#MeToo founder Tarana Burke and Henry Rollins to headline BIGSOUND 2021

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of BIGSOUND, in celebration of the milestone, the longstanding music industry event is pulling out all the stops.

Today, BIGSOUND has announced its first two headline speakers: #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, and punk icon, author and DJ Henry Rollins.

Off the heels of her latest body of work, You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience, Tarana is set to deliver an illuminating keynote offering a necessary and unique perspective into the intersection of sexual violence and racial justice.

“I’m looking forward to sharing my story at BIGSOUND in what has been a 25-year journey laying the groundwork for a movement that amplifies the voices of millions of survivors and addresses issues of respect, dignity, and power dynamics in schools, workplaces, communities, and politics,” said Tarana.

BIGSOUND has also announced a First Nations-led iteration of its biennial youth conference, Little Blacksound. Presented by Digi Youth Arts (DYA), Queensland’s sole Indigenous youth arts organisations. Curated by the likes of Sycco, Jem Cassar-Daley, DOBBY, Loki Liddle and Alethea Beetson, Little BLAKSOUND will take place on Monday, September 6th.

“Indigenous young people are so incredibly important as they are the youngest generation of the oldest surviving cultures in the world. Little BLAKSOUND provides a much-needed space for them to share their vision of the future, connect and demand change within the music industry,” said Alethea.

It’s been a chaotic and disheartening year for the music industry, the community drive of BIGSOUND has never felt more essential.

“This year, we have the incredible chance to reconnect, recharge and experience the magic of discovering new music with one another again – friends, colleagues, and music-obsessed strangers – who, for too long, have been separated by geographical borders,” Newly-appointed QMusic CEO, Kris Stewart shared in a statement.

“It’s an absolute honour to have the calibre of talent in Tarana Burke and Henry Rollins to bring their powerful insight to BIGSOUND for what will be

Early-bird conference passes are now on sale. You can find the relevant information here.

Early-Bird Offer
General: $459 / Students, QMusic and Partner Organisation Members: $429

Full-Price Tickets
General: $549 / Students, QMusic and Partner Organisation Members: $519

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.