up, “Black Boy” featuring Emily Wurramara, won NAIDOC’s Best Song & Best Hip-Hop Song in 2019, further amplifying his impact.
FLEWNT’s music serves as both a reflection of his lived experience and a call to action. Tracks like “Always Was,” featured in the Logie Award-winning documentary Incarceration Nation, and “Throw Away the Keys,” with Beni Bjah, address the systemic injustices faced by First Nations peoples. His more recent single “SouWess” pays homage to his West Australian roots, blending love for his community with pride in his culture. His songs continue to receive national airplay on platforms like triple j, Double J, and RTR FM.
Beyond music, FLEWNT is a dedicated youth mentor. He runs programs in schools, juvenile detention centers like Banksia Hill, and adult facilities such as Casuarina Prison, using hip-hop as a tool to connect young people with culture and empower them. His community engagement extends to remote schools and Boorloo-based music studios, fostering creativity and resilience through music.
In 2024, FLEWNT was internationally recognized by the U.S. State Department, participating in the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) on Hip-Hop & Civic Engagement. Representing Australia, he joined global artists to explore hip-hop as a platform for social change. That same year, he received the Auspire Young Citizen of the Year Award from the City of Melville for his contributions to the community.
As a performer, FLEWNT’s dynamic stage presence has earned him spots at Australia’s top festivals, including VIVID Sydney, Groove in the Moo, Strawberry Fields, and Beyond the Valley. He’s performed at major cultural and sporting events, such as the AFL Indigenous Round at Optus Stadium and the World Cup Rugby 7’s finals, reaching audiences of tens of thousands. Internationally, he’s showcased his music at SXSW Sydney (2023) and SXSW Texas (2024), Kobie Dee’s Block Party (2025) alongside appearances on America’s Got Talent, where his father-son duo with INKABEE captured global attention.
FLEWNT’s collaborations with his son INKABEE have become a cornerstone of his career. Their viral triple j Bars of Steel performance of “We Dat Good” amassed millions of views, culminating in a live performance on America’s Got Talent. Together, they continue to redefine intergenerational storytelling in hip-hop.
In addition to his music, FLEWNT is the founder of Boorloo Block Party, a festival showcasing First Nations hip-hop talent. The event has grown from its Perth origins to a statewide initiative, including the Block Party Boom in rural areas, combining performances, workshops, and rap battles.
Through his work with FN Focus, FLEWNT continues to uplift Indigenous artists, create cultural connection, and inspire change on stages and in communities across Australia and beyond.
INKABEE
Inkabee will be performing with Flwent on Thursday 5th June at the TD Music Hall as part of the official showcase running from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM
After writing his first rap at age seven, INKABEE exploded onto the Australian music scene in December 2022, at just 11 years old, with his debut track ‘Beat the Odds’. The Noongar Wongi hip-hop MC from Boorloo (Perth) Western Australia, quickly caught the industry’s attention for his undeniable talent and natural ability.
‘Beat the Odds’ saw huge success – co-written and recorded alongside his father, award-winning MC and activist FLEWNT – the track attracted a lot of press and radio plays nationally and was also nominated for two West Australian Music awards.
INKABEE, now 12-years-old, has since released solo track ‘Saved by the Bell’ (2023), ‘No Warning’ alongside his uncle, MC JJ Vacant (2024), and ‘We Dat Good’ with FLEWNT (2023).
Before its release, the father-son duo originally performed ‘We Dat Good’ for Australian radio broadcaster triple j’s Bars of Steel segment – with the clip of the pair rapping live-on-air becoming a viral sensation and garnering over ten million views on TikTok alone.
‘We Dat Good’ has since struck international attention with INKABEE and FLEWNT performing it on US hit tv program America’s Got Talent – broadcasted on NBC to over 12 million viewers – with duo receiving high praise from all four judges and Simon Cowell stating, ‘We have just seen what I call a moment. Just the way you perform together, it was mesmerising.’ INKABEE and FLEWNT are currently still in the competition.
Over his impressive career spanning not yet two-years, INKABEE has performed at major music, cultural, and sporting events across Australia. And alongside some of the biggest names in the Australian music scene, including Barkaa, JK47, Kobie Dee, JMilla and 3% (to name a few).
INKABEE made his performance debut at Flewnt’s Boorloo Block Party at Perth Festival in early 2023. Displaying a natural love for the stage, with high energy and charisma, INKABEE was soon invited to showcase at the internationally renowned SXSW Texas festival (2024) at the Australian pavilion and for a G’Day Australia event. As well as at SXSW Sydney (2023), which saw Chance the Rapper attend his showcase and introduce him as ‘the future of Australian hip-hop’.
