Speaker 1: Welcome to First things first, I'm proplotting. My pronouns are sheena.
Speaker 2: I'm Maddie Mials. My pronouns are he and him. And
Speaker 2: before we get started, we'd like to acknowledge the custodians
Speaker 2: of the land on which we record and today we're
Speaker 2: all in the studio here on Gaddigal Land, so we'd
Speaker 2: like to pay respects to their elders. And we should
Speaker 2: just get straight into let's go.
Speaker 3: We have some really exciting guests today. Thank you guys
Speaker 3: so much for coming in. Who's your mom? We from?
Speaker 4: My name is Lela. I am a very proud West
Speaker 4: Paplind woman.
Speaker 5: My dad comes from Biak Island in West Papula and
Speaker 5: my mother is from the one Dummer tribe in West
Speaker 5: Papula as well.
Speaker 6: Beautiful Yamiyama, I'm miss Tambo praud gonroy man and yes
Speaker 6: in honor to be here today to share and yarm
Speaker 6: with you too, deadly mob and by the way, I
Speaker 6: think it's only right.
Speaker 7: We'll give you your flowers.
Speaker 6: There usually just a winning awards and just doing all
Speaker 6: kinds of crazy things like.
Speaker 2: It was a bit of a surprise. Honestly, we didn't
Speaker 2: really know that we're up for that award.
Speaker 1: Funny like we nearly bailed, Like he was wanting to bail, and.
Speaker 2: I was like, the Best Indigenous Podcast Award wasn't like,
Speaker 2: why don't we just go?
Speaker 1: You know?
Speaker 2: Then the host kateline Brook said, oh, we've only got
Speaker 2: three awards left and ours was the third last. So
Speaker 2: it was the Champion Award, which is voted across all nominations,
Speaker 2: and so it was a big award, you know, it's
Speaker 2: sort of one of the big ones of the night.
Speaker 2: And we didn't know we were even in the running.
Speaker 2: We just sort of why did we sell ourselves short
Speaker 2: not even put us in, you know, in the running.
Speaker 3: I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 1: It's like it's been surreal and I'm sure like there's
Speaker 1: been moments in both of your lives where you like
Speaker 1: not that I say out, yeah you do before you
Speaker 1: even in the running, or like you you already kind
Speaker 1: of like show yourself in the foot before you even
Speaker 1: like started walking or whatever.
Speaker 3: I don't know. I just felt it was.
Speaker 1: It really was.
Speaker 3: I was gobsmack. I was real, like Oscar Award winning.
Speaker 2: We look, it was dramatic the way that we walked
Speaker 2: up to that stage was like.
Speaker 1: Because we were actually we were in shock. But thank you.
Speaker 3: Okay, can we do this?
Speaker 2: But thank you so much. Look, I want to put
Speaker 2: it out there. Mitch and I we go way back.
Speaker 8: Back to the muddy waters of the Peel River.
Speaker 2: Exactly right. I mean, you know, Mitch came into my
Speaker 2: life when I was a young, little teenager at Pell
Speaker 2: High School.
Speaker 8: You know, a rebellious adolescent.
Speaker 1: Teller. So your first meeting was with little Maddie.
Speaker 8: With the little Maddie.
Speaker 6: Yeah, and I was what was I like, an aboriginal
Speaker 6: aide at the school, and Maddie was just this rebellious
Speaker 6: dude just getting around.
Speaker 7: Causing all kinds of it.
Speaker 6: Was always desined for greatness. But it is funny that
Speaker 6: we come from that same neck.
Speaker 8: Of the woods.
Speaker 2: Yeah, your mum was my teacher. It's crazy and it's
Speaker 2: so great to see that. You've obviously gone on to
Speaker 2: achieve incredible success. You know. One of the first big
Speaker 2: moments for you was the Australia's Got Talent. Tell me
Speaker 2: about that experience.
Speaker 6: Yeah, Look, I got asked to uppere on the show
Speaker 6: after maybe doing like three of my very first live
Speaker 6: shows as a so called singer songwriter.
Speaker 8: They reached out and.
Speaker 7: Said, let's do it.
Speaker 8: You know, let's see what happens, see if we can
Speaker 8: survive it.
Speaker 6: And little did I know, some gold confetti was going
Speaker 6: to rain down upon me and we'll go to the
Speaker 6: next round and end up taking on your the voice,
Speaker 6: which was it was a crazy journey.
Speaker 7: I obviously let as my wife.
Speaker 6: She was with me throughout this big journey, and I
Speaker 6: remember sort of taking it on, just going, man, this
Speaker 6: is kind of like the unsung anthem.
Speaker 9: Of every B and S ball out in the bush.
Speaker 6: I don't know, I don't know how this is going
Speaker 6: to go for me right now, let's do it. It's like
Speaker 6: the most karaoke song you'll ever come across.
Speaker 7: And we went for it.
Speaker 9: And yeah, it's just it's been an incredible journey.
Speaker 1: But you translated it, didn't you?
Speaker 3: From my memory, yes.
Speaker 9: Yes, so got the song I was put on the table.
Speaker 7: You know, should we do this?
Speaker 8: I said, yeah, let's do it. So we translated.
Speaker 6: I got with Arnie Burnett Duncan out there and Boggabilla
Speaker 6: shout out to arn and translate it and put it
Speaker 6: out there, and the rest is kind of history.
Speaker 1: Where were you sitting like in it were you behind
Speaker 1: or were you so?
Speaker 4: I wasn't there at the first audition.
Speaker 6: No, you left me to go do a gig and
Speaker 6: how dare you go to that rod laver and singing
Speaker 6: and I'm just there alone in some bathroom trying to
Speaker 6: just remember these lyrics.
