OKENYO at Darlo Sessions 2021

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Forget those pub crawls and sticky floors, Darlo Sessions is a lush new way to experience the best of Australia's live music scene.

For 3 weekends over Feb-March we're centring FBi's rising stars and triple j darlings on our stage, with shows tailor-made for the Darlo. After a challenging year, these artists spent their time in lockdown creating electric new work. It's time for them to take up space. This is a program of intimate hour-long gigs decked out with 5 star production values.

Our iconic Eternity Playhouse stage will transform into a music-lovers utopia when you're nestled with a beverage, no elbow shoving or spills in sight. Sit back, kick it back, and enjoy them soulful melodies and catchy tracks. You can't get this on Netflix.

OKENYO

Packing her music with unashamed confidence, poignancy and intrigue, delivering it with exuberance and flair, Sydney musician OKENYO is an artist whose musical journey is one of constant evolution.

Respected and renowned for her meticulous crafting of music that pushes the boundaries, OKENYO's artistry reflects the fluidity and changing perceptions of hip-hop and R&B, as created by Australian musicians.

The release of OKENYO's EP THE WAVE in 2018, fans and newcomers were on the receiving end of a powerful statement. OKENYO captured attention with effervescence and revitalised charm, coming off the back of successful tours and writing sessions that proved momentous for the artist.

Evocative and passionate, OKENYO's presence on record became matched onstage, with enthusiastic crowds building in loyalty and number. As an outlet, music was a saviour as much as it was a creative ambition.

'Music was the thing that helped me come back to life creatively and personally. I want to push myself to write what I want to write and not follow trends or succumb to whatever preconceived ideas we culturally and societally think the path to 'success' is.'

The artistic versatility and strength that fans had heard from OKENYO on Urthboy's 'Second Heartbeat', not to mention her own '10 Feet Tall' release, was further animated with the defining single, 'Woman's World'. With a voice striking stronger than ever before, 'Woman's World' proved demonstrative of OKENYO's creative fervour and bold approach to lyrical delivery, coating pointed messages in slick raps that were likened to the talents of Frank Ocean and Janelle Monae.

Firmly establishing herself within a strong new generation of women pushing Australian music forward, OKENYO is hitting the ground running with a new sound. A sound from someone unafraid, someone bold. Someone who says what they want.