MAYLENE YINARR SHARES POWERFUL NEW SINGLE ‘THIS IS FOR US’ TAKEN FROM NEW EP SINGING OUR FUTURES – RELEASED TODAY
Radiating poise and soul equipped with a powerful narrative, the new single This Is For Us from singer-songwriter Maylene Yinarr is a sonically lush and thematically important outing, bustling with hope and healing from the talented Naarm artist. Marking the final single released as part of the self-titled Singing Our Futures EP, also out today, This Is For Us joins a stunning collection of songs from fellow artists Ridzyray, Kee’ahn and Emma Donovan, Madi Colville-Walker and Kiwat Kennell under the inaugural Singing Our Futures umbrella, aka The Archie Roach Foundation’s mentoring experience centred around helping First Nations artists on their songwriting and recording journeys.
A stirring and polished ballad, This Is For Us draws on Yinarr’s captivating knack for weaving creations that are equally haunting, uplifting and thought-provoking, while also seeking to inspire conversations about identity and vulnerability. Mentored by the Singing Our Futures leader and fellow artist Candice Lorrae to bring This Is For Us to life, Yinarr balances diverse inspiration alongside a poignant tribute to First Peoples native to any land, as she explains, “This song is a tribute to the frontier wars on the soil that is now known as ‘Australia’. The war that existed between the Aboriginal warriors, hunters and gatherers of many nations at the time of Invasion, colonisation and European settlement. We are their children. I am their daughter. For this song, I was inspired by our blak music royalty, as well as gospel music, blues roots, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Evanescence, Nina Simone, Etta James, Sia, Sigur Rós, Andrea Bocelli, Fleetwood Mac, Patty Griffin and others like Brandi Carlisle, Sara Bareilles, and Ingrid Michaelson.”
Penned from a place of hope and healing, This Is For Us also furthers Yinarr’s ever-growing legacy, with her work alongside both Singing Our Futures program leader Candice Lorrae and other mentors in and around the program also offering her a chance to rejuvenate her creative spirit and meaningfully connect with other creatives and her community following a devastating personal loss. “For This Is For Us, the amazing Candice Lorrae was my mentor and she is a fierce, talented and powerful woman,” shares Yinarr. “We’ve taken my music to a whole new level – within the program to my other tracks that will be released in 2024. I’ve also worked closely with Linc Yow Yeh (The Deans of Soul), I’ve met one of my idols, Gina Williams and Shellie Morris, Uncle Kutcha Edwards, and, as a community, I still have my mentors, Uncle Robert Bundle, Uncle Brad Brown (Kool Mist), Uncle Dave Arden and of course, my Mum, Sharon Slater and my Dad, Mel Burns. Singing Our Futures is so heart-warming and community driven. It’s been a beautiful road. My journey in the project was a heartbreaking start with the loss of my twin sister, Marjorie, so our family was in deep Sorry Business. When I joined the project, it was an exciting secret that I didn’t get to tell her before we lost her. I’ve drawn strength from that – I’ll keep going and living out my dream of music. She was my biggest fan. She would have been right here with me on this journey. Everything that I do, I do for my family and my community. Music is a core healing energy for us as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I have been standing alongside incredible talent – our darling Madi Colville-Walker, Kiwat, Kee’ahn and Ridzyray. It’s an honour to start my recording career this way.”
Offering insight on the single art, Yinarr says, “It was exciting for me to engage a young First Nations graphic designer to design the single artwork, her name is Rubii Red. We worked together to create this artwork, Rubii really captured the essence of the song and the vision of our country when it is healing.”
Sparking her musical journey writing songs at the age of 15 at high school, Yinarr’s experience and inspiration under the tutelage of her high school music teachers led her to her ultimate creative pathway, with teachers Claudia Mameli, Sonny King Ismail and Peter Jones imparting a formula to songwriting that Yinarr still incorporates to this day – with the influence of her culture. Offering her an outlet that was missing in her youth, Yinarr learned to express and explore her feelings via music, with her first official song written in honour of her grandfather, Kamilaroi Elder Tom Slater. From songs penned in her Year 10 music book to adding her voice to the incredible inaugural Singing Our Futures program, Yinarr’s passion spills over vividly into her creative world, as does her admiration for the man behind the program: the late, great Archie Roach himself. “Uncle’s legacy has helped heal our people and shape our nation,” shares Yinarr. “Without his song with Aunty Ruby Hunter, Took The Children Away, our people would not have the international recognition and compassion that we do today. He will always be remembered. A man from Charcoal Lane, Ngar-go to the big stage, who showed the world the sounds of our longest living culture on Earth. He gave our generation the opportunity to follow in his footsteps with pride and with love. With my music, I am drawn to exploring the complex layers that we experience, the heartache and the victories. I love how we can tell a story in a melody and empty our soul into a song and in turn, fill up with the energy of music. I love the place that I go to in my mind and Spirit when I sing. I feel like that is the place beyond the stars.”
