Proud Wiradjuri and Bundjalung electronic-pop artist Djanaba is set to join the line-up for Laneway Festival 2026, bringing euphoric pop anthems and fierce energy to Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand this February.
Laneway Festival, one of Oceania's largest music festivals, is returning from 5 February to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast and Auckland. Featuring a stellar line-up of international and local acts, Laneway brings together music lovers for a night of fun and festivities.
One of these acts is Djanaba, known for her bright electronic pop anthems, bold attitude and colourful aesthetic. With performances at national festivals such as Spilt Milk, Listen Out, and Beyond The Valley under her belt, Djanaba is now adding Laneway to the list.
"It's honestly insane," she told National Indigenous Times.
"I've definitely been wanting to do Laneway, because I feel like in terms of the people who play at Laneway, like their line-up, and how they curate everything, I just tell that they really appreciate artists who are incredible performers," she said.
With a 45-minute slot, Djanaba will perform songs from her debut album, 'Did I Stutter?' and her first live performance of the recently released single 'Buster'.
When asked how she feels performing at Laneway as a relatively new artist, Djanaba said the opportunity is both a personal milestone and a chance to break new ground for Indigenous musicians in electronic music.
"I think it's validating to my own artistry, but I also feel like it's so important that there's an electronic artist who is Indigenous because there aren't many Indigenous musicians that are doing more alternative genres," she said.
"Being able to take up as much space as I am in the electronic space as an Indigenous woman, I think it's really important, because I grew up listening to electronic music and you never saw any Indigenous people in that space.
"I'm just really happy that I get to do what I do and make the music that I do. And I think every Indigenous artist should be encouraged to make whatever music or whatever art or whatever they want to do, regardless of who in that space is representing them. You know, they can be the representation they need."
With less than two weeks left to go, Djanaba is fully focused on delivering her best performance yet.
"I was messaging my DJ the other day, but I need to start doing more cardio," she joked. "As a singer, it's so important that you have like breath control and stuff like that. So I just want to make sure it's the most incredible set that I've done, so I'm putting in literally everything."
But her excitement trumps any nerves in the lead-up to Laneway, with Djanaba counting down the days to connect with her fans and celebrate community through music.
"I just know it's going to be such an incredibly cool queer community coming together. And whenever there's a queer space that I perform in, I know it's always going to be a f***ing blast. So, I feel like that's what I'm most excited about - the girls, the guys and the gays," she said.
"I feel like I'm really pushing myself more than I ever have. And I know what I want more than ever, I guess. And what I want is to continue creating an incredible community of people who feel empowered by my music."