INKABEE has performed at VIVID Sydney at the iconic Sydney Opera House (2024) and Carriageworks (2023). He has also performed sporting events such as the Indigenous round of the AFL for the Fremantle Dockers at Perth’s Optus stadium in front of 60,000 people (and broadcasted nationally), and World Cup Rugby 7’s finals at Perth’s HBF stadium in front of 20,000 people (and broadcasted internationally).
2024 saw INKABEE headline Flewnt’s Boorloo Block Party at Perth Festival as well as the rural all-ages spin-off Block Party Boom – his first headlining tour across the state to Broome, Geraldton and Busselton.
INKABEE continues to work in community alongside his father FLEWNT, including performances at Yarrapay Festival in Arnhem Land, a surprise visit to Bankia Hill Detention Centre (WA), and school workshops across the state.
2025 see’s a major new Nike campaign. A Performance in Sydney with Kobie Dee and INKABEE was Triple J’s artist of the week in April 2025 coinciding with the release of his new track, “Fall”. INKABEE heads to Canada for the International Indigenous Music Summit showcase, followed by a performance in Central Park, New York City at The Aussie BBQ Summer Stage in June in the U.S.
In 2023 and 2024 INKABEE partnered with JD Sports and Nike Australia.
KEE’AHN
Kee’ahn will be performing as part of the Universal Music Canada Showcase – Thursday 5th June – 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM
With a name coming from the Wik people, meaning to dance, to play, Kee’ahn honour their name and Ancestors through their soulful music that weaves lush melodies and words reminiscent of heartbreak and healing. Kee’ahn is a proud Yalanji, Jirrbal, Badu islander artist who in 2019 ventured from their home town in North Queensland, to pursue a dream in the Eastern Kulin Nation (Melbourne, Australia). On May 28, 2020, Kee’ahn released debut single ‘Better Things’.
That year, Kee’ahn was awarded the Archie Roach Foundation Award at the 2020 National Indigenous Music Awards later winning the Archie Roach Foundation Award at the Music Victoria Awards. Kee’ahn has an impressive number of performance credits including performing at Womadelaide, Blues on Broadbeach, Blues Festival Melbourne, Wildlands, Beyond the Valley, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Pitch Music Festival, Strawberry Fields, Yirramboi First Nations Festival + Kee’ahn has supported Greentea Peng, Angie McMahon, Hiatus Kaiyote, Moonchild, Emma Donovan and the Putbacks, Julia Jacklin, Stella Donnelly, Coloured Stone.
2025 sees the release of Kee’ahn’s debut EP.
KUTCHA EDWARDS
Kutcha Edwards will be performing at the TD Music Hall – Tuesday 3rd June – 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Kutcha Edwards is a Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, Nari Nari songman. He has long been the voice for social change, a leader for Indigenous rights, and a storyteller through the voice and art of music.
Kutcha has continuously captured the hearts and minds of audiences with his songs and stories, soulful melodies, powerful lyrics and soaring vocals. Kutcha’s interactions are deeply moving as he celebrates and educates through songs of Country, history, pain and love. As a respected elder and survivor of the Stolen Generations, Kutcha creates connections across cultures, generations and spaces.
NANCY BATES
Nancy will be performing as part of the Royal Conservatory of Music Showcase on Friday 6th June – 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM.
Nancy Bates is a Barkindji artist, truth-teller, and acclaimed singer-songwriter whose work uplifts the voices and experiences of First Nations people, particularly women. Deeply connected to her ancestral lands along the Baarka (Darling River), Nancy blends folk and soul to create music that calls for justice, healing, and truth.
A former band member and mentee of the late Archie Roach, Nancy continues his legacy of using music as a tool for transformation. Her artistry extends beyond the stage: she is the creative force behind Songs Inside, a documentary and songwriting project that works with incarcerated women across Australia. Through this initiative, Nancy co-writes songs with women in prison, creating space for their stories, voices, and agency to be heard.
Nancy’s performance at the International Indigenous Music Summit is a celebration of songlines, strength, and survival. Her participation in the Summit reflects the deep power of Indigenous storytelling through music and the global resonance of First Nations voices.
This performance will offer global audiences an opportunity to experience Nancy’s powerful artistry—an unforgettable blend of song, spirit, and social change.
For more details about IIMS, head to their official website.
Header Photo: DEM MOB performing at the 2024 International Indigenous Music Summit.