Baker Boy sweeps top honours at 2026 National Indigenous Music Awards
Hip-hop artist Baker Boy took home three major awards at the 2026 National Indigenous Music Awards (Nimas), dedicating them to his late grandmother. Birdz and Fred Leone won artist of the year, while Drifting Clouds claimed best new talent.
Yolŋu hip-hop artist Danzal Baker, known as Baker Boy, dominated the 2026 National Indigenous Music Awards (Nimas), winning album, song and film clip of the year for his sophomore record, Djandjay, named in honour of his late grandmother.
The song and film clip of the year award went to the album's hit single 'Thick Skin', featuring fellow Indigenous artists Thelma Plum, Emma Donovan, Kee'ahn and Jada Weazel. Baker wrote the track in response to the voice to parliament referendum, and its video was filmed at the colonial-era Werribee Mansion in Victoria, a choice he described as reclaiming authority from a site tied to colonial history.
Accepting the album of the year award, Baker paid tribute to his grandmother, who brought vinyl records and VHS tapes back from a Los Angeles honeymoon, introducing hip-hop to Arnhem Land. That influence later inspired his father and uncle to form the 1980s dance duo the Baker Boys.
Artist of the year went to Butchulla cousins Birdz and Fred Leone, who released a joint EP titled GIRA in 2025. Yolŋu musician Terry Guyula, who performs as Drifting Clouds and blends synth production with Yolŋu Matha lyrics, won best new talent.
The ceremony also inducted jazz and blues musician Marlene Cummins and the group Saltwater Band into the Nimas Hall of Fame. Singer Jessica Mauboy presented Saltwater Band's award, praising the band's three-decade career blending traditional Yolŋu song with reggae and contemporary styles.
