Program artists take part in:
- One on one career development sessions with Nexus staff
- A personalised mentorship with a creative or industry professional
- A 5-day creative intensive at Nexus Arts with other program artists
- An individual photoshoot with an experienced music photographer
- A live music video shoot at Nexus Arts Venue
- Development of your Electronic Press Kit
- Artist catch up sessions
- A performance series at Nexus Arts
In 2026, we are delighted to be working with:
- Xueqian (Chien) Zhang
- Donni Heat
- Elizabeth Ruyi
- Felix Wang
- Meena De Silva
- Praise Mangena
- Taiaha
Get to know the 2026 Interplay Artists:
Nexus Arts is pleased to announce the line up for the 2026 Interplay program. The selected contemporary musicians take part in a unique year long program that encompasses career guidance, a tailored mentorship, a creative intensive, writing and recording a new song, filming and screening of a video clip and a performance series.
Applications for the 2026 Interplay program exceeded expectations with the biggest number of applications and the most musically diverse in genre, with musicians experimenting with contemporary and traditional music styles to share their cultures and stories. The Interplay 2026 cohort reflects the talented community of culturally diverse artists in South Australia.
Xueqian (Chien) Zhang is a bilingual singer-songwriter, poet, MC, and storyteller. She recently performed at the Lucky Dumpling Market as part of OzAsia 2025 and will debut her new show at Adelaide Fringe 2026.
Recently nominated for an SA Music Award in the People’s Choice category, Donni Heat is a genre-blurring solo artist mixing emo intensity with the punch of modern alt-rock.
Elizabeth Ruyi is a singer & songwriter, her sound drifts between soul and indie, coloured by vibrant dream-pop tones. Elizabeth writes form the heart with lyrics that explore culture, love, belonging and mindfulness
Co-founder of Silk Strings Ensemble, Felix Wang is an accomplished huqin (Chinese fiddle) musician. His artistic practice explores the dialogue between voice and string.
Meena De Silva is a Sri-Lankan Australian pop/R&B artist; she released her debut album Call On Me in 2021 and in 2024 performed at WOMADelaide as part of the Northern Sound System Academy program.
Zimbabwean Australian artist Praise Mangena has a current focus on the alchemy of music, movement and spoken word poetry in live performance. She is the creative director of music label Adverse Reign.
From busking in Willunga at 10-years of age, Maori hip hop artist Taiaha has released multiple albums and toured internationally and performed at WOMADelaide.
Nexus Arts will be welcoming the new cohort with their first Interplay Connect session in early February. We look forward to working with these talented emerging musicians, seeing their development and growth across the year.
Q&A with Sivillion, April 2024.
Q&A with Ms Chipeta, June 2024.
Q&A with Mahzad Fard, August 2024.
Q&A with Vincy Chan, September 2024.
Q&A with Steph Teh, October 2024.
Q&A with Kara Manansala, December 2024.
The Interplay program is supported by the Government of South Australia through the Music Development Office.
Check out the work of some of our previous Interplay artists:
