Feature: Andrew Gurruwiwi Band – Sing Your Own Song
Visionary, joyful, eclectic and impossible to stop dancing to.
Welcome to Sing Your Own Song, the debut album release from multi-talented Northern Territory musicians, the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band. The band hails from one of the remotest corners of Australia, in northeast Arnhem Land, but that hasn’t stopped them from assembling a world-class ensemble to pull together the most exciting release from the north since Yolŋu surf rock combo King Stingray’s self-titled debut album in 2022.
Fronted by Andrew Gurruwiwi (who’s also a popular broadcaster on Yolŋu Radio in Arnhem Land), Sing Your Own Song is laden with infectious grooves and impressive musicianship, destined to take Australia’s festival circuit by storm in 2024 and 2025. Gurruwiwi’s influences are wider than the Arafura Sea – among his inspirations are the rhythms of Africa, Jamaica, India, Mexico, blues, rock and flamenco.
“It’s about making our own sound, our own music,” Gurruwiwi says “Every time when we play music, we listen for the big sound – then we change it. Do it a different way. Different style. Whether it’s the bass, or the keyboard, or the guitar or the bongo, we change it ‘round, until we can get the right beat, the right rhythm. Our sound.”
The Andrew Gurruwiwi Band has been playing together for around four years, having earned a loyal following for their vibrant live shows and booty-shaking songs like 2023’s Gatjumak.
Sing Your Own Song is also something of an extended family affair – recorded in Sydney’s Parliament Studios, the sessions in late 2023 saw the band joined by acclaimed guitarist Frances Diatschenko (Gurrumul/The Sheikhs), the horn section from Kiwi dub fusionists Sub-Tribe, founding Yothu Yindi bassist Stu Kellaway, the exemplary stylings from Mali’s guitar maestro Moussa Diakite, violinist QVLN and production wizardry by global instrumentalist Julian Belbachir.
Guitarist and co-producer Andrew Grimes said the band was incredibly excited for the world to finally hear what’s destined to be one of the most impressive debut albums of the year.
“To get to a point where we’re now putting this body of work out, where every song is so different, but you can tell it’s from the same band – we love that,” Grimes says. “It’s our own, and we’re very proud. In our hearts, we knew the answer lay along this path, by going our own way. Singing our own song.”
Sing Your Own Song the debut album from Andrew Gurruwiwi Band is available to stream now via Gaga Music.
