Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (born 1970) is an indigenous Australian musician, who sings in the Yolngu language. He was born on 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. 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.
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. Formerly with Yothu Yindi, he is now with Saltwater Band.
In 2008 Yunupingu was nominated for four ARIA awards, winning the awards for Best World Music Album and Best Independent Release. 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)”.
His first solo album, Gurrumul, debuted at #21 on the ARIA Charts and #1 on the independent chart. It also jumped to No. 1 on the iTunes Australia roots music chart in April 2008. It then unexpectedly reached No. 1 in the mainstream iTunes charts.Gurrumul peaked at #4 on the ARIA Charts. 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”. Sir 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.
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 Jagermeister AIR (Australian Independent Record Labels Association ) Awards held at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel.
In 2009 a portrait of Gurrumul by Guy Maestri won Australia’s major art prize, The Archibald Prize.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Gurrumul_Yunupingu
ARCHIBALD PRIZE 2009 Article
With his extraordinary voice and hauntingly beautiful album, Gurrumul, Indigenous singer Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu has become something of a cultural phenomenon over the last year. Born blind, the gifted musician leads a traditional lifestyle on Elcho Island in Arnhem Land and sings in his native Yolngu language, but his fame is spreading the world. He recently won two coveted ARIA Awards among others and was named NT Australian of the Year for 2008.
Guy Maestri saw Gurrumul live on New Year’s Eve last year and says it was truly, an unforgettable experience. ‘Word had been going around all day and the rumours were true – people really were moved to tears.’ Believing that this ‘inspiring, amazing man’ would be an ideal subject for a portrait, Maestri managed to track Gurrumul down in Darwin with the help of a friend in the music industry only to discover that he was flying to New York the following weekend.
Offered a 40-minute window of opportunity to meet him early one Saturday morning at Sydney airport, Maestri seized it. ‘I was introduced to Gurrumul by Michael Hohnen, his bass player, record producer and close friend, who explained to him about the Archibald and why I wanted to paint him.’ Maestri did lots of sketches and studied Gurrumul’s face intently. ‘More importantly, I got a sense of his presence and this determined the nature of the portrait: quiet and strong. I usually work in a very liberal, gestural way but this time I built up the image quietly and slowly with many glazes in an attempt to capture the beautiful quality of his skin. I worked on it for over a month, mostly while listening to his music. I made sure to read the lyrics and understand the meaning of each song. The whole process became quite an emotional experience.’
Born in Mudgee, NSW in 1974, Maestri completed a Bachelor of Fine Art (Hons) in painting at the National Art School, Darlinghurst in 2003. He has had solo exhibitions at the Tim Olsen Gallery and was a finalist in the 2007 and 2008 Dobell Drawing Prize.
source: http://www.thearchibaldprize.com.au/winners/archibald
Aboriginal singer beats poverty and prejudice to top Australian charts
- The Guardian, Thursday 17 July 2008
A gifted Aboriginal singer who was born blind and brought up in poverty has taken Australia by storm, topping the mainstream music charts and earning plaudits for his “sublime” voice.
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, 38, from Elcho Island in Arnhem Land, northern Australia, has been hailed as one of the brightest talents ever to emerge from the country’s indigenous population, with his debut solo album reaching number one in the country’s independent music charts and his recent concerts selling out. Critics have heaped praise on the singer and described his voice as having “transcendental beauty”. Sir Elton John, Sting and Björk are among his fans.
Yunupingu’s success is all the more remarkable because he speaks only a few words of English, is said to be acutely shy, and most of his songs are sung in his native language of Yolngu. A mixture of traditional songs and new compositions, they reflect his background growing up in one of the most remote but beautiful parts of the continent.
Largely self-taught, he plays drums, keyboards, guitar and didgeridoo, but it is his clarity of voice that has attracted rave reviews. Sydney Morning Herald reviewer Bruce Elder recalled the first time he heard the young singer. “My immediate response was that here, as far as I was concerned, for the first time was an Aboriginal voice of absolutely transcendental beauty,” he said. Iain Shedden, music critic of The Australian newspaper, said there was “an incredible aura” around Yunupingu, while another music critic, Lou Novachek, described his voice as “sublime”.
Yunupingu’s songs are attracting people who do not normally listen to Aboriginal music and he received standing ovations after two recent performances at the Sydney Opera House.
The singer’s friend Michael Hohnen, who produced his album, acts as Yunupingu’s translator. He said it would be wrong to call the singer an overnight success since he had played for many years with the well-known Yothu Yindi band before forming his own Saltwater Band and then striking out on his own.
Hohnen said his friend was different to other Aboriginal singers because he has no political agenda. Aborigines in Australia remain a disadvantaged minority with high levels of ill-health, unemployment and poverty. “Gurrumul’s not an activist or a social commentator,” said Hohnen. “He just says it’s his role to tell these stories about his culture.”
Yunupingu, who has never learned Braille and does not have a guide dog or use a stick, has told interviewers he has little use for money. Following the Aboriginal tradition of sharing wealth, he said any money he makes goes to his mother and aunts still living on Elcho Island, some 350 miles from Darwin.
source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/17/australia.culture
