Statement – Fenella Edwards, 27 July 2022
Rapper Runs for the Senate
Launceston rapper Fenella Edwards went in her first rap battle in Hobart in 2003; now she is running as an independent for the Senate.
Fenella reveals that she started rapping as a joke when she was a raver, and it actually took years to come to terms with being a rapper. Her latest music video (Fenella – Machine Driven), filmed last year with Launceston filmmakers Perran Burch and Luca Schild, has won a string of awards and her newest music video ‘Break Out’ is just about to drop. Some highlights of her rap career have been freestyling with Chuck D (Public Enemy), Brother Ali, Slug (Atmosphere) and Brian Ritchie’s jazz quartet at MONA.
Fenella wants to make it clear that she is ‘not just a rapper’ but has had a range of jobs in her varied career aside from music performance; statistician at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, bus driver at Metro, tour guide at Prestige Tours, lady tradie at Mr Sashcord, receptionist at Rosny College, Executive Officer at the Tasmanian Department of Education, comedian at the 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and various hospitality roles.
Fenella’s interest in politics started when father signed her up to the Liberal party at the age of 16. Having always been passionate about making the world a better place, Fenella dutifully attended meetings but ultimately decided that the Liberal party did not have enough respect for women, the environment and indeed poor people. Hence she is now standing as an independent and has been vocal online about the need to replace the Scott Morrison led government on May 21.
Wanting to free Julian Assange, end old-growth logging, increase fairness of elections and disclosure of political donations, grow self-propagating veggies on nature strips and legalise marijuana, Fenella is on a mission to help the people of her island home. Now she just needs the people of her state to find her in the very last spot on the ballot, and give her the opportunity to represent them.
When asked if she would use her rap battle skills in parliament, she replied “I might have to!”
Image courtesy Kat, FReeZa Darebin City Coucil (Dec 2021).
