Pop star Isaiah Firebrace finds purpose in fight for equality after life-changing outback music tour
As Isaiah Firebrace releases new music, he has revealed how he struggled with his Indigenous identity after growing up in a born-again Christian home.
Music
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The life-changing experiences of a five-month tour of Australia’s remote and regional communities and marching alongside thousands to protest black deaths in custody have given purpose to Isaiah Firebrace’s pop career.
The winner of X Factor on his 17th birthday, Eurovision Song Contest representative and proud Yorta Yorta man has dedicated much of the past year to reconnecting with his Indigenous heritage and culture.
Releasing the single Spirit last year inspired the 20-year-old singer to book an ambitious 50-date national tour of towns from Wilcannia to Karratha last year, conducting workshops with local students during the day and performing the song with them during his nightly gigs.
“I want to keep striving to be a voice when I need to be that and I feel proud of that because I have felt disconnected to who I was as a young Indigenous man, maybe because of my upbringing in a born-again Christian household and I never really got to fully understand my identity until recent times,” he said.
“If you don’t stand for something, you fall for everything, right?”
Firebrace said he had been shocked and heartbroken to witness racist treatment of his cousins who were darker-skinned than himself and suggests he may have not been subjected to similar prejudice because “I look more European.”
As he releases his new single Know Me Better this week, Firebrace said his desire to address inequality was also motivated by his experiences in the music industry.
“Striving for equality is something I want to make a part of who I am and not just for (people of) colour but everything,” he said.
“A huge one for me is equality for women in the workplace. My manager Christine (Collyer) is a woman working in such a male-dominated industry and she inspires me so much.
“I see the disparity between men and women in some industries.”
The young pop star is the first First Nations artist to achieve more than a quarter of a billion streams.
Firebrace’s debut single It’s Gotta Be You exploded not only in Australia but throughout Europe and Asia while his Eurovision song Don’t Come Easy has generated more than 13 million Spotify plays.
Know Me Better was written with DNA Songs, the team behind his Eurovision entry, during the pandemic lockdown, with his Sydney-based producers recording him as he sang in his cousin’s loungeroom in Melbourne.
“I did this in isolation and it was cool the way we recorded this one because I was at my cousin’s house with my mic set-up and used this special software to record live vocals onto their computer in Sydney,” he said.
“I love working with those guys; they really do work me hard because they are perfectionists.
“I’ll think I’ve got the take and they will make me sing it another 20 times.”
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With the pandemic era dramatically changing the way artists promote their new releases, Firebrace has focused on connecting with fans online.
“I have always tried to create a relationship with them – I’ll reply to DMs, I’m not afraid to reply to comments, I want them to know how grateful I am and how awesome it is to have their support,” he said.
“In a world of fake, you have to be real, especially in this industry and in this day and age where there’s so many influencers and all that rubbish.
“I just try to keep it as connected as I can and hopefully that says something to my fans.”
Know Me Better is out now.