Enacting popular music from the margins: female musicians in New Caledonia

Conference Contribution ResearchOnline@JCU
Daniel, Ryan;Boulard, Florence
Abstract

Located in the South Pacific, New Caledonia has a rich and lively culture, with an increasingly prominent popular music field. Being very isolated from the major music markets in the northern hemisphere, however, artists in this French island are often faced with unique challenges to achieve significant exposure beyond their home base. To date, there is minimal literature which specifically deals with the experiences of female musicians in the Pacific islands. Therefore this paper explores the experiences of four 21st century female musicians in New Caledonia. In particular, it reveals some of the unique opportunities and challenges in making a living out of the popular music industry while remaining in Melanesia. This study addresses a significant gap by offering an introduction to the lives of female musicians in New Caledonia, with a focus on four key areas relevant to their practice: nature and island life, emerging popular music practices, the role of technology, and connecting with the global village. The paper offers keen insights in terms of how relatively marginalised female popular music practitioners embrace and respond to the challenges that they face on a daily basis.

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2021 IASPM: International Association for the Study of Popular Music Canada Conference

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15

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Online Event

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International Association for the Study of Popular Music

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Sydney, Canada

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