Speaker 4: No, but I was. I'm very proud.
Speaker 5: And yeah, I wasn't able to be there for a
Speaker 5: few of the big performances, but I was definitely there
Speaker 5: in spirit, and I was always on the phone. I
Speaker 5: think it was the final I was there in the
Speaker 5: crowd in the and I thought you got brogged.
Speaker 1: But whoa what year was that?
Speaker 3: Twenty nineteen?
Speaker 1: I was a long time And like, how has music
Speaker 1: changed like since for you, like from that experience.
Speaker 8: Yeah, look, it's changed heaps.
Speaker 6: Because obviously when I went on there, I had no
Speaker 6: sort of intention to end, you know, signed one of
Speaker 6: the biggest record labels in the world and go on
Speaker 6: this crazy journey.
Speaker 9: At the time, I just really wanted to just share
Speaker 9: culture and.
Speaker 8: Just really show. My whole intention of going on there
Speaker 8: was just to show the world and.
Speaker 6: Wider community that our culture is alive, it's thriving, and
Speaker 6: you know, you can have lights akin and look like
Speaker 6: me and be a proud blackfellow and carry culture because
Speaker 6: I think a lot of the times, people you know,
Speaker 6: that don't know much about us, they look for someone
Speaker 6: that's visibly black to go I'm going to get culture
Speaker 6: from you, because you know, but in the way that
Speaker 6: things have happened, you could see someone that appears that
Speaker 6: way and they know nothing unfortunately because they've been taken
Speaker 6: away or things have happened, or you can see someone
Speaker 6: like me that's light and you've been lucky to grow
Speaker 6: up in community and have a great.
Speaker 7: Immersion, you know, and understanding.
Speaker 6: So I just really wanted to get out there and
Speaker 6: just represent and be true to me and be all
Speaker 6: of who I am. And I had no idea of
Speaker 6: what was around the corner and what was about to happen.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, the nation really connected with that performance. You know,
Speaker 2: you're the voice. You obviously then went on to perform
Speaker 2: it around the country, you know, at a big events
Speaker 2: like the NRL and stuff. So has that moment did
Speaker 2: you say that was the like the the moment that
Speaker 2: sort of was the springboard into music for you, because
Speaker 2: before you're talking about you know, culture is music is
Speaker 2: our culture, but were you always wanted to be a
Speaker 2: musician or did you realize something in that moment.
Speaker 8: Yeah.
Speaker 6: Look, it's not the sound arrogant, but I've never once
Speaker 6: said in my life, hey, I want to be a singer.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I want to be a songwriter.
Speaker 6: From about the age of fifteen, and I knew that
Speaker 6: for the rest of my life. I just wanted to
Speaker 6: know and understand who I am as an Aboriginal person
Speaker 6: and be able.
Speaker 7: To share and celebrate that.
Speaker 6: So when this happened, you know, my first time, you know,
Speaker 6: actually singing was your the voice in our language, and
Speaker 6: I'm doing it in front of the whole nation, slash world.
Speaker 7: That was my first time.
Speaker 6: And like, I know it sounds cliche and you see
Speaker 6: movies and stuff, but I was like five minutes from
Speaker 6: going out, looking in the mirror, just going come on, man,
Speaker 6: you have to remember these these lyrics.
Speaker 9: You have to remember it. Yeah, And I got to
Speaker 9: a point where I was like, well, I'm done.
Speaker 7: Now I've got to go.
Speaker 6: I can't remember a thing, and all of a sudden
Speaker 6: it just come to me on the stage and I
Speaker 6: did it, you know, because i'd never actually been really
Speaker 6: feel like I mean, I mean, my team will like,
Speaker 6: you know what, because I do sing like one percent
Speaker 6: of it in English, and that one percent they were like,
Speaker 6: you know, let's not worry about it. Don't worry about
Speaker 6: it. It's too much pressure. Because obviously I'm a fluent English speaker,
Speaker 6: I don't speak Gomroy, but I only ever really grew
Speaker 6: up singing in Gomroy.
Speaker 7: I never grew up like want to be a singer.
Speaker 6: So the idea of singing in English was really exposing
Speaker 6: and just like so much anxiety around that where singing
Speaker 6: in language just feels like I'm just being me, just
Speaker 6: tell them story.
Speaker 9: So the last minute they just don't worry about it,
Speaker 9: just dance.
Speaker 7: I was come too fad, now I've got to do it.
Speaker 6: So my first time like singing in English English on
Speaker 6: a stage was on the show.
Speaker 7: And just doing it.
Speaker 6: Wow.
Speaker 2: And then obviously from that moment, you've worked very closely together. Yes,
Speaker 2: you've traveled a lot, you've toured, you've released music. You
Speaker 2: have a way of releasing iconic covers, yes, you know.
Speaker 2: So what is it about taking a song that is
Speaker 2: so iconic that everyone knows and then putting like a
Speaker 2: first nation spin on it? Yes, is important to you? Mo?
Speaker 8: Yeah, look.
Speaker 6: I think at the time, it was like, you know,
Speaker 6: why do I want it to do this? Like I
Speaker 6: said before, it's like the biggest unsung anthem of the country.
Speaker 9: But it's also like everyone karaoke this sub is.
Speaker 6: Getting absolutely annihilated and people just get pulled apart for
Speaker 6: doing it.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 6: Yeah, So when it come to the table, I was like, well,
Speaker 6: what's it really about? And the story that was given
Speaker 6: to me was about being a voice against domestic violence
Speaker 6: and stepping out, and I could relate to that, but
Speaker 6: I was like, you know what, there's so many of
Speaker 6: our mob struggle and we're sover representing all these high statistics.
