Mitch Tambo brings his voice to Lismore laneways festival

WHEN Indigenous singer Mitch Tambo performed a bilingual version of John Farnham’s iconic anthem You’re the Voice on the 2019 season finale of Australia’s Got Talent, he earned widespread acclaim.

But his most cherished moment came the following year, when he shared the stage with Farnham himself — alongside Olivia Newton-John and Queen’s Brian May — at the Fire Fight Australia benefit concert in Sydney.

“Uncle John Farnham is an absolute legend and it was a dream to not only receive his support around my version of his song but be afforded the opportunity to make it my own with his blessing,” Tambo said. “It was such an incredible experience that will always stay with me. He’s such a beautiful human being and him coming up and hugging me and saying, ‘This isn’t my song, it’s our song now’ was beautiful to share with him.”

Based in Melbourne and proud of his heritage, Tambo was raised in Tamworth on the traditional lands of the Gamilaraay people and is passionate about sharing First Nations languages and culture. He wears a traditional headdress adorned with biliirr (red-tailed black cockatoo) and emu feathers when performing and blends traditional instruments like the didgeridoo (yidaki) with modern pop and electronic sounds.

“I was afforded the opportunity to learn the Gamilaraay language and I wanted to share it, not only with my people but with the wider community,” he said. “I perform songs bilingually because it’s so important to me to feel empowered and embrace all the sides of you. I walk in two worlds and it’s important to acknowledge that and champion it.”

After his standout TV performance, Tambo was quickly signed by Sony Music Australia. His subsequent singles — including Together, which he performed in the finals of Australia’s Eurovision selection in 2020 — shot up the iTunes World Music charts.

Now, he’s set to bring his unique musical style to the Northern Rivers for the inaugural LOLA: Laneways of Lismore Arts Festival, taking place from 1pm to 9pm on Saturday August 23.

“There’ll be some crowd favourites and I’ll also be playing some new music as well,” he said. “It’ll be upbeat, engaging and energetic and I can’t wait.

“I love having the opportunity to bring my music and the energy to various regional areas of Australia. I’ve been fortunate to headline a few inaugural festivals in the last few years. While on my I AM ME youth tour, I’ve spent a bit of time up this way; it has a great community spirit. I love communities that love to have a good time and celebrating regional towns is very important to me.

“The thing that drives me is the ability to share my culture in a contemporary setting — allowing people of all walks of life to celebrate diversity and being together as one. It’s so important. I get to create, I get to perform, I get to explore different sounds and musical influences. What more could you ask for out of a career?”