Yunupingu’s work honoured with Australian Music Prize

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s music is once again being applauded, his fourth album named winner of the Australian Music Prize.

Michael Hohnen, friend and musical collaborator of Gurrumul whose posthumous orchestral release Djarimirri won the $30,000 Australian Music Prize. Picture: David Geraghty

The singular work of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is once again being applauded by the arts community after his fourth album Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) was today named as the winner of the 14th annual Australian Music Prize.

For the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Elcho Island — who died of liver and kidney diseases in July 2017 — Djarimirri was a wildly ambitious leap of faith, as it married two cultures that had never before been captured together on record: traditional songs and chants from northeast Arnhem Land with Western orchestrat­ion.

Its producer, Michael Hohnen, accepted the $30,000 prize on behalf of his late friend and longtime collaborator.

“We worked hard, and we trialled it with orchestras,” Hohnen told The Australian in Melbourne. “That whole thing with bands touring around the world and trying new songs live? We did that for four years until we worked out what was missing, and what made the whole vision complete.”

As well as recording a set of songs that spoke to the core of Yunupingu’s upbringing, the pair set out to show that this nation’s first music was not just traditional singing on the beach or out in the bush, but based around striking, unique musical patterns produced by instruments such as the yidaki (didgeridoo).

“Bringing that into the album was something I was deeply passionate about,” said Hohnen, who is creative director of Darwin-based record label Skinnyfish.

“I think people will eventually pick up on the fact that we have our own musical tradition here, like they do in hugely populated countries like India, Pakistan and China. As a European outstation, we’ve missed that whole cultural musical legacy.”

Established in 2005 to celebrate excellence in independent album releases and first awarded to Melbourne rock band the Drones, previous winners of the Australian Music Prize include hip-hop duo A.B. Original, singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett and last year’s winner, R&B artist Sampa The Great.

Since its release in April last year, Djarimirri has received a string of accolades. It made history by becoming the first album sung entirely in indigenous language to debut at No 1, and it earned four statues at last year’s ARIA Awards, including best male artist and best independent release.

The $30,000 prize will go to the deceased artist’s estate, with Hohnen suggesting that it may be used to support early-career indigenous artists via the Gurrumul Yunupingu Foundation.

Although Yunupingu achieved global renown for his unique talents, his participation in the music industry was minimal. Where most popular musicians are expected to endlessly explain themselves and their work, Yunupingu chose to stay silent.

It was the ultimate act of letting his work speak for itself. It certainly has, and it will continue to.