Music / Premieres
Premiere:
NIDALA - Colours of My People
NIDALA - Colours of My People
On her debut EP Colours Of My People, singer-songwriter NIDALA combines her love of music and social justice to craft a collection of soulful indie-rock that comes loaded with wise and powerful messages. To celebrate the release today, NIDALA has kindly shared with us the stories behind each of the tracks.
Born of the Djugun people of the Kimberley, NIDALA is a First Nations artist and in many ways a teacher of sustainability. Growing up with an Aboriginal musician father and a Polish/French anthropologist mother, she learnt to see through worldly eyes that lead her to venture around the globe.
From Broome to Paris, to social justice law and a Master of Sustainability attained across continents, NIDALA has intercultural knowledge that is evidently heard in her music. Colours of My People is a 100% carbon neutral project, which is a cause NIDALA speaks of with sentiment. She says that “carbon neutral, simply means that you put in place measures to capture the equivalent (or more) of your activity’s carbon cost.” For this EP 20% of profits will be dedicated to planting trees and another 20% will go to Indigenous run initiatives, ranging from mental health services to creative mentoring.
With this wisdom informing her music, the messages NIDALA shares across Colours Of My People clearly come from a place of care and respect, as opposed to anger and frustration. Her EP conveys the need for reconciliation, and as a Djugun artist, respect for First Nations peoples is deeply rooted across the collection of songs. But to NIDALA, reconciliation also relates to the importance of having respect for our bodies, our emotions, the land and other communities.
The first song on the EP ‘One Of Those Days’ introduces this motif with soft instrumentation, swaying with serenity and soothed with NIDALA’s insightful lyricism. She reminds us that amongst days of growth, we must also ease into days of rest. ‘Said Too Much’ follows this train of self-compassion, exploring the insecurities of finding love. The melodic pace of the EP ascends with this song, as it progresses to the title track ‘Colours Of My People,’ that begins with a powerful vocal belt that breathes with passion. An element of blues and soft rock brews in the EP’s second half, as NIDALA ties off the EP with the powerhouse of a song ‘Body of Mine.’
To celebrate the release today, NIDALA kindly shared how each of these compelling songs came to be.
From Broome to Paris, to social justice law and a Master of Sustainability attained across continents, NIDALA has intercultural knowledge that is evidently heard in her music. Colours of My People is a 100% carbon neutral project, which is a cause NIDALA speaks of with sentiment. She says that “carbon neutral, simply means that you put in place measures to capture the equivalent (or more) of your activity’s carbon cost.” For this EP 20% of profits will be dedicated to planting trees and another 20% will go to Indigenous run initiatives, ranging from mental health services to creative mentoring.
With this wisdom informing her music, the messages NIDALA shares across Colours Of My People clearly come from a place of care and respect, as opposed to anger and frustration. Her EP conveys the need for reconciliation, and as a Djugun artist, respect for First Nations peoples is deeply rooted across the collection of songs. But to NIDALA, reconciliation also relates to the importance of having respect for our bodies, our emotions, the land and other communities.
The first song on the EP ‘One Of Those Days’ introduces this motif with soft instrumentation, swaying with serenity and soothed with NIDALA’s insightful lyricism. She reminds us that amongst days of growth, we must also ease into days of rest. ‘Said Too Much’ follows this train of self-compassion, exploring the insecurities of finding love. The melodic pace of the EP ascends with this song, as it progresses to the title track ‘Colours Of My People,’ that begins with a powerful vocal belt that breathes with passion. An element of blues and soft rock brews in the EP’s second half, as NIDALA ties off the EP with the powerhouse of a song ‘Body of Mine.’
To celebrate the release today, NIDALA kindly shared how each of these compelling songs came to be.
One Of Those Days
This track was really the beginning of it all. I'd been offered some studio time but at that time, I wasn't sure if recording my music was something I was ready for. But upon the great advice of a friend, who is also the drummer, we set up in her house to record 'a little something' as she called it. We went full on guerrilla style with a guitar amp in the sauna and a blanket fort sound booth. I had the absolute best time, surrounded by the most supportive people and after that I was hooked!
Said Too Much
I recorded this song as a request from a dear friend. I'd written it a few months earlier to cheer her up after she'd had another crappy date. She asked for a daily reminder that everything would be okay. So when I took it to the band, we made sure it would make anyone who was listening feel a little lighter.
Colours Of My People
Everything about this track felt right from the get go. I wrote it in about 30 minutes, and my band found the instrumentation in less than three play-throughs. I think the reason it came together so easily is that we had a very clear vision, which had nothing to do with sound but rather with the process. To me, this is reconciliation embodied!
This track was really the beginning of it all. I'd been offered some studio time but at that time, I wasn't sure if recording my music was something I was ready for. But upon the great advice of a friend, who is also the drummer, we set up in her house to record 'a little something' as she called it. We went full on guerrilla style with a guitar amp in the sauna and a blanket fort sound booth. I had the absolute best time, surrounded by the most supportive people and after that I was hooked!
Said Too Much
I recorded this song as a request from a dear friend. I'd written it a few months earlier to cheer her up after she'd had another crappy date. She asked for a daily reminder that everything would be okay. So when I took it to the band, we made sure it would make anyone who was listening feel a little lighter.
Colours Of My People
Everything about this track felt right from the get go. I wrote it in about 30 minutes, and my band found the instrumentation in less than three play-throughs. I think the reason it came together so easily is that we had a very clear vision, which had nothing to do with sound but rather with the process. To me, this is reconciliation embodied!
Body Of Mine
This is the song that took a while, I actually wasn't even sure I'd include it in the release because I just couldn't quite get it right. And in an interesting turn of events, it's now the favourite amongst my friends and also the funnest to play live... maybe it's the 'grow on you' type!
This is the song that took a while, I actually wasn't even sure I'd include it in the release because I just couldn't quite get it right. And in an interesting turn of events, it's now the favourite amongst my friends and also the funnest to play live... maybe it's the 'grow on you' type!
Colours of My People is out today through Lustre.
