The Portfolio Project

The Portfolio Project is a professional development program designed to empower and give creative and networking opportunities, resources, skills and assets for emerging culturally and linguistically diverse and First Nations musicians in Naarm/Melbourne.

Apply for Portfolio 2024

The Portfolio Project 2025

Applications Closed.

Are you an emerging culturally and linguistically diverse or First Nations musician living in Naarm/Melbourne?

Consider applying for our music professional development program where you can get support, performance opportunities, gain new skills and build confidence with a close-knit community.

What is the Portfolio Project?

The Portfolio Project is a professional development program designed to empower and give creative and networking opportunities, resources, skills and assets for emerging culturally diverse musicians in inner Melbourne suburbs.

Who can apply?

The program is for solo artists/duos/bands from underrepresented communities in the music industry including First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse and migrant communities.

What’s involved?

Artists will need to be available from 22 July - 28 September 2025 for professional development activities including mentorship sessions, workshops in industry skills (marketing, promotion, management) as well as performance opportunities. Each participant will be paired up with an established music industry professional who will be their mentor. The mentor will give support and guidance to each participant over the course of 4 sessions.

One participant will have the opportunity to join the Contemporary Ensemble Music Program at Melbourne Polytechnic (Fairfield) with the term beginning 22 July - 28 October and rehearsals are Tuesday from 10am -11:30am.

What you’ll recieve

4 x 1 on 1 Mentorship Sessions

Studio Quality Artist Photos
Electronic Press Kit
Industry Workshops
Promotional and audience development activities like smaller showcase events, radio appearances.

A final showcase performance at The Evelyn Hotel coordinated by the cohort.

1 x Music Victoria Essentials Membership (Valid for 1 year)

1 x Folk Alliance Australia Membership (Valid for 1 year)
1 x Boite Artist Membership (Valid for 1 year)

Expressions of interests will be considered on a rolling basis.

Key Dates

Tuesday 5pm 22 July 2025

Applications Close

Throughout July (Online)
Interviews with shortlisted applicants

Wednesday 6 August 2025 (In-person)
Meet and Greet with Artists

Sat 9 August and Sun 10 August 2025 (In-person)
Workshop Weekend + Photoshoots

Wednesday 27 August (In-person)
Small concert

Throughout August/September (In-person/Online)
1 on 1 mentoring sessions

Sunday 28 September (In-person)
Final Showcase Performance

The Portfolio Project is proudly supported by the City of Yarra, Community Enterprise Foundation, Melbourne Polytechnic & Music Victoria.

Applications Closed

MUSIC RELEASED VIA PORTFOLIO PROJECT

LIVE SESSION VIDEOS FROM THE PROGRAM

2025 Artists

From left to right:
Evelyn Yuen, Olivia Brasil, Miss Understood, Caisha Sprout and Sebastian Lugo

Photo credit: Tope Adesina

Previous Artists

2024

Wren Arkose

2023

CANISHA

Canisha is an exciting emerging First Nations artist to put on your radar. Though still new to the local music scene, her powerful and soulful vocals have gotten the attention of big names in the industry, including rapper and record label owner, Briggs. Canisha is currently working on her upcoming EP.
In 2022, Canisha put herself on the map, performing alongside Adam Briggs, and other First Nations Artists at the Bad Apples House Party. This opened many doors for Canisha, leading to securing a slot at the 2023 St Kilda Music Festival, Music for Mob and headlining Melbourne’s “Blak Stage” at the Retreat Hotel.

