You read that right—Australia’s R&B princess PANIA is set to make her Sydney Opera House debut on May 27, playing an intimate headline show in the Utzon Room as part of Sydney’s Vivid festival.
Hailing from the cultural nexus of west Melbourne, the last few years has seen PANIA emerge as a frontrunner of Australia’s burgeoning R&B scene.
Complex AU spent some time with PANIA in April at a music camp in Byron Bay, hosted by Converse exclusively for Converse All Stars. PANIA, a long time All Star, first began working with Converse when she was “just a kid.”
“I was just starting to make music then, like I’d only dropped on SoundCloud back then. They were always hitting me up with opportunities to create music for different things.”
“It’s not just like they saw me poppin’ and then put me on—they were doing it before anyone even knew me,” said PANIA.
She’s come a long way from being the girl that casually dropped tracks on Soundcloud; currently, she’s in the thick of planing her show at the Opera House.
Speaking about her feelings in the lead up to the show she said, “It’s a bit stressful, I know I’ll get excited the day of, but leading up to it I’m so stressed.”
“But when I put things into perspective I feel proud and good about it.”
Fresh from touring the country supporting Kehlani on her Blue Water Road Trip tour, as well playing her own first headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney—she’s been busy, and her Utzon Room performance is highly anticipated from fans and the industry alike.
2022 was a breakout year for PANIA with a string of hit tracks including “tiki” and “MY CREW”, as well as the release of her debut EP burnt ur clothes & changed the addy. This year she’s managed to pick up even more momentum with the release of the P PACK and her latest track “ALL MINE”.
This show isn’t one you’ll want to miss. Don’t lack. Cop your tickets here.