Hester Fraser, aka GOLDHEIST, on making music for social justice and how community is built on storytelling

11/02/2026

These days it is increasingly impossible to ignore the political turbulence that is surrounding us on a global scale. As a creative, commentary on the role of artists in all of this is all over my feed. So, do artists have a duty to speak up for social justice?

When I spoke to North-West NSW based musician, Hester Fraser (known on stage as GOLDHEIST), the connection between social justice, community and storytelling was crystal-clear. For her, social justice is inseparable from her craft. And as a result, she says, she has been able to build a community around her work that is tighter than a traditional artist/audience relationship.

“It was a really gnarly drought and I was really detached from it living in Sydney. I came home and my dad was hand feeding 800 cattle all by himself with no help every day. It was immense manual labour and just so demoralising going out to these barren paddocks with all these hungry animals. And then everyone in the cities was just happily buying their steaks and not really recognising where it was coming from or what it was taking to get our food reaching our plates. The kind of money that you need to actually make a difference in these situations is well and truly beyond what I had the capacity to raise but there was a lot of really good raising of awareness.”

This was also her first tour under the alias GOLDHEIST, a name that provides her with a persona that she can embody on stage.

“I’m able to just be me and do my shopping and then be GOLDHEIST and it’s like an alter-ego kind of thing. It’s quite nice thing to be able to step into a whole energy when you go on stage.”

Over the years, her sound has developed from the harmonic layering in the work of artists like Fleetwood Mac, Annie Lennox and Imogen Heap, to incorporating the ballad-like storytelling of country music. This influence comes from living in Tamworth, NSW after moving home during COVID. Each year she has a heavy involvement in the Tamworth Country Music Festival which hosts over 300 000 people each year.

For Hester, a genuine connection with the people who listen to her music is essential, and this comes from the shared understanding that we get from listening to each other’s stories.

“I think the storytelling is super important because it’s the thing that kind of makes the songs important to someone else. And I’ve been busking since the beginning because you have this beautiful organic impact on people and if they stop to listen it’s like a really authentic thing because they don’t have to. They can just keep walking so if they stop it’s like a little tick of something that you’re doing right. I still get messages from people who saw me five years ago or more in the park and the impact that my music had on them that day. That’s really amazing to me.”

Hester has also experimented with the traditional music management system, but in the end, she values the choice to invest in yourself and reliance on a creative community that comes from being a self-managed artist.

Relying on friends in the industry means she can exchange skills, equipment and space with other musicians. This sort of mutual exchange has meant that she has built a true community of creatives and has given her the freedom to experiment with non-traditional release schedules that suit her process and schedule better.

“In 2024 I recorded and released a single every month. I had more than album’s worth of material that I wanted to release, and I thought about doing it as an album, but it is a lot of work and is quite overwhelming. So, I said, ‘I’m just going to do it one song each month.’ I really enjoyed it because there was a consistency to my work practice that I’ve never had before.”

But self-management does come with its own set of challenges, including both the costs of promotion, and the challenge of standing up against corporations like the major streaming services that often don’t pay artists fairly (approx. $0.003-$0.005 per stream, and requiring 15.3 million streams to achieve Australia’s annual minimum wage of approx. $46 000).*

“It’s very romantic, but at the end of the day, there is a huge amount of work and cost in promoting yourself. You need to educate yourself on how to do engaging marketing. There’re all these tips and stuff but it’s also hard to find the time to do it. It’s been very difficult towards artists and it’s just getting worse with all the A.I. stuff in terms of stolen artist content and ethics.”  

“And platforms like Spotify and Apple Music that don’t pay artists enough, but then they are the most recognisable platforms. If you’re on it, it’s already a stamp of legitimacy. What’s really hard is that there doesn’t seem to be any moral responsibility to people who could actually make a difference like record labels. So, it always seems to come down to the little grassroots activists to stand up to them.”  

And this is where politics comes back to the forefront. For Hester, talking about the social issues that affect us is how we connect and is something she has a responsibility to do. 