Speaker 6: I just want to be a voice that the sooner
Speaker 6: we can just come together and love one another, regardless
Speaker 6: of race, religion, gender, sexuality, in class Like the sooner
Speaker 6: we can just create a beautiful platform for the kids
Speaker 6: of our community and let that flow out.
Speaker 7: To all kids that they can just be all of
Speaker 7: who they are.
Speaker 6: You know, you don't have to be that kid that's
Speaker 6: you know, hiding in the closet and doesn't want to
Speaker 6: come out and you know, identify as gay or whatever
Speaker 6: it is, and all of a sudden, you know, they
Speaker 6: take their life. If we could just create something that
Speaker 6: was built on that love and acceptance, like we'll just
Speaker 6: be keeping kids, and kids could celebrate all of who.
Speaker 7: They are, and you know, it would flow out that.
Speaker 6: You know, there could be a young Muslim sister and
Speaker 6: a hit job that wants to wrap in her lingo
Speaker 6: and she can step out, you know, just be who
Speaker 6: you are. And it was crazy, like after it. The
Speaker 6: love that flooded in initially was out of this world
Speaker 6: because I thought, man, I'm going to I'm just gonna
Speaker 6: get handed. And there was this one night, wasn't there
Speaker 6: Lello where I got this like voice message on Facebook
Speaker 6: and this is this sounds like I'm stereotyping, but it
Speaker 6: sounded like some old farmer dude out in the middle
Speaker 6: of nowhere that rang me late at night.
Speaker 9: This old ringer, you know, maybe Caucasian background.
Speaker 1: Like that would typically love that song, yeah, and be
Speaker 1: very attached to it exactly.
Speaker 6: And he he goes, Mitch May, I'm just cooling your mate,
Speaker 6: you're the voice, mate.
Speaker 9: Just want to say thank you so much, mate, and
Speaker 9: then he just goes.
Speaker 7: Anyway, mate, love you good night.
Speaker 4: Were Wow and midnight It's crazy.
Speaker 6: I'm like running out to listen. Yeah, I probably had
Speaker 6: a couple of timers, you know, the vibes out in
Speaker 6: the middle of somewhere and had another fellow reach out.
Speaker 6: I thought initially it was going to be that style,
Speaker 6: and he actually goes you know, I've been a ring
Speaker 6: of my whole life, mustering cattle with lots of black fellows.
Speaker 6: I've always felt this really weird connection to the land.
Speaker 6: I saw you get up, you know, with fair skin,
Speaker 6: and so proud of you. And I've got my kids
Speaker 6: to go on an ancestry search founds out like you know,
Speaker 6: one of our grandfathers or whatever was oborriginal and now
Speaker 6: understand why I've had this connection to you, your people
Speaker 6: and culture. And just thanks for stepping out and doing
Speaker 6: the thing.
Speaker 3: Song been crazy, that's crazy, blessed. Like John Van is
Speaker 3: real sick.
Speaker 1: At the moment.
Speaker 2: Well, I think he's come on the other side of
Speaker 2: it now he's sort of on his healing journey.
Speaker 8: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Just and guy Sebastian just did that tribute at the logo.
Speaker 7: Yes, beautiful tribute.
Speaker 2: It would have been amazing for you to step out.
Speaker 8: Where was I matter? You need to put a word,
Speaker 8: you know what? When they were singing.
Speaker 2: When she came out singing the voice, I was like,
Speaker 2: wouldn't it be amazing for you to come out and
Speaker 2: sing a bit in language you know next time?
Speaker 6: Totally, And I mean, you know, I've been blessed to
Speaker 6: obviously sing it with John and Brian May from Queen
Speaker 6: and blessed early in John and you know through the
Speaker 6: campaign and stuff. When John was crook, they asked me
Speaker 6: to front of his bed and sing on his behalf.
Speaker 6: So I've been really blessed in the sense.
Speaker 7: To have his backing.
Speaker 6: And I think he's a really big advocate for our
Speaker 6: people for positive change and letting that wind shift in
Speaker 6: the right direction for us, which is great.
Speaker 2: You know. Yeah, I want to ask you Le obviously,
Speaker 2: like you know, you've been on this journey together, but
Speaker 2: before music you always like before the Australia has got
Speaker 2: talent and before that moment, were you always a singer?
Speaker 2: Did you always perform?
Speaker 5: I've always been a singer and I've always performed. I've
Speaker 5: been in the industry for a long time. Before what
Speaker 5: I'm doing now, I was doing a lot of kind
Speaker 5: of political activism through music, So I did that advocating
Speaker 5: for West Papua with a lot of different bands, and
Speaker 5: I was blessed enough to do it on many stages
Speaker 5: around the world.
Speaker 3: And yeah, a couple of goals.
Speaker 1: Because you also, you know, did teaching and social work
Speaker 1: as well. So I'm like, this is the iconic, Like like,
Speaker 1: I just think, what a boss mix. And did music
Speaker 1: bring you guys together or did you Yeah?
Speaker 4: The arts definitely, yeah, the arts, yeah, definitely number one.
Speaker 7: Definitely culture.
Speaker 6: I think the thing that really brought us together was
Speaker 6: seeing how in love we are with our respective cultures,
Speaker 6: how much we just want to celebrate and share that.
Speaker 6: And I had no idea really about West Papa until
Speaker 6: Lela back then probably still had that boy from the.
Speaker 7: Bush kind of totally you know.
Speaker 6: So yeah, to learn about Lell's story and struggle and
Speaker 6: obviously being a refugee and stuff, I think it really
Speaker 6: resonated with us in our journey too, you know, so
Speaker 6: we just yeah, it was like that we met and
Speaker 6: then we just kept bumping into each other.
