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Australia’s own R&B queen, PANIA is not a name to forget. Emerging from West Melbourne’s cultural core, this musician is one of a few who are leading the R&B sound straight out of Australia and repping their community globally. With her eyes set on world stardom, PANIA is defying clichés by breaking the standards surrounding adulthood in a society that tends to be too serious all the time. If you need empowerment through thoughtful vulnerability, then it’s time to take a ride with PANIA.

A lover of music from childhood and a fan of Justin Bieber forever (as many of us are), her introduction to her art kindled through the desire to connect. “When I was younger, I felt like music was the only thing I could connect with and at times it was the only thing that made me feel understood. So, I always saw that and thought, I want to provide that experience for other people too and I hope they can feel heard through my music”.

Drawing inspirations from the sensual flares from the early 90s and 2000s R&B and Soul scene, it was frontrunners like Aaliyah, Erykah Badu, Amy Winehouse that piqued her interest – eventually creating a sound often reminiscent to the slow lonely soundscape and luscious melodies made popular during this time. With diaristic lyrics exploring notions of growth, love, belonging and community to fiercely self-assured dancehall tracks, PANIA caters for every state of mind. Her debut EP burnt ur clothes & changed the addy unveils her ability to carefully produce a story that provides clarity within the listener, while her newest single “ALL MINE” takes us on a flavourful trip with subtle percussions and mellow keys. Whether it has you feeling healed or like the baddest in the room there’s bound to be one song of hers stuck on a constant loop.

To this West Melbourne artist, her biggest supporters continue to be her closet friends and family who only see bigger and better things coming from her. A true soul adamant in sticking close to her roots but bringing it over shores, PANIA is one that stays close to loyalty. “Community to me is having people around you that build you up and have your back, and in return doing the same for them and creating a safe space for you and your homies”.

She’s kept herself hustling over these past few months with acclaimed performances at Listen Out, two sold-out headline shows, her biggest solo performance yet at Vivid Sydney which is sold out, and playing support for Kehlani’s Australian tour – don’t blink because you might miss her greatest achievements.

“I want to give my audience something to remember when they see me perform live. I feel like every great performer you will always remember for life so that’s what gets me pumped to perform and to bring people into my world. Seeing an artist live is such a different experience to listening to a song online so I want to make sure that [when I perform] it’s always great and leaves people feeling something.”

Boasting great style and even better music, you can only expect big things to come out of PANIA and now is only the beginning.

Listen to PANIA’s latest single “ALL MINE” here