Caiti Baker facts for kids

Caiti Baker is an Australian singer and songwriter. She also produces music, arranges harmonies, and works as a vocal engineer.

About Caiti Baker

Growing Up and Learning Music

Caiti Baker grew up in Darwin, Northern Territory. Her dad was a blues musician. Because of this, Caiti listened to many types of music when she was young. These included gospel, jazz, big band, rock & roll, blues, and soul music. As she got older, she also loved R&B and hip hop.

When Caiti was 12, she got a special digital recorder. This helped her learn how to write and record her own songs. She says she was inspired by famous singers like Aretha Franklin, Big Mamma Thornton, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Etta James, and Little Walter.

Her Music Journey Begins

Sietta: A Musical Duo

From 2009, Caiti Baker teamed up with James Mangohig (also known as Kuya James). They formed a music duo called Sietta. A duo is a group of two people who perform together. Sietta released two albums and two shorter music collections called extended plays (EPs). They toured all over Australia and even in other countries before they stopped performing together in 2014.

Going Solo and First Album

In 2015, Caiti Baker started her solo music career. She signed with a record company in Darwin. In the middle of 2015, she toured with and supported the famous musician Dr. G Yunupingu on his The Gospel Album Tour.

In 2016, Caiti was featured on a song called "Dead in a Minute" by the group A.B. Original. After that, she released her very first solo song, "Heavy On My Heart," in August 2016.

Caiti released her first full album, Zinc, in October 2017. Music magazines like Rolling Stone and The Music gave it great reviews. Zinc was even chosen as the "Album of the Week" by Double J radio station. It also made it to number 44 on Double J's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2017. In the same year, Caiti won an award for "Northern Territory Best Live Voice of the Year" at the National Live Music Awards. She also performed at big music festivals like BIGSOUND and WOMADelaide.

In 2018, Caiti continued touring Australia. She also released a small collection of songs called B6. These were songs that didn't make it onto her Zinc album. The B6 EP was released online. Caiti also performed at the AIR Awards ceremony that year. She won the NT Song of the Year award in the Blues and Roots category for her song "I Won't Sleep." She also won "Best Live Voice of the NT" again at the National Live Music Awards.

In 2019, Caiti released another award-winning EP called Dust (Part 1). She also performed at Bluesfest, a big music festival. She said that she "kinda grew up at that festival."

Music in 2020

On March 8, 2020, which is International Women's Day, Caiti released her song "Worth It." This song was also the main song for a podcast called Birds Eye View. This podcast was made with women in the Darwin Correctional Centre. It helped to share their stories from inside the prison. The podcast later won an award for the best Australian podcast of 2020.

Caiti also created a live show called "The Settle Down Sisters." This show featured six different artists. They performed at the Darwin Entertainment Centre and supported the famous singer Jimmy Barnes. "The Settle Down Sisters" is a group of women from different backgrounds in the Northern Territory. They come together through singing, having fun, and sharing food.

On June 19, 2020, Caiti released her album Mary of the North. She dedicated this album to the Northern Territory and its unique people. Her old bandmate, James Mangohig, produced the album. It included a new version of the Sietta song "Carry You," now called "Carry." Caiti said she was inspired by the amazing people in her community in the NT. She wanted listeners to hear the special sounds and feelings of her home.

Even though many live shows were canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, Caiti still performed. She had a special show at the Nannup Music Festival in February. She also became an artist-in-residence on ABC Radio's Double J. This means she was a special guest artist on the radio station.

In September, Kuya James released a music video for his song "Rewind Our Love." Caiti Baker and Serina Pech were featured in the video. Caiti's EP Dust (Part 1) won the award for "Best Independent Soul/R&B Album or EP Release" at the AIR Awards.

Caiti also helped create a children's album called The Moon, The Mouse & The Frog: Lullabies From Northern Australia. She was featured on, produced, and vocal engineered songs like "Wirrimu" and "Buddy's Lullaby."

Music in 2021

In January 2021, Caiti released an acoustic version of her song "She's Cruel," featuring Ben Edgar. In May 2021, she traveled to the Gold Coast for her first live performance since the pandemic started. She performed at the Blues on Broadbeach festival.

Her song "Worth It" reached number 10 on the "Territory Sounds Countdown 2021." Caiti donated some of the money from the song to the "Women of Worth initiative." This group helps prisoners and former prisoners in the community.

Caiti's music video for "Gone," directed by Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, won an award. It was named "Best Music Video" at the 3rd Capricornia Film Awards, which are part of the Darwin International Film Festival.

Her Albums and Songs

Here are some of the albums and songs Caiti Baker has released:

Albums

Extended plays

Singles (Songs)

As lead artist

As featured artist

Awards and Recognition

Caiti Baker has won many awards for her music. Here are some of them:

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (AIR Awards) celebrate the best independent music in Australia.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are Australia's biggest music awards. They celebrate excellent music from all types of genres.

National Indigenous Music Awards

The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) celebrate the best Indigenous music in Australia, especially from the Northern Territory.

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) recognize great live music performances in Australia.