Speaker 9: It was like that synchronicity started to happen.
Speaker 7: And then let it chase me.
Speaker 8: And w let me.
Speaker 2: Whatever.
Speaker 8: You actually chased me down, said I like this.
Speaker 2: Exactly what I mean, following me around if somebody stopped.
Speaker 3: And now you have beautiful girls? How many?
Speaker 4: Yes, so we have there's four altogether.
Speaker 5: So when Mitch and I met, I was a single
Speaker 5: mum with three three daughters and we have one together Phoenix.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Is there a lot of singing and get home?
Speaker 4: Yes there is yeah, yeah, family album.
Speaker 5: Our eldest daughter she comes on the road with us
Speaker 5: as well. She's she sings and she's done some backing
Speaker 5: vocals and stuff on stage with us.
Speaker 3: So that's been pretty cool.
Speaker 1: My dad honestly says, like, innately, like mob are singers, songwriters, storytellers,
Speaker 1: all that, but they don't want to like title and
Speaker 1: they never claim that. But innately we are that. You're
Speaker 1: not being arrogance, I'm a singer or like, I don't know,
Speaker 1: it's just like a part of us. It just like
Speaker 1: flows I guess within us. Yeah, for points in our lives,
Speaker 1: it's who you are, it's who we are. It's not
Speaker 1: real life.
Speaker 4: We're born that way. It's not like we had to
Speaker 4: go and study it and you know, learn about it totally.
Speaker 1: Like I would say, I never sung in my life ever,
Speaker 1: And I just did finish acting school and I performed
Speaker 1: and I sang in front of my school cohort and
Speaker 1: it was the most liberating thing I've ever done. But
Speaker 1: the thing was, I've always enjoyed singing like I've always
Speaker 1: and it brings me so much joy. And I didn't
Speaker 1: want to say that I was a singer because I
Speaker 1: wasn't good at it. And I'm like, you don't have
Speaker 1: to be good at it to enjoy it. So I'm like, well,
Speaker 1: I am a singer, like I did what I like,
Speaker 1: you know, So I hate that there's this real thing
Speaker 1: like if you're not good at it, you can't be it.
Speaker 3: And it's like, well no, but you can enjoy it.
Speaker 2: When you realize that the country or the world resonates
Speaker 2: with what you're doing. It's putting culture and music and
Speaker 2: putting it together and then putting it out. There was
Speaker 2: that something that you thought, oh, okay, well then that's
Speaker 2: where I'm going to stay and that's what I'm going
Speaker 2: to put out. No, no, nah.
Speaker 6: So I've made a commitment, like before this even happened,
Speaker 6: like Lela and I when we first started dating or whatever,
Speaker 6: we would sit in the car for hours and just
Speaker 6: talk and speak out what we wanted our lives to be.
Speaker 6: Like together, if we're together, what we could achieve and
Speaker 6: what we could do and how we could impact our
Speaker 6: people and how we could help other people.
Speaker 7: So it's always been about that.
Speaker 6: But what happens is when you bust out into a
Speaker 6: big machine that the entertainment industry is, it's really quick
Speaker 6: if you don't have that sense of purpose or self
Speaker 6: awareness to get molded into what people want you.
Speaker 2: To be totally.
Speaker 6: So I've had a constant fight the whole time of
Speaker 6: staying true to who I am and keeping my own
Speaker 6: integrity in my music and keeping my own identity and
Speaker 6: who I am, because.
Speaker 8: You know, you get pushed in they go, oh, you're
Speaker 8: the voice a million streams.
Speaker 7: Do more of that, do more of that, but it's.
Speaker 8: Like, well that did that.
Speaker 3: I want to do other things.
Speaker 6: Yeah, but it's like I understand that, but I'm not
Speaker 6: just going to do any song because it's going to go, well,
Speaker 6: I need to do a song if I'm going to
Speaker 6: flip it that actually can genuinely means something to me
Speaker 6: and have essence to it. So, you know, like Great
Speaker 6: Southern Land that was put on the table for years
Speaker 6: before I said I really want to go ahead with
Speaker 6: it because I got to a point and I was like, Okay,
Speaker 6: I can understand bringing the spirit of our people into
Speaker 6: it what that means in terms of celebrating this country
Speaker 6: and the spirit that flows in this country and bringing
Speaker 6: everyone together, so it all has a place absolutely everybody.
Speaker 7: It's the same thing. It goes without saying how it
Speaker 7: resonates with my own message and stuff like that. But
Speaker 7: it's been really difficult.
Speaker 6: There's been with me many times while I've bore my
Speaker 6: eyes out and things like that, because you're constantly told
Speaker 6: you know, you're white, you're black.
Speaker 7: Sing like this, sing like that, be like this.
Speaker 6: Heaps of people over here who you think are going
Speaker 6: to support you and collaborate with you and work with you,
Speaker 6: you don't hear from They don't get back to you,
Speaker 6: because you know, you continually stay in true to who
Speaker 6: you are. And I think sometimes because I'm not angry
Speaker 6: and we're not bittered together that we celebrate and we
Speaker 6: push a message of unity and healing and walking through
Speaker 6: through truth telling. Some people don't like that, you know,
Speaker 6: like the amount of times I get labeled as an
Speaker 6: activist and things like that on piece of paper.
Speaker 7: I'm not an activist. I've never tried to be.
Speaker 6: But as soon as you're a blackfellow and you've got
Speaker 6: a voice, immediately you're labeled as political.
Speaker 3: And relate to that, you know.