A meaningful and culturally safe songwriting program that supports emerging First Nations artists to tell their story through songwriting, Singing Our Futures was devised pre-COVID and was one of the leading programs of the Archie Roach Foundation. Led by Candice Lorrae (The Merindas), an established singer-songwriter and music producer with Jawoyn and Torres Strait Islander roots, Singing Our Futures has since evolved into an impactful and ever-growing initiative for emerging artists and storytelling that spans genres and generations, culminating for 2023 with the long-awaited release today of its inaugural self-titled EP, Singing Our Futures out now.
Bringing together all previous singles unveiled under the Singing Our Future program this year, this extraordinary EP includes the spell-binding debut track Take No More, by Kee’ahn and Emma Donovan, the powerful dive into deep connection, Disconnected from Torres Strait Islander artist Kiwat Kennell, as well as the mesmerising ode to home and country via Yinarr Mulana Winyarr by Yorta Yorta creative Madi Colville-Walker, and pure serenity courtesy of the EP’s final track, Yinarr’s This Is For Us, with the latter unforgettably teaming Yinarr up with program leader Candice Lorrae.
“It’s been a journey and a memorable experience producing the Singing Our Futures program,” shares Lorrae. “There’s nothing else quite like it. It’s meaningful and we get to share our stories through music. This program was born from Uncle Archie’s legacy. We feel him and our ancestors standing with us throughout this journey. Working with Maylene as a mentor taught me so much about the power of healing through music. I knew that music was healing from the start, but Maylene Yinarr has proven it to me through her songs, kindness, strength and wisdom.”
“I feel this is a good way to land the EP release with Maylene’s song as the feature,” Lorrae concludes. “This If For Us, it’s all for us. Uncle Archie has really paved a way for us all and I’m extremely honoured continuing his legacy by running the Singing Our Futures program.”
Maylene Yinarr’s This Is For Us single and the Singing Our Futures EP are both out today via Cooking Vinyl Australia.
THE CORONAS SHARE NEW SINGLE ‘ONE LAST TIME’ + ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM THE BEST OF THE EARLY DAYS FOR NOV 24 RELEASE + TOURING AUSTRALIA NATIONALLY IN NOVEMBER
Dublin’s finest, The Coronas, return today armed with a new single; a previously unheard song One Last Time, which was recorded in 2009 when the band were just getting going. With sweeping strings, acoustic guitar and the magnetic vocal stylings of Danny O’Reilly, One Last Time also heralds the upcoming release of The Best Of The Early Days; an album that celebrates the early back catalogue of The Coronas, due out November 24, alongside the band’s return down under the very same month. Lined up to charm Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne alongside special guest Roison O, both the upcoming Coronas album and tour are guaranteed to continue the trio’s reputation as one of the most consistent and impressive acts on the scene.
One Last Time fittingly closes out The Coronas The Best Of The Early Days on an emotional and delectably lush note. Inspired by the likes of The National, Gang Of Youths, Radiohead, Oasis, Coldplay, The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac; One Last Time is an acoustic wonderland that simultaneously uplifts and breaks your heart. With The Coronas detailing deep emotions in this previously unreleased track, as the band elaborates; “We’re delighted to be releasing this album. It’s something that we’ve been planning for a while. It’s a collection of songs from our first three albums. When we remembered One Last Time, an unreleased song from this time that we always loved, it seemed right to add it to the album as a bonus single. It’s a breakup song that describes the tricky time just after a relationship ends, where you meet up and there’s so much emotion and feelings still there. And spending that time together.”
A multi-platinum group who can claim supporting Bruce Springsteen in Hyde Park, playing for President Biden, and making chart history as the only independent Irish band to claim three consecutive chart-topping albums, The Coronas have also previously been voted as the #1 Live Act of the Year by Hot Press. The Coronas are certainly not ones to rest on their laurels, consistently evolving their melancholic pop, singalong-worthy anthems and cinematic indie rock creations; whilst thriving against the odds even despite the unfortunately named virus that momentarily halted the world. Off the back of the pandemic years and releasing their 2022 album, Time Stopped, The Coronas embarked on their biggest world tour to date, christening their seventh full length album – selling out venues in London, New York and Vancouver, as well as a sold out performance at Sydney’s Metro Theatre.
Now set to return to Australia this November to perform at some of the country’s most iconic venues, also armed with some fresh magic with the impending November release of The Best Of The Early Days, there’s plenty to look forward to as 2023 draws to a close – both for The Coronas and fans alike, as the band concludes; “Our last show in Sydney was pretty special. To sell out a venue the size of the Metro Theatre, with all its history, was an amazing moment for us. In the past we’ve tended to just be there for short visits but it’s great that this time we’ll have a few days off in Sydney where we can enjoy a bit of downtime! We always try to put on an energetic live show. Expect big choruses, sing-along moments and fun times!”
