Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
| Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 1970 |
| Origin | Galiwin'ku (Elcho Island), Australia |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Skinnyfish Music |
| Associated acts | Saltwater Band |
| Website | gurrumul.com |
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (born 1970) is an Indigenous Australian musician, who sings in the Yolngu language.
He was born in Galiwin'ku (Elcho Island), off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia about 350 miles from Darwin. He is from the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu and his mother from the Galpu nation.[1] He was born blind, has never learned Braille and does not have a guide dog or use a white cane. Yunupingu speaks only a few words of English, and is said to be acutely shy.[2]
He plays drums, keyboards, guitar (a right hand-strung guitar left-handed) and didgeridoo, but it is the clarity of his singing voice that has attracted rave reviews. He sings stories of his land in both languages (Gälpu, Gumatj or Djambarrpuynu, all Yolŋu Matha) and English.[3] Formerly with Yothu Yindi, he is now with Saltwater Band.
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[edit] Career history
In 2008 Yunupingu was nominated for four ARIA awards,[4] winning the awards for Best World Music Album[5] and Best Independent Release.[6] He also won three Deadlys, winning for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for Gurrumul and Single of the Year for "Gurrumul History (I Was Born Blind)".[7]
His first solo album, Gurrumul, debuted at #21 on the ARIA Charts and #1 on the independent chart.[8] Gurrumul peaked at #3 on the ARIA Charts.[9] Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu's friend Michael Hohnen produced the album and acts as his translator. Critics have heaped praise on the singer, describing his voice as having "transcendental beauty". Elton John, Sting and Björk are among his fans. When asked what he would do with any money he makes, he suggested it will go to his mother and aunts, following the Aboriginal tradition of sharing wealth.[2]
In November 2008, he was named 'Best New Independent Artist', and his album, Gurrumul, 'Best Independent Album' and 'Best Australian Independent Blues/Roots Album' at the Jägermeister AIR (Australian Independent Record Labels Association ) Awards held at Melbourne's Corner Hotel.[10] In January 2009, his song, "Gurrumul History (I Was Born Blind)", was featured on the British TV Show, Skins.
On New Year's Eve 2008, Yunupingu performed on Sydney New Year's Eve 2008–09 with his song "Bäpa". He is the 2009 Northern Territory recipient of Australian of the Year and he performed "Bäpa" at the ceremony.
In 2009 a portrait of Gurrumul by Guy Maestri won Australia's major art prize, The Archibald Prize.[11]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- Gurrumul (2008)
- Rrakala (8 April 2011)
[edit] References
- ^ OzArts Gurrumul
- ^ a b Aboriginal singer beats poverty and prejudice to top Australian charts Barbara McMahon, The Guardian, 17 July 2008. Accessed July 2008
- ^ dB Magazine Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunipingu
- ^ Aria Awards
- ^ SBS news Arnhem Land's Gurrumul wins ARIA award
- ^ News.com.au 2008 Aria Award Winners
- ^ Northern Territory News Gurrumul Deadly at Awards
- ^ National Indigenous Times - Issue 156 Gurrumul CDs to tap into UK
- ^ The ARIA Report issue 1021
- ^ "Yunupingu Wins AIR Awards Triple". Billboard.biz. 2008-11-25. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3iebd6a39896504e50fda355ba222fdf10. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Archibald Prize 09". Art Gallery of New South Wales. 2010-02-08. http://thearchibaldprize.com.au/09/winners/archibald.html. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – MySpace page
- "An Intimate Evening Performance" video of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu from Australian public broadcaster ABC.
- Video of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu performing at YouTube
- National Indigenous Times - Issue 151 Yunupingu's voice creates waves throughout the world
- skinnyfishmusic.com.au Skinny Fish Music - Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