Speaker 9: So I think we've we've really worked hard, hey Lottly.
Speaker 3: To challenge just just stay true to who we are,
Speaker 3: to get lost.
Speaker 7: Not get lost in it.
Speaker 6: And it can be a lonely journey because you know,
Speaker 6: when you're like that, you don't often get invited to
Speaker 6: certain things that you want to be at because you're
Speaker 6: not fitting the mold and you're not conforming and you know,
Speaker 6: you're quietly like.
Speaker 1: I find it really difficult sometimes, especially with that activist
Speaker 1: part that you just said. I think when I was
Speaker 1: filming The Bachelorette, like I guess, I got kind of
Speaker 1: thrusted into this crazy world which I often talk had
Speaker 1: no experience in media. I had no experience, but because
Speaker 1: I was really passionate about working with young people, and
Speaker 1: you know, I had a innately we're all poetical being blackfellas,
Speaker 1: like we we have.
Speaker 3: To stand up for our mob.
Speaker 1: And yeah, I got pushed that activist sort of title too,
Speaker 1: and I was like, no, I'm just passionate and I
Speaker 1: just care about my mob and my community, like I
Speaker 1: want them to do well and like I remember sitting
Speaker 1: in an interview chair when I was filming The Bachelors
Speaker 1: a Verse like twenty eighteen, and I was like, Hi,
Speaker 1: I'm Brooklyn and like, you know, I was like real proud.
Speaker 1: I'm a proud Abriginal woman, like from West Australia. My
Speaker 1: mom's young bah blah blah blah. And they were like,
Speaker 1: can you like speak Aboriginal?
Speaker 2: And I was like.
Speaker 1: I can say hello, Like I was like, I can
Speaker 1: say more, but I was like fuck you, like and
Speaker 1: I was like I'm not going to do that, Like
Speaker 1: that's just yeah, I can say hello, but what is
Speaker 1: that going to do?
Speaker 3: And I like wore my shirt and they're like that's
Speaker 3: a really cool shirt, like like like and.
Speaker 1: Then I did another interview and they're like you should
Speaker 1: wear your like your shirt and I was like, what,
Speaker 1: like my flag shirt? And it was it was like,
Speaker 1: this is my first year of season and I thought,
Speaker 1: I coming back.
Speaker 3: To this show. But I also I think this is
Speaker 3: what you learn too.
Speaker 1: I learned to navigate those type of so conversations luckily
Speaker 1: because I had my mob behind me as well, and
Speaker 1: I could sort of say like, look, we don't really
Speaker 1: say that.
Speaker 3: You don't say half, you don't say.
Speaker 1: Quarter, you don't say that shit terms like they don't
Speaker 1: make like you don't call someone a fucking half calff like,
Speaker 1: And I've challenged that and I'm sure we've had to
Speaker 1: many times in our life, and I'm so glad I
Speaker 1: have had that backing.
Speaker 3: And I know some young mob don't have that that
Speaker 3: I don't know, know in a.
Speaker 1: Screen or that like grit to be like yeah, that's
Speaker 1: not what we say. The confidence, it's the confidence, just yeah,
Speaker 1: And I'm glad I did. But there are times when
Speaker 1: I've had to navigate this world and felt like, fuck, am.
Speaker 3: I just conforming here?
Speaker 1: Because I need that yes, you know, and like I've
Speaker 1: had to do things like I've had to say yes,
Speaker 1: I'm like show face do that, like especially in the
Speaker 1: bachelorette format, it's very fluffy and gross.
Speaker 3: But I'm so glad I did the experiences.
Speaker 1: Now I get to do.
Speaker 6: Choose.
Speaker 1: And I'm sure you guys are at that stage where
Speaker 1: you're like, no, I'm picking and joy.
Speaker 2: Has there been a moment where you've sort of crossed
Speaker 2: that line of conforming to something and then gone fuck.
Speaker 2: I didn't mean too because I think that there's always
Speaker 2: moments in even in my career where I've sort of gone,
Speaker 2: you know, like, oh, you have to pick your battles,
Speaker 2: you know, and it's like, what like, sometimes there's a
Speaker 2: that you have to No, I wouldn't say that you
Speaker 2: have to conform, but sometimes I have. Where I'm going
Speaker 2: with this young with you mob, is that being a
Speaker 2: part of a system, a record labels that they're really
Speaker 2: I think that there's big issues there into.
Speaker 7: Well we're independent. Yeah, so we're independent now.
Speaker 9: But you came from one of the came from the biggest,
Speaker 9: one of the biggest machines.
Speaker 7: In the world.
Speaker 8: Look my journey on there, it was what it was.
Speaker 6: I'm grateful for it, and I'm as grateful from where
Speaker 6: I'm at now. You've got to take you know, there's
Speaker 6: pros and cons with everything.
Speaker 8: And I think with my thing, without.
Speaker 9: Isolating it to the record label and just the industry
Speaker 9: in general.
Speaker 7: Is I don't fit the mold at all.
Speaker 6: I'm the opposite of what the system wanted from the
Speaker 6: get go when they started to you know, steal our
Speaker 6: kids and try to.
Speaker 7: Breed our color out.
Speaker 6: And I'm the complete opposite, because here I stand in
Speaker 6: front of you, is sitting here with yours.
Speaker 7: I'm very fair skinned.
Speaker 9: The opposite is though inside I'm black.
Speaker 7: As I've been through ceremony.
Speaker 6: I practice culture, I sing in language, but I dress
Speaker 6: in bright pop style colors. And this nation is just
Speaker 6: not ready for someone like me. And that's that's always
Speaker 6: all we get is we love him, but we just
Speaker 6: don't get it. But if like Pitbull rocked up here
Speaker 6: Ricky Martin and sung in South American and put.
