Miss Chatelaine

Katie celebrates the 400th episode of Miss Chatelaine by revisiting the theme of her very first show in 2017: protest songs. She welcomes singer-songwriter and activist Emmy Ryan to the studio to talk about Emmy’s time living and working in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, how protest songs can inspire, and how every action and word – no matter how small – can make a difference. Katie reads out congratulat...

Australia’s annual NAIDOC Week – known by many First Nations people as ‘Mob Christmas’ – celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Katie marks it every year with an hour of music by First Nations artists. The theme for 2026 is ’50 Years Deadly’, marking five decades of NAIDOC Week. The official website says the theme is “a tribute to the eld...

Several of the excellent songs in the first hour of today’s show are collaborations – some of them feature well-known artists, or at least artists Katie has played on Miss Chatelaine in the past (Bombay Bicycle Club, Riley Pearce, Nectar Woode, Elton John, k.d. lang, Neko Case, Laura Veirs), while others are from artists who are new to Katie (On’yu, Daniel Parsons-James, Olive Jones, Rowan Murphy)...

Apart from New York band The Lemon Twigs, all the songs in this hour are by Australian artists. Some of them are well known (John Schumann, Sarah Blasko, Gretta Ray), some are so hot right now (Keli Holiday, Queenie), and some are emerging artists you need to hear (Steel City Sue, Julia Wallace, Tim Clark). Here is the playlist: All the Fun – Steel City Sue Somebody – Keli Holiday I Will Stay Up –...

Today’s first hour features new music by artists based in Torquay and Daylesford (Victoria), north Queensland, Sydney, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Dorset, Sussex and London. The songs cover wealth inequality, sexual harassment, keeping vigil with a dying loved one, wanting to run away when life gets hard, space travel, trust-falling and more. Here is the playlist: Two Weeks – Leah Senior In This Heart –...

After playing new releases by the great Richard J. Frankland, show favourite Kate Miller-Heidke and far northern New South Wales duo Watling & Bates, Katie welcomes queer Narrm/Melbourne singer-songwriter and furniture restorer Monica De Angelis to the JOY studio to chat about her new song, ‘Mrs Murray’, which was inspired by stories she has encountered through her work restoring vintage furni...

It’s a foggy, cold winter morning in Narrm/Melbourne, but Katie keeps herself and her listeners warm with a selection of songs by artists based in Victoria’s Otway Ranges, Geelong, Tarntanya/Adelaide, Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Meanjin/Brisbane, Pōneke/Wellington, and San Francisco. Several of the featured artists are playing at this year’s BIGSOUND, being held in Meanjin from 1 to 4 September – this...

Listeners offer suggestions to fix Katie’s persistent blocked nose while she spins a whole hour of beautiful new music by female-identifying artists (except for the male-identifying half of Fremantle duo Sea Swallow). They include Australian icons Kaie Noonan and Vika & Linda, emerging Sunshine Coast duo North and Elsewhere, UK-based Italian-Australian psych-folk singer-songwriter and illustra...

On this particular cold Melbourne morning Katie is suffering from a blocked nose, but she’s full of enthusiasm for today’s music, which includes a song from emerging gay Yarra Valley singer-songwriter Kye Arnot, a hilarious offering from queer Narrm duo and friends-of-the-show Tuck Shop Ladies, and a rollicking Appalachian-style cover of Dire Straits’ 1985 mega-hit ‘Money for Nothing’. Here is the...

The second hour of Katie’s annual Radiothon show continues to be all about the voice with in-studio guest Pen Larkins, a nonbinary singer, actor, vocal coach and voice artist. Katie and Pen play more songs by artists whose singing voices they love and also talk about a few voices they hate. JOY CEO Paul Scott-Williams drops in to tell us about Sing With JOY and Katie and Pen cover topics including...

It’s Radiothon time! This year Katie’s show is all about the voice, and her guest is nonbinary singer, actor, vocal coach and voice artist Pen Larkins. Katie and Pen play songs by artists whose singing voices they love and talk about why they love them, and invite listeners to suggest their own favourites. They chat about Pen’s particular interest in working with trans and nonbinary people, what ‘...

The second hour of today’s show features ripper songs about beer, the strength of women’s friendship, advice for a happy life, a fraudulent national leader, reclaiming your self-worth after heartbreak, pure romance, and more. Here is the playlist: Tenth of May – Sidney Yet Another Beer Song (Schnitty and a Couple of Beers) – Sturt Avenue Woman I Am – Skye Newman The Love & the Laughter – Chris...

