It’s NAIDOC Week 2023, and Apple Music has partnered with several acclaimed First Nations artists to curate and share new playlists to mark the occasion.
Each artist took creative control to make their special playlist, one that speaks to this year’s NAIDOC Week theme of “For Our Elders.” Their playlist joins Apple Music’s First Nations collection of playlists dedicated to showcasing vital First Nations stories and artists, including FIRST, MOTHER, BLAKLIST, and ALWAYS.
Following Emma Donovan and Troy Cassar-Daley is rising singer-songwriter Becca Hatch, who wanted to celebrate the incredible diversity of First Nations people.
Hatch’s star has been on the rise since she won triple j’s Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative in 2017 – aged just 16 – and her playlist features other First Nations artists whose careers are just getting started, while also honouring established names that came before them.
“It’s full of some of my favourite First Nations artists, with a mixture of different genres and sounds ranging from dance to alternative rock and from older classics to up-and-coming hits,” she says.
“These artists all share the ability to use music to tell their stories as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the songs that I have selected all have a common proudness in being themselves and embracing their own identity. The way that we practise storytelling as First Nations people has always been ingrained in us by our elders and is incredibly important and empowering.”
You can check out Hatch’s full playlist below, and see what she had to say about three of her favourite tracks:
Gurrumul, “Wiyathul”
“This song is so beautiful and it’s a perfect example of how music can allow us to feel regardless of language. It’s a reminder to everyone that we need to protect and preserve First Nation languages.”
Kaiit, “OG Luv Kush”
“This track came out quite a bit ago but it’s still a favourite of mine! The flow and the tone in her voice is everything. Stunning.”
Electric Fields, “Don’t You Worry”
“Nothing matches the way this song makes me feel. I wish I could wake up every day to this song.”
