14 April 2022
Changing lives one beat at a time
Through her South Australian record label, Bianca Nilsson is bringing unheard artists to a global audience – and giving voice to people in the margins, too.
From a very early age, Bianca Nilsson understood the power of music to lift people up, give comfort in the darkest times, and even to save lives.
“When I was in high school, I struggled a lot because I didn’t have many friends and I got bullied pretty often,” Bianca recalls. “The only thing I felt like I could turn to was music, which had such a huge impact on me.
“It helped give me a positive mindset – it genuinely saved my life. And I knew that I wanted to pursue something in music because I wanted to help people through music the same way music helped me.”
The result was Renegade Records, a company she founded to create “a safe space for musicians, especially people from a minority background”.
It boasts a wonderfully diverse artist roster, spanning genres from hip-hop to R&B and pop to punk, and while the label is proudly based in Adelaide, Bianca has signed artists from all over the country, and even as far afield as the US and UK.
From taties to tracks
That commitment to finding exciting artists who might otherwise not get an opportunity to be heard has seen her branch out into publicity and artist management as well as releasing music to radio and streaming services. It’s all Bianca’s way of helping produce the life-saving music of the next generation.
“It’s not only about the music – I want to know what the artist is like as a person and what their values are. They all have a story to tell.
“There’s all different types of music out there, but you can always tell when someone is speaking from the soul. When someone’s being authentic and ready to stand tall – even if they’re standing alone – that’s what speaks to me.”
With successes like Chicago hip-hop producer Calvin Spiethfel, rising R&B star GRCO and teenage prodigy ProdByOh (“He’s only 16, but he’s had almost two million plays on Spotify”), Bianca’s boundless enthusiasm for her artists is getting results worldwide.
“I want to help artists chase their dreams,” she says. “Music saved my life, so I want to save lives and have a positive impact. I’ve come this far, so I don’t see why I can’t go all the way.”
