APRA AMCOS Announces World-First SongHubs Partnership

Image L-R: GODTET, TAWAZ, Ngaiire

APRA AMCOS has announced a major partnership between its flagship collaborative songwriting program SongHubs and African organisations for the inaugural African SongHubs.

Taking place from October 20th-22nd in Johannesburg, South Africa, African SongHubs will be a cross-genre, cross-cultural collaboration. The world-first partnership with the African Music Academy (AMA), Composers Authors and Publishers Association (CAPASSO), and South African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) will aim to build creative and cultural bridges between songwriters across Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

SAMRO’s general manager of marketing and communications, Kgomotso Mosenogi, said cultural exchange is at the heart of creativity, and African SongHubs embodies what the organisation stands for.

“By participating in global conversations and sharing our uniquely African stories through music, our creators are enriched both artistically and professionally, which in turn strengthens the cultural and economic fabric of the South African music industry.”

12 songwriters will take part, three representatives from each organisation, including Australian/Spanish jazz maestro GODTET, Papua New Guinean-born and Australian-based R&B singer-songwriter Ngaiire; and Māori singer-songwriter, TAWAZ.

Grammy-nominated South African singer-songwriter and producer Brenden Praise will also attend, as will Zambian rapper, singer-songwriter Cleo Ice Queen, Congo-based producer Thasi Ponda, and South African R&B sensation Elaine.

“This is the kind of project I live for — collaboration pushing music into new places. Being surrounded by artists from across Africa, PNG, Australia and Aotearoa is a rare and powerful opportunity. I’m grateful to be included and can’t wait to dive in and see what we create together,” GODTET, real name David Rodriguez, said.

Ngaiire, real name Ngaire Laun Joseph, added: “I’ve been wanting to get out to SA for some time, especially after discovering how some of my songs from the last record resonated in that territory. Really excited to get out there and work with some of the country’s best and very grateful for this opportunity from APRA! Pumped!”

Since its inception in 2013, SongHubs has provided opportunities for over 2,000 Australian and New Zealand songwriters, pairing them with local, national, and global creatives across 30 locations worldwide. It’s evolved from a straightforward writing camp to a highly sought after collaborative program.

To date, more than 6,000 tracks have been produced from collaborators like Briggs, Chaii, Courtney Barnett, G Flip, Troye Sivan, and more, with releases crafted for the likes of Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, and Zayn Malik.

Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS, said: “SongHubs provides a world-leading collaborative experience that’s vital to exploring overseas opportunities, so to be able to partner with our African rights management counterparts and give members the opportunity to write in a culturally respectful and creatively rich environment is so exciting. I can’t wait to see what comes out of it!”