Wildheart: 5 First Nations Artists Sharing Storytelling in Music That Speaks Volumes
No matter how big your platform, the opportunity for First Nations artists to have their music and messaging heard should always be presented front and centre.Through education and explanation (especially in music) we can get a better understanding of the atrocities Indigenous Australians have endured. When Meanjin/Brisbane boys Wildheart released their latest single ‘Death Is All That’s Left‘, it came with a proclamation that stuck with us ever since.The song addresses how First Nations voices have continued to be unheard or listened to - an ongoing issue that was once again amplified following the "No" vote late last year.As vocalist (and proud Yugambeh man) Axel Best explained:
“As long as this continues to be an issue, we’re going to keep addressing it. We want to use our platform to discuss issues that matter – someone’s got to do it”.
If you’re in a position to help others, you should be using your position and power to do so. People have a right to education, to equal opportunities, to feel safe.
And with that, we opened the door for the band to spotlight fellow First Nations artists who are releasing music with impactful storytelling that are well and truly worth checking out.
1. Nerve Damage - 'Drip Fed. Misled' (featuring Joel Birch)
Bundjalung man Shaun Allen (Shal) and the rest of the band really capture the anger and frustration in recorded form in 'Drip Fed. Misled', and that is the same energy that inspires us in our own writing on issues that we’re passionate about.Back in 2019 Shal agreed to join us on our track 'Rising Tide' about Indigenous deaths in custody, and the anger and our advocacy for change continues from that song into our new single which covers the same subject matter.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U04CCv2gNZ4
2. Chasing Ghosts - 'Summer'
We’ve seen Thungutti man JimmyKyle and ChasingGhosts perform this song live a number of times, and each time the audience is completely silent as he holds their attention and they listen to him explain the meaning behind the song and the truly devastating impacts of Colonisation on First Nations peoples.This song tells the true story of the 1856 Towel Creek massacre, and features Jimmy singing in both English and his language. An acoustic version also featured on their Homelands Unplugged record, distributed through Bad Apples Music (who distributed our record 'Solid Rock // Sacred Ground').https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkJ6t-wtWXs
3. Kobie Dee - 'Statistic'
Kobie Dee is a Gomeroi man and rapper from Bidjigal Land in South Sydney. This song and the message behind the lyrics are incredibly important. He highlights the disproportionate and alarming number of First Nations people incarcerated in Australia through lines such as:
“I get the feeling that they’ll lock me away / I’m a black man living in this country where it’s normal to be sent to a place where my people make almost 50%”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26PkTpinY4g
4. A.B. Original - 'January 26th'
A.B. Original is an Australian hip hop duo made up of rapper Yorta Yorta man Briggs and record producer Ngarrindjeri man Trials. Briggs and his label Bad Apples Music have been a big supporter of ours, and it’s been very cool working with them on our last release. The song title of this track says it all (released 7 years ago and the date has still not been changed).Briggs was a vocal supporter of the ‘Yes’ campaign last year and was very active in advocacy work around informing voters, for example in this Guardian article herehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ9qeX4gUeo
5. Nooky - 'We Are Warriors featuring Mi-Kaisha'
Nooky is a Proud Yuin and Thungutti man, rapper, and radio host of Triple J’s Blak Out show.Much like the earlier songs we’ve mentioned, this track has an important message, seen through lines that show prejudiced comments towards First Nations peoples like “told me football or crime could be my only purpose”. Nooky has played our music on his show a number of times, blending in a heavy artist amongst all the amazing hip-hop talent on his show seamlessly, which we truly appreciate.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfvqjjtvhlMWe thank the Wildheart boys for sharing this important message across Wall Of Sound and encourage everyone to keep up with the band across their socials and make sure to always keep an open mind when stories like these are shared, especially through music.
Follow Wildheart via the website
Stream ‘Death Is All That’s Left‘ here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzm77qCVOrY