Speaker 9: On a big pop show, we'd be like, oh, I
Speaker 9: get it.
Speaker 7: That's cool. But here I come, it's like, oh no,
Speaker 7: we're thinking that.
Speaker 6: You know, we could probably put Mitch in some more
Speaker 6: neutral color and we'll think, and you know, let's let's
Speaker 6: get rid of like the bright purple lights and stuff.
Speaker 6: Maybe we'll add some more earthy like reds and oranges,
Speaker 6: make it feel a bit more deserty.
Speaker 8: And yellow all that.
Speaker 2: And that's that's my twin. Someone turns up in red,
Speaker 2: black and yellow, it's.
Speaker 8: Just you know, and look red black and is great.
Speaker 7: Our mob take a lot of pride in it.
Speaker 8: Red yellow cars. You got to go home.
Speaker 6: But my thing is is that you know, when people
Speaker 6: have a crack is like, look, if you want to
Speaker 6: talk about culture, go look outside and look at country,
Speaker 6: because every color I got on me now is reflective
Speaker 6: of country, sunset, the sunrise, and everything.
Speaker 7: Don't box me into.
Speaker 6: Red, black, and yellow, because we're actually more than that.
Speaker 6: That's great, we get to use those three colors to
Speaker 6: symbolize and reflect us as a whole unity, but it's not.
Speaker 7: It's not all we who we are.
Speaker 9: So yeah, my journey has been very much that, and
Speaker 9: I think the thing you know that's.
Speaker 6: Been obviously the biggest blessing is to have leloir beside me,
Speaker 6: because it's been quite dark at times and it's been
Speaker 6: hectic rollercoaster.
Speaker 8: But when we talk.
Speaker 7: About, yeah, have I ever had to sacrifice who I am?
Speaker 6: Look, there's times where you know, you got to, you
Speaker 6: got to play the game and smile and stuff. But
Speaker 6: there's things where I just won't. And they're the things
Speaker 6: that I've always said to Lelie, I just couldn't sell
Speaker 6: my soul.
Speaker 7: Just to get you to the next level. I wouldn't
Speaker 7: be able to look at my daughters.
Speaker 6: So I just have to stay true to who I
Speaker 6: am and it might take you know, add a couple
Speaker 6: more k's onto the road, but I'm willing to walk it.
Speaker 9: I guess as a.
Speaker 7: Strained as it can be.
Speaker 6: And for someone like me, I think it's finding acceptance,
Speaker 6: acceptance in who you are and staying true to who
Speaker 6: you are, and acceptance that you will never fit in.
Speaker 6: All your people will never accept you, and the wider
Speaker 6: community will never accept you, and You're always just going
Speaker 6: to walk in the middle and you'll find your people
Speaker 6: along the way and they will come in all different shape,
Speaker 6: sizes and colors, and I'll just rock with them and
Speaker 6: go with that, because I feel like there was time
Speaker 6: there where I was so upset and disappointed that all
Speaker 6: of my people we weren't happy and weren't loving acceptance
Speaker 6: of me, that it was just killing me. So I
Speaker 6: had to come to a point where it was like,
Speaker 6: I's got to be me, and as long as everyone in.
Speaker 7: My household's happy and supportive, that's all I need.
Speaker 6: You know, I think we're in a time, you know,
Speaker 6: with Lela and her music, she can talk on it.
Speaker 6: You know, she's probably one of the first ever West
Speaker 6: Papuans to you know, women to do the style that
Speaker 6: she's doing and breaking it open and carving out that platform.
Speaker 6: And you know, for us too, I think we're always
Speaker 6: going to have our culture and our law and our
Speaker 6: ceremonies and all these beautiful ancient practices, but we also
Speaker 6: have to let go and allow that to manifest and
Speaker 6: evolve into a contemporary setting so we can continually engage
Speaker 6: our young people and bring them back. Like I've heard
Speaker 6: people on red carpets and all kinds of things go. Look,
Speaker 6: I don't think culture and music and culture in these things,
Speaker 6: you know, in terms of the radio space they blend
Speaker 6: or work.
Speaker 7: It's not about that.
Speaker 6: But for me, it's like, well, well, we need to
Speaker 6: think bigger than that, because we've got some of the
Speaker 6: highest suicide rates in the world in our young people.
Speaker 6: You know, the list goes on and on and on,
Speaker 6: and a lot of it comes back to that disassociation
Speaker 6: with identity.
Speaker 7: Belonging, connectedness and knowing who you are.
Speaker 8: And that was my thing.
Speaker 6: Is so many of our mob and you would have
Speaker 6: seen it growing up, walking around the streets with one
Speaker 6: leg rolled up with the limp with a fifty cent shirt.
Speaker 9: On, breaking and stealing cars and not knowing who they are.
Speaker 6: My thing was like, oh, I've got to step on
Speaker 6: this stage and bring all of who I tually am,
Speaker 6: and that's you know, the contemporary world. It's bright colors,
Speaker 6: it's fashion, but also rock my head dress and culture
Speaker 6: because there's actually nothing more gangster than coming.
Speaker 7: From the oldestuman culture on the planet.
Speaker 6: So we've got to rock that and celebrate that. But
Speaker 6: you know that's a hard thing too for a lot
Speaker 6: of people to understand. You know, like we're sixty thousand
Speaker 6: years old, but we're also here in this world and
Speaker 6: we've got to continually engage our kids back to that fire.
Speaker 6: And we can only do that through pop culture because
Speaker 6: that's what they're into, that's what they love.
Speaker 3: I couldn't agree more.
