Fred Leone has released his debut solo single following a raft of headlining performances.
The Butchulla man and artist has been working hard on his solo single Yirimi Gundir and in celebration of the release, has treated his audience with a string of intimate Australian shows.
Leone first introduced the track to the world during his breathtaking performance at the AFL's Dreamtime at the 'G Match in front of a capacity crowd of 100,000 people at the MCG at the end of May this year.
Since then, he has been caught up in a whirlwind of local and international touring, most recently completing 29 shows across Europe guesting with and supporting his friend, Xavier Rudd.
Leone comes from the Garrwa and Butchulla tribes, and he is one of the Butchulla Songmen with Aboriginal, Tongan and South-Sea Islander roots.
His role as a Songman sees him as one of the custodians of the traditional songs of the Butchulla tribe and one of a handful of keepers and custodians of their language.
Leone is active in his role as a Songman, where he ensures that contemporary Butchulla stories are embedded into the collective memory of the tribe's oral histories and ceremonies going forward.
His most recent achievement was a guest appearance singing in Butchulla on his cousin Birdz's track Bagi-la-m Bargan which helped see the song become a hit.
The song went on it amass millions of streams, get a cavalcade of synch placements and a placement at number 30 on Triple J's hottest 100.
Now Leone will be appearing at a limited number of venues for some very special launch parties, film screenings and listening parties for unreleased material.
In Sydney the launch event at Golden Age Cinema will feature a very special first public viewing of a feature-length presentation of Wunungu Awara animated shorts.
All of the stories from the shorts belonging to Leone's Butchulla family from K'Gari and his Garrwa and Yanyuwa family from the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Leone's song Yirimi Gundir breaks new ground for Indigenous music both in Australia and worldwide, with the story beginning over 65,000 years ago.
Indigenous culture is one of the world's oldest living cultures in the world and many First Nations people are still spreading their knowledge and their lessons through a combination of song and dance.
Fast forward to the 21st century and Leone is bringing traditional knowledge to the forefront of contemporary Australian culture.
Yirimi Gundir was written by Leone himself and sung in Butchulla, the single featuring both the traditional version of the song along with a powerful remix by his friend and musical accomplice, Trials.
Releasing both the original traditional version, and the remix at the same time is a statement; that you cannot truly understand the present without acknowledging the past. Only by listening to both tracks will you understand the trajectory of this piece.
Fred Leone tour dates and locations:
Friday, 4 August - Golden Age Cinema, Sydney.
Saturday, 12th August - Nimas, Darwin Amphitheatre.
Thursday, 17th August - Post Office Hotel, Melbourne - Free
Friday, 25th August - Hervey Bay Regional Gallery, Queensland.
Friday, 1st September - Warehouse 25, Brisbane.
