First Nations singer-songwriter Pirritu (Brett Lee) comes to Geelong this month touring his second album, Fire When the Sun Goes Down.
Pirritu will perform at Beav’s Bar on Friday, April 28 after performing through Queensland, ACT and other parts of regional Victoria before finishing the tour in Melbourne.
The Ngiyampaa man, once on the path to being an elite sportsman, said in retrospect it was “kind of inevitable” that he had ended up focusing on music.
“I feel like it was always inside me; I was always that kid at the back of the class, tapping some kind of rhythm on the desk or humming some tune,” Lee said.
“I used to do triathlons when I was a kid – I represented Australia as a junior triathlete – and I remember swimming up and down the pool at five o’clock in the morning with a tune in my head, splashing in time to that tune.
“So when I had a few injuries and some time away from sport the first thing I did was get myself a ukulele and start teaching myself how to play, music theory, that kind of thing.”
Thoughtful, honest and melodic, Fire When the Sun Goes Down, builds on the trio format of Pirritus’s 2021 debut album, Pirritu Part 1, which primarily featured Lee, bassist Douglas McDowell and percussionist Luis Poblete.
McDowell and Poblete return on the new album, also joined by Monique Boggia (piano, keyboard), a large cast of guest musicians and the Whims Vocal Choir.
Lee’s brand of musical storytelling focuses on his personal journey of self-discovery to country and culture, driven by his experiences as a young person.
“The music tells the story of my life journey, it is pretty autobiographical,” Lee said.
“I was adopted when I was a baby to a couple that… always had the belief they would tell me the truth, that I was adopted and that I was Aboriginal. They wanted me to always have that knowledge right from the start.
“They gave me the opportunity to meet my biological mother when I was 14. (Giving me up for adoption) was a huge sacrifice for her to make and I’m really grateful she did do that and I’ve lived the life that I’ve lived.
“So Rescue the Soul is a song to show my gratitude for her. These songs are a reflection of my journey.”
