SongHubs heads to Africa for world first collaboration with AMA, CAPASSO and SAMRO

Three-day cross-cultural songwriting program featuring David Rodriguez, Ngaiire, TAWAZ and more

In a world first partnership, APRA AMCOS has announced its flagship collaborative songwriting program, SongHubs, will join forces with African counterparts the African Music Academy (AMA), Composers Authors and Publishers Association (CAPASSO) and South African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) for the inaugural African SongHubs.

Taking place from 20 to 22 October in Johannesburg, South Africa, African SongHubs will be a cross-genre, cross-cultural collaboration aimed at building creative and cultural bridges between songwriters from across the African continent, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

12 songwriters will be taking part, three representatives from each organisation, including Australian/Spanish jazz maestro, David Rodriguez; Papua New Guinea-born, Australian-based R&B and future soul singer-songwriter, Ngaiire; and Māori singer-songwriter, TAWAZ.

Songwriters from the African continent include Grammy-nominated South African singer-songwriter and producer, Brenden Praise; Zambian rapper, singer and songwriter, Cleo Ice Queen, the producer from CongoThasi PONDA; and South African R&B sensation, Elaine.

Since its inception in 2013, SongHubs has provided opportunities for over 2,000 Australian and New Zealand songwriters across over 30 locations worldwide, pairing them with local, national and global creatives in a collaborative, professional studio setting.

It’s evolved from a straight-forward writing camp to a highly sought after collaborative writing program, providing participants with new skills and connections to help build their career and produce commercially successful music.

To date, more than 6,000 tracks have been produced from collaborators including Briggs, Chaii, Courtney Barnett, GFlip, Lindsay Rimes, Sarah Aarons and Troye Sivan, and releases crafted for the likes of Chris Brown, Killer Mike, Nicki Minaj and Zayn Malik. 

Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS, says: “SongHubs provides a world-leading collaborative experience that’s vital to exploring overseas opportunities, so to be able to partner with our African counterparts and give our 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!” 

Wally Badarou, President of AMA, says: “For the African Music Academy, co-organizing the inaugural edition of SongHub on the African continent — bringing together exceptional creators from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, as well as our distinguished AMA Awards laureates from Zambia and the Republic of Congo – represents a profound source of inspiration and a catalyst for fostering African creativity. This remarkable partnership with APRA-AMCOS, SAMRO, and CAPASSO is set to cultivate unique artistic and musical fusions, positioning this special edition of SongHub as a significant milestone in the celebration and global promotion of African music”.

For further information about SongHubs, visit apraamcos.com.au/songhubs and follow @SongHubs on Instagram for all the latest program updates.