See Emma Memma at Vietjet Redcliffe KiteFest 2024

Published 6:00am 6 September 2024

Words by Jodie Powell

Beloved children’s entertainer Emma Memma is all set for this year’s Vietjet Redcliffe KiteFest.

The first female member to join The Wiggles, replacing Greg Page as the yellow Wiggle in 2013, Emma Memma says she’s already hearing from families keen to see her in action on the Sesame Lane Main Stage on both days of the popular event.

“We’ve started receiving messages from families who are coming to KiteFest and the Boop and Twirl tour, which shows how loyal they are,” Emma Memma says.

“We get direct feedback from social media – we get quite a lot of good intel because people tell us what they appreciate and what they want more of, which is a help.”

Return to Redcliffe

Emma Memma says she’s looking forward to experiencing Vietjet Redcliffe KiteFest for the first time – but she’s no stranger to the Peninsula and can’t wait to visit again.

“We’re familiar with Redcliffe because I have been travelling up there in the last 15 years performing (with The Wiggles),” she explains.

“Being able to perform outside is a different energy (and) when we get those opportunities to perform at festivals there’s definitely a sense of excitement.

“Sometimes in a really big arena things can get lost and that’s why KiteFest is a great space because it’s family-oriented and the community is really behind it.

“Anything that feels like a picnic, and we’re there.”

Meet Emma Memma’s friends

While Emma Memma’s friend Elvin Melvin’s not coming to Vietjet KiteFest, she says BB Butterfly is looking forward to entertaining families.

“Elvin is devastated he’s not coming to KiteFest – he takes leave from his full-time job to come touring with us, but this time we’re bringing BB Butterfly.”

Also joining Emma Memma at Vietjet Redcliffe KiteFest is her husband, Oliver Brian, who she says is responsible for creating the show’s musical magic.

“My husband Oliver is a music producer and we met back in The Wiggles days,” Emma Memma says.

“That magic sense of catchiness is something that’s really ingrained in him and he does quite a lot of research and study.”

Entertaining children

Emma Memma, whose self-titled album won Best Children’s Album at last year’s ARIA Awards – beating offerings from The Wiggles and Play School – says there’s definitely an art to creating the perfect music for children.

“It needs a great hook, something that’s easy enough for children to achieve, that their parents and caregivers will enjoy, something that’s not annoying but has good repetition.

“I credit Ollie for our musical magic.”

She says that magic’s important, because children can be a tough audience, and she appreciates the trust families place in her to create a safe, educational and entertaining space.

“For us, as children’s entertainers we want to make sure our audience is engaged.

“That audience attention is important – parents and caretakers bring their children to see us.

“It’s the families – they want what’s best for their child and children are so honest in their actions.”

Focus on inclusivity

Emma Memma is also proud of the work she and her team do to make their shows as inclusive as possible.

She says commitment to inclusivity has been a lifelong journey – she’s long included sign language in her shows, has completed a Diploma of Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and recently received a Doctorate in Philosophy – integrating sign language and dance for children’s screen media.

“I grew up with deaf friends and being a dancer (sign language) felt like a dance.

“I did lots of community courses while I was with The Wiggles, but it wasn’t until the (COVID-19) pandemic that I was able to do a course online.

“All our team has a basic level of sign language and varying abilities of hearing – there’s all sorts of abilities within the team.

Visual clues

“In the past 15 years I’ve noticed more and more families using visual communication.

“It might not mean they have hearing loss. They might be non-verbal, but they’re still signing to me when I’m singing.

“There’s such an amazing benefit from learning visually and yet our children are not always getting that.

“A child can’t say ‘I want that milk on the table’ but they can point at it and their parents know what they want.”

Emma Memma says visitors to Vietjet Redcliffe KiteFest can look forward to tunes from her ARIA Award-winning album, as well as songs from the new album, Twirly Tunes.