What: Miiesha at WOMADelaide 2021
Where: King Rodney Park/Ityamai-Itpina

WOMADelaide returned to the parklands this year without missing a beat. The new, smaller concert format set up at King Rodney Park/Ityamai-ItpinaItyamai-Itpina centred on a single stage and a reduced lineup of performers.

Miiesha and Kaiit opened for Tash Sultana on Sunday night. Both Kaiit and Miiesha (who also share the same manager) have a neo-soul sound not out of place on Tash Sultana’s latest album, and I was particularly interested in Miiesha’s set.

Miiesha performed tracks from her debut album Nyaaringu, which was nominated for Album of the Year at last year’s National Indigenous Music Awards. Each was unpacked with a short introduction. The sleek production of Nyaaringu belies deeply personal song lyrics about family and identity. While the relationships and insecurities were fraught, Miiesha’s outlook is contagiously upbeat and hopeful.

These were interspersed with unreleased tracks, including Damaged and Made for Silence which continued to explore personal conflict, but also evoked the space after an argument or a fight with loved ones which is reflective and reconciliatory. A revamped cover of country song Neon Moon also stood out, and altogether showcased Miiesha’s ability to make intimate songs that sound universal, and big songs small and intimate because they draw from lived experience.

–Tin Do