Speaker 1: Look, I feel like identity is so powerful to a
Speaker 1: young person's like wellbeing.
Speaker 2: Well, speaking of identity, this episode is going to actually
Speaker 2: go out correspond with twenty six right, So it's a
Speaker 2: time where the rest of the community seems to have
Speaker 2: an opinion on our identity. But you've got an exciting
Speaker 2: project around that time. Please be able to tell us
Speaker 2: about it.
Speaker 7: You can announce it, okay.
Speaker 5: So we are releasing a duet mid tonight and it
Speaker 5: is a very very popular song that everybody knows it's
Speaker 5: our version of My Island Home.
Speaker 8: Stop.
Speaker 1: When you were talking before, I was like, because I
Speaker 1: know the voice obviously, but I was like the song
Speaker 1: that I graham was my island Christine.
Speaker 2: Oh, but even before that, yes, hers is the iconic cover,
Speaker 2: but it's their song. Yeah, how so how did they
Speaker 2: come about? Why did you choose the song?
Speaker 8: Do you think girl?
Speaker 5: Obviously growing up like, I've been a big a fan
Speaker 5: of Christine Anu and especially that song, but it also
Speaker 5: ties our story in together really well. And my island
Speaker 5: home for me means when I listen to it, I
Speaker 5: always long for Papua for my home.
Speaker 4: You know, it's so close to Australia. And actually I
Speaker 4: had this one We had a gig up in where
Speaker 4: it's it called bam Bamiga. Have you guys been there?
Speaker 5: It's up so that's most northern tip of Australia. Like
Speaker 5: we got to walk out there and there was a
Speaker 5: sign saying you're standing on the and you can see
Speaker 5: the Straits, And for me, I get really emotional because
Speaker 5: just over the Straits is my country, is where I
Speaker 5: come from. And I don't know if you guys know
Speaker 5: much about West Papua, but we've been fighting for our
Speaker 5: independence for over sixty years.
Speaker 2: And.
Speaker 4: Yeah, we have this.
Speaker 5: Mitch and I often talk about this because we both like,
Speaker 5: I'm a refugee leaving away from my country. But I know,
Speaker 5: I know my family, I know my culture really well,
Speaker 5: and so does Mitch. But he's still as well as
Speaker 5: a lot of black fellows in this country still often
Speaker 5: feel like refugees in their own country. Totally, and you know,
Speaker 5: and we share that connection. So my island home for
Speaker 5: both of us held really different meanings but the same
Speaker 5: at the same time, if that makes sense.
Speaker 9: Totally, And I think it was about you know, we
Speaker 9: talked about it a lot.
Speaker 6: Yeah, and then like when this this come around we
Speaker 6: decided to do this, it was like, well, you know,
Speaker 6: we need to do it and release it in you know,
Speaker 6: today twenty twenty five, because how many people are here
Speaker 6: now from so many different walks of life.
Speaker 7: They call this place home.
Speaker 6: Like Lett and I'm married, I'm here, my roots are here,
Speaker 6: but Lels are you know, just over the other side
Speaker 6: there in West Papua, and she longs for home, but
Speaker 6: now this place is home. So you know, when you
Speaker 6: think about it, you know, people come here going around
Speaker 6: them tinder date, fall in love and they never leave.
Speaker 6: Some people flee, you know, wartime countries, the refugees like
Speaker 6: le bound from country to country to make it here
Speaker 6: and then everything our people has gone through. But we
Speaker 6: all stand here together and this is home, and you
Speaker 6: know what a beautiful home it is. So we wanted
Speaker 6: to do this song really to just reflect on I
Speaker 6: suppose you know, Australia has always been multicultural. Before it
Speaker 6: was colonized, our people were different, we traded, it was multicultural.
Speaker 6: But really reflect and celebrate on this multicultural.
Speaker 7: Place that it is today that we all live in.
Speaker 7: I guess.
Speaker 2: So to get you know, to get the rights to
Speaker 2: a cover what it is about picking up the phone
Speaker 2: and calling the rumpy band and saying, hey, can we
Speaker 2: do your song? Or how does it work?
Speaker 8: Yes?
Speaker 6: So we every time we do it, we reach out
Speaker 6: to the writers, We find out who actually wrote the
Speaker 6: song and go through the process of you know, we'll
Speaker 6: send them translations whatever reverse translations, and talk through our intent.
Speaker 7: Yeah, go through a lengthy process to get it approved.
Speaker 9: Sometimes it's quick, but often or not, it takes time.
Speaker 7: And a lot of patients.
Speaker 2: And so I'm guessing there's language from both or oh well, yeah, man,
Speaker 2: maybe you could something. It's really exciting. I mean it's
Speaker 2: a really great time also because obviously people our identity,
Speaker 2: he's a question at this time of years, First Nations people,
Speaker 2: But it's an empowering anthem for mob but it's also
Speaker 2: a learning tool, you know, for the rest of the
Speaker 2: country as well. So what an exciting time for both
Speaker 2: of you. And it's your first official like duet as
Speaker 2: both names.
Speaker 6: Would you say, well, we've done a prelude in Christmas
Speaker 6: chant Iron Carol's last year, so that was kind of
Speaker 6: like the taste tests there our version of Amazing Grace.
Speaker 6: It's kind of like you know what people you know,
Speaker 6: we can we're a husband and wife, would just sing
Speaker 6: a song, you know, been an island home.
Speaker 8: Yeah, get in there. So yeah, no, it's beautiful and
Speaker 8: I think it's great.
