Emily Wurramara, singer-songwriter
One person can only do so much and I hope to inspire that change ...
Friends, meet Emily Wurramara. She grew up on the remote Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory, before moving to Brisbane at a young age. Emily taught herself the piano when she was only ten, and has been writing music and performing ever since. For Emily, music is far more than a career – it runs a lot deeper than that. She’s leading a new wave of young Indigenous artists who are harnessing thousands of years of culture and heritage and conveying it to the modern world through the power of music. As a passionate advocate for nature, the land and the sea, Emily aims to create awareness and inspire change. Her most recent song is performed in her native language, so unless you’re one of 60 people that can speak it, you won’t understand a word – but her emotion, vocal energy and instrumental talent shines through to translate the message as clear as day. Emily is in town on April 7 for An Evening With Archie Roach as part of Bleach* Festival 2018, so we caught up for a chat about her passion for nature, mum life and preserving her heritage.
What’s your earliest memory of music?
The earliest memory for me for me was singing karaoke at my Lola’s (Grandmother’s) house and I was probably 5 or 6, it was super cute!
You’ve got lots on the go at the moment! You recently released a new song Ngarrukwujenama, which is the first from your soon-to-be-released album Milyakburra. Tell us a bit about the track – what was the inspiration behind it?
Ngarrukwujenama means I’m hurting, I’m hurting for the land, I’m hurting for the sea. This song I wrote for a dedication to the fight my people went through to prevent sea-bed mining. It’s a celebration, an anthem and a reminder that not only are we protectors of the land, we are also protectors of the sea.
What do you hope that listeners take from the track and the impending album?
I hope they feel the drive and inspiration to do more for our Mother Earth. It’s destructive and it’s cruel, I’m a huge advocate for the land and sea and the beautiful plants, corals and animals. It’s all a cycle and we’re included in that cycle so I hope to create awareness with my people’s story and spread a message that if we stand together we can accomplish anything. One person can only do so much and I hope to inspire that change with Ngarrukwujenama.
The song Ngarrukwujenama is in your Indigenous language of Anindilyakwa, which is incredibly rare and spoken by very few people. So, how did you approach putting the song together, given the language barrier with listeners?
My Mum and my God Mum are always my go-to when it comes to language, there are different ways to say things and I’m very particular with my pronunciation while I sing the language in a melody. I knew the song had to be powerful and strong, originally I wrote it on piano when I was in Paris for a music project but the final product ended up more of a reggae kind of rootsy feel on guitar. I think the way I sing it pours out the emotions of sadness but also happiness, the pre-chorus is a celebration but the chorus gets serious and you can hear that in all the little ad libs in the background. I utilise vocals and instruments to give out those emotions, but I hope it’s the right one everyone’s feeling haha.
Where do you draw most of your inspiration from for your music?
I’m a nature-inspired woman, I love the sea, I love the forests, I love the desert and now I love the snow too! Nature is my element and I like to incorporate her elements into my music.
You recently became a new mother, congratulations! How do you go about balancing a music career, little sleep and a beautiful new baby?
Thank you! It’s the deadliest thing that’s ever happened to me! I have my Mum living with me and so much support, I’m so thankful and grateful that I have people who genuinely believe in me and my music. My team is the best, but when I’m not away I’m at home and do the early morning shifts, I end up living on 2-5 hours sleep a day which is great haha but I absolutely love it!
We’re really excited to have you on the Gold Coast for An Evening With Archie Roach as part of Bleach* Festival 2018! Can you tell a little about what’s in store?
I’m so stoked for this gig! It’s an honour to be supporting such an iconic and inspiring and wonderful human being like uncle Archie. I’ll be playing with a full band and performing songs from the New Album “Milyakburra” as well of songs of the EP “Black Smoke”
Finally, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received was from my mum, “To never be shame of who I am and where I came from.”
You can experience the goodness of Emily Wurramara at An Evening With Archie Roach on April 7 – an unmissable event in the spectacular Bleach* Festival 2018 calendar.
