Eskimo Joe ProfileToday, the Western Australian nominees for the 2027 Australian of the Year Awards were announced, and for music fans looking at the list, something stands out.
Kav Temperley, vocalist and co-founder of the beloved East Fremantle alternative rock band Eskimo Joe, has been nominated in the Australian of the Year category.
He’s been nominated alongside Telehealth innovator Esther Oh, Indigenous marine environmentalist Professor Michael Wear, and organ transplant pioneer Dr Emily Zhen.
The Australian of the Year Awards winners for Western Australia will be revealed on Friday, 30 October, at 6 pm local time.
Taking to social media, Temperley said it’s “an absolute honour” to be nominated for the Australian of the Year Award.
“Looking back at my life there’s three things that stand out right now in this incredibly surreal moment,” he wrote.
Listing those three things, he shared, “My life as a songwriter and performer in Eskimo Joe and the fact that we’ve been able to build a career from Fremantle. And that our songs have become part of people’s lives makes me so proud.”
He continued, “Being able to help mentor the next generation of songwriters through workshops and one on songwriting sessions. Giving young musicians a view into what it means to make a living as a musician.
“And my work with @artsix_official. Being able to create a space where artists from different disciplines can come together to create something brand new! Which is incredibly inspiring.
“Thank you so much @australianoftheyear.”
Temperley received the nomination for his work as a musician and mentor. He’s mentored thousands of emerging creatives through his Fremantle studio and songwriting camps, and he's judged on the panel for the prestigious Vanda and Young Global Songwriting Competition.
Plus, he co-created the collaborative project ArtsiX, designed to bring musicians and visual artists together. Through the program, over 80 creatives from Western Australia have staged exhibitions seen by thousands of art fans.
Temperley has advocated for songwriters’ rights before the Western Australian Parliament, supported organisations such as Close the Gap and White Ribbon, and shown up for bushfire relief.
Meanwhile, with Eskimo Joe, he’s helped propel WA music to the world stage. The band has picked up eight ARIA Awards, two APRA Awards and three International Songwriting Competition Awards, and have had eleven songs voted into triple j’s Hottest 100.
The band’s 2006 smash hit, Black Fingernails, Red Wine, spent 62 weeks in the ARIA Top 50 following its release.
