Sampa The Great is the award-winning moniker of Zambian musician, poet and songwriter, Sampa Tembo.
A dynamic force in contemporary hip hop, Sampa The Great rose to recognition in her then-base of Australia through early mixtapes, notably her breakthrough 2019 project Birds and The BEE9, which won the coveted Australian Music Prize.
Since then, the strength and lasting quality of Sampa The Great’s profile has been exemplified through standout headline and festival performances; supporting the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Thundercat and Ms. Lauryn Hill, and developing works that have taken the wider music industry by storm.
The release of Sampa’s debut album The Return (2019) changed everything for the artist; becoming the recipient of three ARIA Awards, landing the 2019 Australian Music Prize (making Sampa The Great the first musician to achieve the feat), and becoming a BET Amplified Artist of the Month. All the while shifting the dial of what it means to be a black artist creating genre and culture shifting music out of Australia.
Globally, Sampa The Great has become a name frequenting many well known festivals and franchises including (and not limited to) Coachella, Glastonbury, Primavera, Lollapalooza, The Roots Picnic, NPR’s Tiny Desk series, AFROPUNK and, Later….With Jools Holland. An artist who has landed on both Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s personal playlist, who earned support from industry heavyweights like Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden and Annie Mac, Sampa The Great is invested in storytelling from the heart and with unashamed honesty; and it’s a brand of musicianship that has been received with excitement and a hunger for more.
Collaborating with the likes of The Avalanches, Baker Boy, Emmanuel Jagari Chanda (WITCH) and Angelique Kidjo, appearing on the posthumous ‘Stumbling Down’ with the late Tony Allen in 2020 and lending her voice to younger sister Mwanjé’s debut project, Sampa The Great is stepping into a new chapter of self-assurance and confidence with her forthcoming record, As Above, So Below.