Speaker 6: I mean, Lela's she's played some of the biggest music
Speaker 6: festivals in the world and prior to us meeting and stuff,
Speaker 6: and she's been there supporting me the whole way and
Speaker 6: traveling and touring. So it's really beautiful that, you know,
Speaker 6: Lela's got her own project, Voice of Leather, and she's
Speaker 6: out there doing doing her own thing, and she's got
Speaker 6: a bunch of songs out, and you know, it's just
Speaker 6: I love that I get to duet with her and
Speaker 6: we get to sing it and do this journey together.
Speaker 8: Because you know what, it's so funny every time we
Speaker 8: go somewhere, let that people.
Speaker 9: Are how do you go working with your wife mate Jez,
Speaker 9: working with terrible?
Speaker 4: I would not want it any other way. Honestly, it's
Speaker 4: totally just.
Speaker 8: It's always.
Speaker 6: I mean, talent, get some going confetti, we'll buy some
Speaker 6: reject shop there come man, walk out of the bush somewhere.
Speaker 1: But.
Speaker 2: Just leave your hair around.
Speaker 8: But before you kick us off, I just want to
Speaker 8: let you know.
Speaker 9: Last year we did this incredible youth tour.
Speaker 8: It's called the Wollumbar Youth Tour.
Speaker 6: We didn't have one hundred shows, and Lela jumped on
Speaker 6: that tour because I would do these workshops with kids
Speaker 6: and youth festivals and would rock out and then all
Speaker 6: of a sudden, the girls would just be line me
Speaker 6: and they'd be past me and Beline lellet and just
Speaker 6: want to know all about it. And she hadn't even
Speaker 6: spoken to words.
Speaker 7: I was like, you better come on.
Speaker 8: This tour, girl, started singing. So letther done the tour
Speaker 8: and it was such a success.
Speaker 6: We're going again this year and a whole nother a
Speaker 6: youth tour, and it's just all about giving back to kids.
Speaker 6: And we made the commitment that, you know what, it's
Speaker 6: not just about big stages, that wherever you want us,
Speaker 6: if we're in your community, we're going to do our
Speaker 6: best to make it happen. And we're not going to
Speaker 6: do this, you know, this year, we want to once
Speaker 6: again just make it all about the youth and the
Speaker 6: next generation. And we'll still be doing all our normal
Speaker 6: shows and adult stuff, but you know, if you're out there, yeah,
Speaker 6: and you just want us to come party with the
Speaker 6: next generation, we just want to come and give back
Speaker 6: and let us doing a bunch of workshops with young
Speaker 6: sisters as well, because we've seen you know, I don't
Speaker 6: know about you, brother, but and you just when we
Speaker 6: when we grew.
Speaker 7: Up, there just wasn't anything for the sisters.
Speaker 8: There was nothing.
Speaker 6: Heaps of like brothers would come in and dance and
Speaker 6: do stuff, but there really wasn't much.
Speaker 3: No, I agree.
Speaker 6: So it was like Leles, she's doing a bunch with
Speaker 6: our mob and all kinds of sisters, you know, refugee
Speaker 6: backgrounds and stuff and the whole party.
Speaker 7: And we're doing our thing together and traveling.
Speaker 9: And we've got our kids on the road, just doing
Speaker 9: the big juggle.
Speaker 4: Key Carnival.
Speaker 10: We got that Key Carnival sponsored Key Carnival. Come on,
Speaker 10: sponsors please. I tried that twelve seed Evan, I've got
Speaker 10: a key now.
Speaker 8: But what we will do is we'll put all the show.
Speaker 2: We'll put some stuff in the show notes to make
Speaker 2: sure that people have your email, you know that you
Speaker 2: can connect directly with you or your management and where
Speaker 2: can they find my Alan home.
Speaker 5: You can go to all platforms, all digital platforms, and
Speaker 5: we've we've filmed a beautiful visualizer video clip for the
Speaker 5: and yeah everywhere YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, our socials everywhere.
Speaker 8: Wait wait, you know we're on like this podcast is
Speaker 8: winning awards.
Speaker 6: You know what I mean? I want you to like
Speaker 6: intro this Jewet, like we're here on like one of
Speaker 6: the biggest podcasts in Australia.
Speaker 8: We all want to see your energy right here right now. Everyone.
Speaker 8: This is the voice a Lelo.
Speaker 6: She's so pumped to be Jewet and with her husband
Speaker 6: Mitch Tambo, she's so pumped with her husband and like
Speaker 6: you know, singing with her man and just you know,
Speaker 6: her other half.
Speaker 9: She's here on like the big one of the biggest podcasts.
Speaker 7: In the country.
Speaker 6: I don't have the gift of the gabun what they're
Speaker 6: doing together.
Speaker 8: So ws Alela, can you please intro? What have you
Speaker 8: got coming up?
Speaker 4: This is Voice of Lella.
Speaker 9: Yummy, I'm everyone, I'm Mitch Tambo and this.
Speaker 4: Is our brand new single My Island Home.
Speaker 8: Hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2: And Gully, oh what an incredible young We are so
Speaker 2: great for to have both of you on. But that's
Speaker 2: all we have time for today. So if you love
Speaker 2: what you hear, leave us a little rating in a little.
Speaker 1: Review, and if you want us, tell us anything.
Speaker 3: Follow us on socials.
Speaker 1: My handles at brook Dooplet and Maddy's is at It's
Speaker 1: Many Meals.
Speaker 3: And you guys, where can we find you on social.
Speaker 6: Well, you can find me at Mitch Tamba across everything,
Speaker 6: because you know what, you've got to be across everything?
Speaker 4: What about you voice of across everything as well?
Speaker 2: Oh deadly okay, We'll make sure you go and follow
Speaker 2: this bob and we'll see you next time.