One Last Time is out today, Friday October 13.
The Best Of The Early Days is due out November 24.
THE CORONAS – UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
FRI 10 NOV | THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE
Tickets available from moshtix.com.au
SAT 11 NOV | THE ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY
Tickets available from ticketek.com.au
FRI 17 NOV | BADLANDS, PERTH
Tickets available from oztix.com.au
SAT 18 NOV | NORTHCOTE THEATRE, MELBOURNE
Tickets available from moshtix.com.au
RADICAL SON SHARES MAGNETIC NEW SINGLE ‘UNTIL YOU CALL MY NAME’
A magnetic meeting point of shimmering soul and beauty, the new single Until You Call My Name out now from Radical Son is a striking ode to gratitude and the power of love. A goosebump-inducing moment in time from the revered Kamilaroi artist with Tongan heritage, Radical Son will bring his new track as well as his forthcoming album Biliyambil (The Learning) to vivid life at the Sydney Opera House supporting Emma Donovan on October 20, as well as 2024’s National Folk Festival.
Produced by Andrew Robinson, Until You Call My Name is a proud, calm, yet stirring outing from Radical Son, aka David Leha, inspired by its producer Robinson as well as Marcus Longfoot and Darkinjung local Phil Bligh. With humid percussion, bright piano and the emphatic, immersive vocals of Radical Son himself, Until You Call My Name flourishes in its beautifully-crafted simplicity, beating at its core with the magic sparked between Radical Son’s work with Robinson and Longfoot at Full Circle Audio in Redfern, alongside Wantok Music. And for Radical Son, Until You Call My Name holds a special place in his heart, as he explains, “Proud of this piece. Of all the works that I have created, it’s one of my favourites.”
Another taste of Radical Son’s highly anticipated sophomore album Biliyambil (The Learning) which is set for release in early 2024, Until You Call My Name is a poignant yet powerful ode to finding happiness in moments of chaos, with Radical Son’s commanding vocals soaring above an ambient glow, declaring “I hear you call my name / Wanting to engage / We’re all finding our way / We’re coping with the struggle”. And in a world consistently divided and full of unrest, Until You Call My Name offers a calming balm as well as a timely reminder to look for what matters most in the darkness, as Radical Son shares, “For those divided and lost, pulled or drawn in many directions both externally and internally. I’m mindful that we are all finding our way and that as hard as it may sometimes be just getting by in life, it is my hope that we find a way to live life, to love.”
One of the mightiest and most compelling artists in the Australian cultural scene, Radical Son channels his experiences from his challenging past into immense power and resolve, with his trademark sound burgeoning with the urgency of hip hop and emotionally-charged soul, as witnessed by these new songs, and his first full length album 2014’s Cause N’Affect. A festival favourite, cemented recently by his show-stopping cover of his mentor Uncle Archie Roach’s Walking Into Doors, Radical Son has performed to standing ovations at Bluesfest, St Kilda Festival, VIVID, the AFL Dreamtime 2032 game, and the official Uncle Archie Roach memorial in Melbourne in 2022.
A highly-skilled concert artist, with performance with classical ensembles and high-profile collaborations under his belt with David Bridie, Emma Donovan, Frank Yamma, Lady Lash, Mau Power and Deline Briscoe, Radical Son’s artistry also expands to film and TV, with credits including Defining Moments, a six-part NITV documentary exploring life-defining experiences, and theatre work, including the lead role of Pemulwuy in I am Eora at the 2012 Sydney Festival.
Studying as a musician at The Eora Centre for Visual and Performing Arts in Redfern, as well completing a Bachelor of Music from Newcastle Conservatorium, Radical Son’s creative prowess is only matched by his otherworldly stage presence that equally transfixes and transcends with authenticity and sheer, compelling power. Cultivating his transformational life into his place as a bright fixture on Australia’s cultural landscape, Radical Son’s moving soul vocals and unique flair only strengthen with time, potently witnessed today via Until You Call My Name. And with an appearance on the horizon over the Easter weekend in 2024 at the National Folk Festival, a hub for the Australian folk community, as ever, magic is guaranteed when Radical Son takes the stage.
Until You Call My Name is out today via Wantok Musik and distributed by MGM.
FRI 20 OCT | SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE WITH EMMA DONOVAN, SYDNEY, NSW
Tickets available from https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/birthday-festival/emma-donovan
THURS 28 MARCH – MON 1 APRIL | NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL, CANBERRA ACT
Tickets available from https://www.folkfestival.org.au/