Katie is delighted to receive a message from a long-lost Twitter friend during the first hour of today’s show. She lets listeners know about her plans for next week’s Radiothon show while she plays fabulous new releases from artists based mostly in Narrm/Melbourne and Sydney – and a song from Paul McCartney’s great new album. Here is the playlist: Josephine (Moorooba Cres) – Justine Eltakchi She’l...

During the second hour of today’s show, Katie honours beloved queer musician, comedian and activist Dame Jools Topp of Aotearoa New Zealand’s legendary Topp Twins, who died on 23 May from breast cancer, with a special segment. Along with her sister Lynda, Jools’ career began in the early 1980s and the Topp Twins became household names. Katie outlines their achievements, including some of their man...

Today’s first hour includes a couple of epic long songs – one by Sunshine Coast duo JC and the Tree about the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth, and the other by queer London-based songwriter and cellist Kelsey Lu about searching for safety in a world that keeps betraying you – as well as shorter but still fabulous new songs by upcoming local talents and established artists. Here is the p...

Katie welcomes Canberra-based Taiwanese-Australian singer-songwriter Kim Yang back to the JOY studio for a wonderful chat about her exquisite debut album, Turn On the Lights , and her recent time spent living in China and visiting and performing in Taiwan. Kim speaks about the songs on the album being about seeking to understand her background and stepping into her identity, especially as a migran...

Miss Chatelaine is always full of beautiful music, but this hour is just exceptional, with stunning sounds from the latest albums by The Deserters, José González, Shane O’Mara & Jac Tonks, and Scratching. There’s also a premiere radio play for the new song by local queer artist Monica De Angelis, a joyful Celtic-flavoured cover of a Katrina & The Waves classic, and more. Here is the playli...

Today’s second hour features awesome songs about memories, recovering from a breakup, asking a friend if they’re okay, life as a migrant, grief, fighting for your rights, and more. The artists are from Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, south-western Victoria, and the New South Wales north coast. Here is the playlist: Double Feature – Ruby Jones Honey, Honey – Ryan Martin John Can We Talk Sometime – Ali...

Katie presents an hour of great music by artists based in North Carolina, Texas, Nashville, Lyttelton (New Zealand), Boorloo/Perth, Narrm/Melbourne, northern New South Wales, and south-east Queensland. She also talks about being invited by the Darebin Falcons to a VFLW Pride game at Preston City Oval and the excellent people (and dogs) she met there. Here is the playlist: Destroying You – Anjimile...

Katie plays fabulous songs by artists from Chicago, California, south-east Queensland, Narrm/Melbourne, Gunaikurnai/Gippsland, Meanjin/Brisbane and Kaurna/Adelaide. They include probably one of the few pop songs ever to use both turntable scratches and Gregorian chant, a rollicking new version of a traditional Appalachian folk song, an early contender for Katie’s favourite song of the year,...

Today’s first hour features beautiful songs about transitioning between emotional states, a beloved old guitar, the joys of home, camping under the stars, staying hopeful after having your heart broken, and more. Here is the playlist: La petite mort – Nick Batterham Ayodele – Chloe Marks & The Mayhem Blue Skies – Ryan Bingham & The Texas Gentlemen Lavender – Elke Louie Hush (Chicago Versio...

It’s another hour of sublime folk, alt-country, blues, acoustic and roots music to nourish your soul. The local and international artists include Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist José González, Gold Coast–based singer-songwriter and producer Matthew Collins, American blues legend Taj Mahal, and Meanjin-based autistic brothers Aiden and Kai Boak, aka Wattmore. Here is the playlist: A Dream,...

Katie chats about rainy weather and rainbow lorikeets and plays beautiful music by artists from Victoria’s Surf Coast, Phillip Island, Narrm/Melbourne, Meanjin/Brisbane, Sydney, London and Dublin. There are songs about autistic masking, an Irishman who fought for the British in World War I, loving a person who is stuck in the past, the life of a musician, and more. Here is the playlist: Mothersong...

Katie talks about her work with the Ruby Demons , the queer supporter group of the Melbourne Football Club, during another hour of great music. The songs come from superb new albums by Nashville-based artists Braison Cyrus and Mitski, North Carolina–based trans folk artist Anjimile, central Victorian bluesman Julian James, Narrm-based band Tinman, and more. Here is the playlist: Bottom Line – Kim...

Katie has a cold, but that doesn’t stop her from presenting a show full of great new songs on themes of Australian polymath and hero Arnold Dix, trust, letting go of fear, women being historically positioned as sources of temptation, distraction or blame rather than as human beings navigating systems of power, and more. Here is the playlist: Fiona – Estelle Conley Too Soon – Shewita Sunday Service...