MONRXE

With a notable six octave range, powerhouse harmonies, dance repertoire and an impressive lyrical pen with catchy hooks, it's about time that an artist like Monrxe starts to make her mark on the ever growing Australian RnB scene.
Monrxe has been a fixture for many years within the local Melbourne scene as one of the lead vocalists for the iconic residential Tuesday nights improvisational group, Now. Here. This All Stars at The Toff in Melbourne CBD - a program that has been curated for seven years.
She has gone on to perform at Strawberry Fields with The Foreign Brothers, Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange, Killah Hurtz and Amin Payne. As well as receiving rave reviews as a soloist cast member in the Australasian premier of The Color Purple Musical.
This triple threat artist will not only be showcasing a mesmerising music performance, she'll also be wooing audiences with choreographed dancing supported by a team of 7 dancers. Monrxe will be releasing her debut single on July 12, titled "Bad4Ya" as part of her 12 track mixtape. You won't want to miss this special performance.

Mastaneh Nazarian and Sepideh Fahiman (Zemzemeh)

Zemzemeh was formed in 2022, consisting of two talented musicians; Sepideh on vocals and Mohsen on guitar and piano. With over 10 years of experience in the music industry, they have honed their skills and created a unique sound that blends different genres and styles.
The band's purpose is to use music as a tool to eliminate geographical boundaries and bring people together from different cultures and backgrounds. Zemzemeh achieves this by performing in various languages, showcasing the beauty of different cultures through music.
With music sung in French, Arabic, Azerbaijani (Folk song), Persian, and Turkish languages, their performances offer a magical experience. The band has carefully selected popular songs from each language, ensuring a captivating and diverse performance.

The Seventh

The Seventh are a 6-piece Burmese Chin soft rock band that sing in their native language Hakha Chin and Burmese led by lead guitarist Ngun King Bol (Abawi).

Abawi came to Australia as refugee in 2007. His journey to Australia was difficult one as he has to go to Malaysia by boat full of people not knowing what is going to happen in the middle of the ocean and followed by walking through the jungle. In Malaysia living illegally meant they could be arrested at any time and could result in sending back to Myanmar and basically it was living in fear every day and he lived in Malaysia for about one year and came to Australia. He is blessed and fortunate to be living in Australia as he looks back to his country and escape from the military dictatorship regime. Abawi always has a passion for music from a very young age, guitar is his main instrument by teaching himself how to play when he was about 10 years old. Music was away to express his feelings and emotions through guitar. He started playing guitar at church in the praise and worship band when he was really young till today. Abawi and Kou Ichi the bassist always dreamt of having a band but Most of his band mates have been playing in church praise and worship band until when they play at friends wedding they met their drummer, T T and started a band. Abawi named the band “The Seventh” as it is a lucky number and there are seven notes on a musical notes. They mainly play soft, pop rock songs and hope to release many Burmese Chin songs in the future and inspire others through their music.

TARIRO

Tariro is a neo soul and R&B girl group that formed in the year 2023. The group consists of portfolio participants Vimbai Shammah and Chi who are talented and dynamic artists that are passionate about creating music that connects with their audience on a deep emotional level.
Inspired by the likes of Beyoncé, Sabrina Claudia, Jasmin Sullivan, Ari Lennox, and many other powerhouse vocalists and artists in the industry, Tariros music encompasses a unique blend of soulful melodies and thought-provoking lyrics that speak to the heart of their listeners.

Y.C. Liu

Born in Taipei and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau, Naarm-based singer-songwriter Y.C. Liu is no stranger to migration. Just like moving to a new place allows for reinvention, Liu’s songs are invitations for the truest and deepest parts of ourselves to emerge amid often difficult and uncertain emotional terrain.
His music is lush with evocative imagery attuned to the most subtle turns of the heart, reminiscent of writers like Sufjan Stevens and Joni Mitchell. Guided by his distinctive, velvet baritone voice, flickering guitar chords and choir-harmonies, his debut single ‘Some Nights’ has an unmistakable warmth that evokes the image of a family huddled around a campfire at dusk. Written after the passing of his father, it is a tender ode that explores the unravelling of identity in the wake of loss, and is the first single to emerge from a collection set for release in 2023.