“There’s the storytelling element – it’s our way of connecting with each other. And that happens when we tell stories about the hard stuff as well. But it’s also that I feel a responsibility to speak up about things that are important. I always think of Dolly Parton when I come to this because I adore her and then I come away from it feeling confused because she is completely apolitical. And as a result, apparently a lot of people then feel safe with her. And that’s an amazing thing. But at the same time, I can’t not be vocal about things that are important to me. And if you don’t understand that part of my identity or what I stand for then you probably don’t really get my music and you’re probably not really seeing me. It’s important for your art and music to find its home where it speaks to the right people.” 

The regions have a lot to offer in building communities around music too. Hester has spent many years attending and playing at regional folk festivals around the country. Festivals like this are uniquely sustainable in comparison to the major, more city-focused music festivals that have struggled in the last few years.

This is why Hester is so drawn to the regions, where creating her music is not about fame and streaming numbers. It’s about being known by the right people and having a genuine connection to them.

“For me, the most important thing around the sustainability of my career is the communities that I’m able to tap into – music loving communities who will come to a show or host a house concert or come to a community hall. I find that because regional people generally have to rely on each more, they’re really good at that. There’s this need for people to help each other in the country which is a really deep part of the fabric of how life works which I think is different in the city where you can get anything, at any time, from anywhere. In Sydney, you put a show on and you’re relying on advertising or people looking for something to do for them to go to it. Whereas when you go to a tiny community, it might be the first thing that’s happened there this month. And you’ve got the CWA ladies who run the community hall rallying the troops and getting families together for a catch up, for example.”

Arts in the regions are so essential. Regional creatives play a central role in places like Tamworth, where Hester lives and works. The people are the backbone behind major festivals like the Tamworth Country Music Festival, as well as small-town folk festivals. Economically, the arts provide significant support, but beyond that, they are an essential connecting force.

In terms of our role here at Regional Arts NSW, our priority is to stand up for regional artists so that can keep doing this important work. We also provide nearly $800k in funding per year to regional artists through programs like the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund and the Windmill Trust Scholarship.

This is done in partnership with the Regional Arts Development Organisations (RADO), like Arts North West (ANW), who provide touring and performance opportunities, as well as professional development to artists. Hester herself also gives back in this way in her current role as ANW’s On Tour Officer.

“We need organisations to be able to advocate for the arts, if we’re metropolitan or regional. But regional can get fully left behind if there’s no one to say, ‘Hey, this is important,’ not just at a government level but also within communities. Artists need that promotional assistance to help tap into networks and collaborate.”

“The networks that we create are also really important. In my role, I have artists coming to me who don’t know my area at all, and I can help them understand geographically how to piece together the tour. We’re like a bridge between artists and an area because it’s hard to find that information for yourself.”

Hester’s creative philosophy is admirable and, for me, provides a clear insight into how important human connection and storytelling is in the arts. While for many artists, being apolitical is positive, for others it is core to their identify as a creative and has a profound impact on how they connect with their audience. Expressing your beliefs shows your audience a deeper part of yourself, and the impact your work has on them has the potential to embed itself far deeper into their life.

Hester also shows us that what artists offer regional communities is extremely significant. Not only do they provide economic benefits through cultural events like festivals, but they enrich their communities by fostering reliance on each other and giving them an excuse to gather. Her experience perfectly encapsulated how the arts help us to listen to each other’s stories and understand our shared humanity.

In the words of GOLDHEIST herself:

“Tell me your story and I’ll tell you mine

These are the stories that will bond us down the line

Down the line

The more I travel the more I see

Ancient history from the mountains to the sea

Our shared humanity”

– Wayfarer, GOLDHEIST (2019)

GOLDHEIST is currently on tour and is visiting places like Narara, Yetholme, South Durras, Nethercote, Canberra & more in the coming weeks and months!

To book tickets, learn more about GOLDHEIST or listen to her music, visit her website. 

You can also purchase her music now on Bandcamp, or stream it on Triple J Unearthed, Youtube, Apple Music and Spotify.

Written by Beatrice Waller (Operations & Engagement Officer at Regional Arts NSW)

*Source: playlistpumppr.agency/how-much-does-an-artist-make-on-spotify