“I don’t mind living in Geelong,” he says. “But something that is more important to me – like my family – when my family member passes away, that’s the hardest thing. I really miss my home and I wanted to go back, but other than that, it’s Australia. I love getting down to Melbourne.”
Moving to Geelong in 2011, Yirrmal is a part of a leadership program lead by the Marrma’ Rom’ Two Worlds Foundation, which gives young men from North-East Arnhem land an education in Geelong.
“[What] the Marrma’ Rom’ Foundation means is ‘living in two worlds’ of non Indigenous and Indigenous,” he says. “So we kind of build the bridge. Then back home, be a good role model for our people and show them what we gain out of the Western world. And that’s the point of why I’m here.”
Just as Yirrmal lives between these two worlds, his music also crosses cultural boundaries. “My music is more singer/songwriter, acoustically hollow. I was performing acoustically with the Yolngu Boys; that’s my heritage, Yolngu. But they went back home and I’ll just do solo and just play a solo performance. And that’s my genre. Singer/songwriter, acoustically, and singing language and English. So it’s more like contemporary.”
Already sharing his beautiful song Deep Sea Blue with people all over Australia, Yirrmal is set to release his debut EP early next year. Working closely with Warumpi Band’s Neil Murray and Goanna’s Shane Howard, it’s clear he has been inspired by their expertise in the process.
“I’ve been working with them. Collaborating, writing songs – they were amazing,” he says. “They motivated me with their ability, and I absolutely am honoured to work with them. It’s been a great, great journey you know, working with these unreal musicians and learning from them.”
Yirrmal is headed to November’s AWME conference where he’ll premiere songs from the EP. “I’ve been looking forward to getting out my EP. A lot of people when I was travelling around and playing gigs have been asking me for CDs,” he says.
It’s evident that Yirrmal’s love for his culture permeates his life, and he seeks to be a role model for his community. “It’s a call for all of us, you know, for the young generation to rise up and be strong and stand strong, be wise and look up and think way beyond the future.”
A voice for a new generation of Indigenous people, and a young man full of passion for music that moves you, Yirrmal Marika is a special sort of performer. Not only does he sing from a place of transparency, but he also lives out the words he writes.
“Music is about how you can hear it or you can feel it in any way. It’s all about heart, right? What it’s about, in my opinion, is when you see how many black kids there are, and how many white kids there are. If you count it, how are you going to relate those kids to minor and major?
“Minor is a heavier sound, and a major is a lighter sound, and when you relate those black keys, white and black keys, they will make so much beautiful sound. I play with my soul, I play with my heart and experience. I feel it, and I sing straight to the people where the heart is, and music is such a beautiful thing to me.”
BY JESSICA MORRIS