Amla

Amla is a multi-instrumentalist (flautist, violinist and vocalist) who creates original and improvised worldly soundscapes. Informed by her Classical background in flute and years of experience in a diverse range of musical genres with other musicians (Latin pop, Electronic, Mariachi, Celtic Folk, Jazz, Flamenco, to name a few), she floats through carefully crafted melodies and emotive lines that take you on an enjoyable journey.

Jun Parker

Taking inspiration from City Pop and Retro Tokyo sounds, Jun creates bilingual intercultural music that is groovy, yet melancholic, and funky, yet nostalgic. Fusing elements of pop, jazz, fusion, folk, funk, R&B and bossanova, he creates his distinctive sound from a rural costal outpost in Victoria. Infusing elements of Japanese 70's and 80's City Pop vibe and sentimentalities, his lyrical world of love, philosophy and dreamscapes elevates the listeners to a whole new universe. Jun brings urban-style 'City Pop' soundscapes to collide with his sense of Australian rusticality, uniquely derived from his life experience of having lived half of his life in urban Tokyo and the other half in rural Australia. C'mon and enter his world of Funky Nostalgia
His first worldwide single 'Embracement' in July 2022 has been well received globally with radio play across not just Australia and Japan but finding its way to European, North American and South American stations. His sophomore single Say Goodbye built on this success. His latest release, “Dancing in the Dark” was produced by an eminent Japanese synth pop producer, Seiki Sato. His latest release, “All Because of the Moon” as heard on Triple J, and Double J was released from a South American record label.

Minhy

Multi-award winning songwriter and designer, Minhy [mini], is here to live fully and truly, inspired by her parents’ refugee journey to Australia after the Vietnam War.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Minhy has been creative since young and is forging a path that sets her apart. From automotive design, to designing logos and artwork for fellow musicians, she is now reconnecting with her identity, heritage and life purpose after discovering songwriting 3 years ago.
Minhy’s self directed Music Video for her debut single ‘Dead Of The Night’ won Best Music Video at the LA Film Awards, New York Film Awards, Top Shorts, and Best Animated Music Video at the International Music Video Awards and Munich Music Video Awards. After releasing ‘Entangled’ APRA AMCOS invited Minhy to play her first gig at their Regional Sessions 2022 in Gippsland. Her releases have received enthusiastic radio play from 3RRR, FBi Radio, Syn FM, and InnerFM. With storytelling at the heart of her creative process, Minhy builds sonic and visual worlds to immerse in. Her songwriting is ruminative, with the intertwining of original metaphors and catchy melodies to express her multilayered emotions and concepts. With influences including Alicia Keys, Grimes, Kimbra and BANKS, Minhy’s style is an explorative fusion of pop, electronic and R&B.

2022

VÉR

VÉR is a genre-bending solo project from Melbourne (AUS) artist and conscious storyteller, Rhyver Mores. Pulling inspiration from a wide variety of sources that range from R&B and trip-hop to Nordic metal and Sanskrit mantras, VÉR produces a unique and unmistakable sound.
Rhyver began writing music and poetry at an early age, earning accolades from 'The International Society of Poets,’ and earning their first publication at 11 years old. Rhyver continued writing and collaborating with local bands as a lyricist and developing their skills as a writer before spending the next decade as a spiritual seeker, exploring their inner-world, and striving towards universal truths. After training in reiki, sound healing, yoga, and naturopathy, Rhyver began refocusing on music as an outlet to share their deepest insights.
VÉR plans to debut their first consciousness-raising project and audio-visual EP "The State of Things" with the first single and video clip, “Mama”, in July 2022. Bridging mediums into the visual sphere, VÉR teamed up with Soft Focus Media Ltd. And Taymaynari Productions Ltd. to create a visual story-telling experience to deepen the immersive experience of the listener in the deeply reflective themes of transformation, liberation, and redemption. VÉR invites the audience to explore their world and music through a continuous short film or individual clips, available on YouTube after the live premiere in September 2022 (Studio 66 – Fitzroy).

They'll be playing at Open Studio on the 17th of August as a part of The Portfolio Project. Come!