Nyaaringu

The well-deserved winner of Best New Talent at this year’s National Indigenous Music Awards, 21-year-old Miiesha Young’s career is on a rapid rise, with this debut having already spawned several hit singles (‘Black Privilege’, ‘Drowning’, ‘Twisting Words’ and ‘Hold Strong’). An Anangu/Pitjantjatjara/Torres Strait Islander woman, from the small Aboriginal community of Woorabinda in Central Queensland, Miiesha has been singing since she was eight, and acknowledges that her songwriting skills have been inspired by soul, R&B, gospel and spoken word poetry.

On Nyaaringu (‘What Happened’ in the Pitjantjatjara language), Miiesha tells her personal story, utilising a clever pop and hip-hop context to express the themes of her young life, her community and her people. Interwoven between the nine tunes are several short spoken snippets from Miiesha’s grandmother, which serve to bridge across the generations by imparting lessons from an elder’s perspective. Now living in Melbourne, and with her track ‘Blood Cells’ having received a remix treatment from the mega-popular indigenous rapper Briggs, Miiesha’s future path looks exceptionally bright. Here’s hoping that she can remain close to community and culture as she matures.