Australia Day is a tricky one for me. As an Australian music blog, I feel there’s an expectation that I acknowledge the day in some way. However, it’s been many years since I’ve felt like it’s a day of celebration. And I won’t until we inevitably change to date to one that allows all of us to celebrate together. So what does feel right is taking the time to elevate Indigenous voices, to amplify them at a time when it feels they’re not being heard.
In that spirit, I want to introduce you to “Brother,” a soulful single from Birdz & Fred Leone. Both men are proud representatives of the Ngulungbura clan of the Butchulla nation. Listen in and you’ll even hear Fred singing in the Butchalla language as Birdz raps about his experiences as a First Nations man.
“’Brother’ for me is really about Blak control over Blak affairs,” Birdz explained. “There has been a long history of non-Indigenous people in governments always trying to speak for us and thinking they know what’s best for us and our communities, but we’ve been shouting it at the top of our lungs since the day we were born and the elders before us have been doing that too. They passed the torch to us and I think that’s what ‘Brother’ is truly about and keeping that legacy alive.”
“It’s all in the hook: ‘Brother lift up your brother, sisters, children and all. If they tell you to sit down, hold your head up and stand tall’,” Fred added. “In Butchulla lingo what I’m singing is, ‘Brother, walk with your brother. Go walk and walk out on the red dirt. Walk out onto the red dirt under the stars and when you talk, sit down on the red dirt and look up. And when you speak, don’t speak in English, speak in your grandmother’s tongue’”
I’ve featured “Brother” on my Sounds of Oz Loves Soul playlist, which features a diverse representation of Australia’s best current soul artists including First Nations artists, immigrants, and white Australians. All these voices make Australia great, and I can’t wait until we choose a national day that works best for every one.
Image used with permission from Island Records Australia
