Emma Donovan

Emma Donovan (born 1981) is an Indigenous Australian singer and songwriter. She is a member of the renowned musical Donovan family. She started her singing career at age seven with her uncle's band, The Donovans. In 2000, she became a founding member of Stiff Gins, leaving the band three years later to release the solo album "Changes" in 2004. She performs with The Black Arm Band and released a solo EP, "Ngaaraanga", in 2009.
She has been nominated for multiple Deadly Awards including Female Artist of the Year, and performed at the opening of the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay. She won Best Female Artist at the 2009 BUMP Awards. Donovan appeared in the ABC series "Dynasties" in 2004, and was the subject of the 2005 SBS TV documentary "Emma Donovan: Gumbainggir Lady".
Early life and education.
Donovan was born in 1981 in Liverpool, Australia, a suburb of Sydney. Her father, Neville Councillor, is from Geraldton in Western Australia, and is of Naaguja and Yamatji heritage. Her mother, Agnes Donovan, is a Gumbaynggirr/Danggali woman from the Nambucca Valley on the north coast of New South Wales, where Emma was raised.
Donovan's musical singing career started at a young age. Her grandparents Micko and Aileen Donovan, years before her birth, founded the Aboriginal country band The Donovans, which consisted of their five sons and daughter Agnes singing at local events. Donovan's uncles still perform as the Donovan Brothers band. At the age of seven, she began periodically singing with the Donovans. Her family and mother Agnes encouraged and supported her singing, Agnes taking her to talent competitions around the country. Agnes also helped develop Aboriginal showcases at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in the late 1990s, in which Donovan took part.
Donovan's family moved frequently, and she attended multiple schools in New South Wales and WA, with an extended time spent at North Newtown Primary. In 1997, at age sixteen, Donovan was studying contemporary music at the Eora College for Performing Arts in Chippendale, New South Wales. The school was founded to provide education for Indigenous students. She began branching out from country music, exploring reggae and R&B as well.
Musical career.
1999-2003: Stiff Gins.
In late 1999, Donovan formed the vocal acoustic band Stiff Gins with Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs after meeting at the Eora College. They released their first EP, "Soh Fa", on Sony Records in 2000. Donovan co-wrote their second release, the full album "Origins". The group won two Deadly Awards; 2000 for Most Promising New Talent and in 2001 for Best Single Release for "Morning Star". After touring both nationally and internationally, Donovan left the group in 2003 to work on solo material with industry professionals.
2004-2006: "Changes".
In 2004, she was the subject of SBS documentary Gumbaynggirr Lady and opened the 2004 Summer Olympics torch relay.
In 2004, Donovan released her debut solo album "Changes". The Sydney launch of the album was well received. The style was a blend of soul, gospel, and reggae, with country undertones. In 2005, Donovan embarked on an Australian tour to promote the album. In 2007, Wendy Martin of the Sydney Opera House stated: "Emma is one of the most requested artists on Koori Radio 93.7FM since the release of her CD "Changes", and is fast becoming one of the most popular live performers in Sydney."
In 2006, Donovan went into the studio to record three songs with longtime writing partner Yanya Boston, a drummer she had met while performing with the Stiff Gins. She also worked with Rob Wolf and Adam Ventoura. Among the songs were "Lonely" and "He's Just A Kid." At the time she was a participant in the Music NSW industry program "Which Way".
2007-2012: The Black Arm Band & "Ngarraanga".
In 2007, Donovan was invited to become a member of The Black Arm Band. The travelling group performed a stage musical called "Murundak/Alive – The Black Arm Band", which reproduced iconic songs of the Aboriginal resistance movement. The show toured England and Canada to great acclaim. The cast consists of a rotating line-up of Australian indigenous musicians, and in 2007 "murundak" won the Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Music Concert.
Simultaneously while working on "Murundaki", Donovan was working on material with drummer Yanya Boston. The pair co-wrote the single "Ngarranga – Remember", intended as a prayer to acknowledge the Stolen Generations experience. It was initially released on the Kimberly Stolen Generation Corporation's 2007 compilation CD "Cry Stolen".
By April 2008, Donovan was working with industry veteran Vicki Gordon of VGM Media and Marketing. Together they created a gospel remix of the single "Ngarranga – Remember," along with four other songs to create a five track EP. The EP, "Ngarraanga" (Remember), or "Ngarraanga Ngiinundi Yuludarra" (Remember Your Dreaming), is intended as a tribute to the Stolen Generations. The songs include Donovan's traditional language, as well as spoken words from her Uncle Harry Buchanan and backing vocals from Gary Pinto and Juanita Tippins. The EP was released by MGM on National Sorry Day on 26 May 2009. A music video to accompany the "Ngarranga" single was filmed at Carriageworks performance space in Redfern, New South Wales, starring Donovan and Torres Strait Islander dancer Albert David. It is interwoven with archival footage.
2013-present: Emma Donovan & The PutBacks.
Since 2013, Donovan has been performing as Emma Donovan & The PutBacks. They released an album in November 2014 and another in November 2020.
Touring.
Emma Donovan has toured extensively in her home country and abroad, with groups as well as with her own material and backing band. In 2004 she toured in Greece for the "Indigenous Australia Now" exhibition prior to the 2004 Olympics. That year she also performed at the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts in Palau. In 2006 she performed at the Perth Festival of the Arts, the Australian Performing Arts market in Adelaide, the Waitangi Day Ceremony in New Zealand, and The Dreaming Festival in Queensland. She also made a short tour to Paris. In 2007 she performed at the WOMADELAIDE festival, various festivals in Melbourne, and the Sydney Opera House with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed her solo material at the Royal Festival Hall and London, Musee de Quai Branli in Paris, the Benaki Museum in Athens, the Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia, the Treaty Grounds of Waitangi in New Zealand, and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
She has sung with and performed with indigenous Australian musicians such as Frank Yamma, her cousin Casey Donovan, Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter, Kerriane Cox, Christine Anu, Tiddas, Yothu Yindi, and Jimmy Little. She has also performed with Paul Kelly, Ursula Yovich, and Shellie Morris.
Documentaries.
Donovan has appeared in or been featured in a handful of documentaries. The documentary "Gumbayngirr Lady" featured her, and was filmed and aired by the Special Broadcasting Service in 2004 as part of their BLAKTRAX series. The hour-long film followed Donovan to her home region of Macksville, New South Wales. In 2005 she appeared in the ABC series "Dynasties" (episode 5), which was filmed on location in Woodford, Queensland while she was performing at the Dreaming Festival.
Style.
Donovan's singing and songwriting frequently blend reggae, gospel, smooth soul, roots, and country music. Although she has stated she is proud of her Naaguja, Yamatji, and Danggali tribal heritage, she most frequently expresses her Gumbaynggirr heritage from her mother's side in her music, often singing in the traditional language.
Awards.
Australian Music Prize.
The Australian Music Prize (the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. They commenced in 2005.
The Deadly Awards.
The Deadly Awards, commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. The ran from 1995 to 2013.
J Award.
The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.