Womaloya is an international musical collaboration between five female artists from the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific.  In March 2026, five artists from Réunion Island and Australia will create new music together for the first time, blending the traditional Maloya of Réunion Island with contemporary Australian sounds.

The collaboration came about when Emily Sheppard spent three months on artistic residency in Réunion Island in 2024 and collaborated with Katy Toave on a track called Koté Ou. This track is a rare combination of classical/celtic violin with Maloya, and opened up a new and imaginative blend of musical possibilities.

Emily and Katy are building on this collaboration through a 10-day compositional residency in Nipaluna/Hobart in 2026, with co-composers Rosie Rayah Light (singer, multi-instrumentalist) and Flora Carbo (saxophone). They will be joined also by percussionist Maelle Phileas from Katy's band Simangavole. The outcome of this residency will be a suite of new music, building on the soundworld of Koté Ou.