Mark Moray – Good morning Kee’ahn, what a beautiful name. is there is a special meaning behind your name?
Kee’ahn – Yes, both my parents are indigenous people from Cape York. My dad sang and did a lot of musical theatre before I was born. My mum was in a hip pop dance group in Townsville where I grew up. They wanted their first-born child to have an aboriginal name and they found this Wik-Mungkan word Kee’an which means to dance, and to play but pronounced it Kee’ahn.
MM – So you were born in Queensland and in 2018 you decided to come to Melbourne (the Kulin Nation) to pursue your dream. How hard was it to settle away from your family as a 20-year-old?
Kee’ahn – Yeah, I was 20 and I had a partner at the time, and we did the whole van life thing driving from Townsville to Mossman Gorge to Port Douglas, and then travelled all the way down to Naarm (Melbourne) and I just stayed here.
MM – And you love it here?
Kee’ahn – Of course. There is so much going on and there is such a creative community here. It’s incredible.
MM – So your name Kee’ahn means to dance, to sing, and to play. From 2020 to 2022 – Covid changed the world especially here in Melbourne with all the restrictions and lockdowns.
How challenging was it for you to keep a positive feel emotionally in chasing your dream of dancing, singing and to play music?
Kee’ahn – It was pretty difficult. I think putting out my song ‘Better Things’ really got me through 2020 when everything kind of started with the lockdowns and restrictions. Everyone was really struggling to get through it, so putting out my song that I have been working on for a year was because I just wanted people to hear it. it’s a song about hope and I believed that people would like to hear this message in these times, and then hearing all the feedback, and receiving all the love for it, was what really got me through (Covid). It was a beautiful experience knowing people around the world was listening to it and sharing it through their social media.
MM – It is very soulful with a lot of emotion, where did you get your musical influences from?
I love soul music. My family and I listened to a lot of Aretha Franklin and watched videos of her so much, where I tried to mimic my voice after hers when I was a kid. I also listened to Ella Fitzgerald, and lots of other jazz artists such as Sam Cooke, Leon Bridges, and the soul singer from the UK, Lianne La Havas. They are my biggest influences.
MM – What do you find more challenging, writing the lyrics or writing the music?
Kee’ahn – I find writing the lyrics are far more difficult for me. I guess, for me growing up, I was always singing, and I would find it difficult finding the words to convey the meaning of how I felt. It was hard. I have been inspired by so many people and I tried to breakdown some of those barriers, but for me I was leaning more towards the music side. If it doesn’t come that easy for me, then it is cool. There is no rush. I guess that is why songwriting is so special to me. There is a creative flow just letting it come out and building from it.
MM – Also in 2020 you won the Archie Roach Foundation Award at the 2020 National Indigenous Music Awards, as well as recipient winner at the Music Vic Awards for the Best Emerging Artist.
How important was it for you to win two such auspicious awards?
Kee’ahn – It was a such huge honour in receiving these awards which was demonstrating the love I was receiving from the national aboriginal community. As a guest in Kulin country to be recognised by peers in Victoria, was a huge honour to receive both awards and to be recognised by Uncle Archie Roache’s Foundation. His legacy and contribution towards his support of emerging first nations artists, made me feel really honoured and grateful. I also had a beautiful connection with Uncle Archie, he made me feel so supported.
MM – Did you ever meet Uncle Archie Roach?
Kee’ahn – Yes, just a couple of times around Victoria and then in 2021 through some of the things he was doing such as having his ‘Uncle Archie’s kitchen table yarns’, I had the honour of doing a zoom online, and just having a beautiful chat with him about songwriting, the music and the community as well as getting to perform ‘Better Things’ for him and having a one on one. That was such a big moment for me, my songwriting, my career. It was really beautiful, and he was tearing up and saying how much my song meant to him. He was just wonderful.
MM – Did you manage to go to his State Memorial at the Myer Music Bowl?
Kee’ahn – No I didn’t get to go as I was sick then, and I was really looking forward to singing for his State Memorial with Dan Sultan and Marlon Roloff and other artists that Uncle Archie has cared for and supported their music. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to go and pay my respects.
MM – You will be playing at Womadelaide this year. Have you ever been?
Kee’ahn – No, but I am so psyched. The only word that comes to my brain is flabbergasted, and I don’t even use that word (laughing) It is so huge (Womad) seeing the line-ups every year and hoping to go, and never managed to get there. The first time I get to go to Womad is to play there. It is huge with so many artists performing there that I am looking forward to seeing. Just being on the stage with a great band will be such an incredible experience. I am so excited.
MM – Who are you wanting to see that you are excited about?
Kee’ahn – There is this band from the UK, a jazz, funk, fusion group called Kokoroko, and I want to see Sampa the Great again. The guy who plays bass for me Ryo (Montgomery) plays bass for ‘IZY’ from Queensland, but now in Naarm (Melbourne). There is so much, I could go on and on. it’s going to be an amazing couple of days.
MM – Are you staying for the whole festival or are you just staying for your part in it?
Kee’ahn – Yeah, we made sure we are coming for the whole festival. We have so many friends from Naarm (Melbourne) that are going to fly over. My dad is going to come down from Townsville.
MM – What is next for Kee’ahn?
Kee’ahn – I am putting out new music this year and I am so excited for it as my last single was in 2020 ‘Better Things’ so it will be good. I got to put out some music for a TV show called ‘Summer Love’, so I did this cover by ‘Sherbet’ a great Aussie rock band from the 70’s and 80’s which I did my own music and collaborated with the producer Alice Ivy. I also went home recently to shoot a music video with some bands from Townsville and then up to Port Douglas just travelling around making music videos. I am really excited that one will be out in May, and then as a part of Uncle Archie’s Foundation there is this project linking First Nations mentors, mentees, and established artists with emerging artists. My mentor was Emma Donovan and we got to write a song together that we have been working on, and we are going to put that one out I think in May as well. It is part of an EP together with other mentors and mentees. A really big year of releasing music for me which I am so excited for, and also so grateful for. It will be great. Also, Lots of gigs as well. Bluesfest Melbourne and Blues on Broadbeach. Lots of beautiful and exciting things.
MM – Finally – do you think the message and importance of Indigenous culture and its history in this country is being more embraced by the Australian people or is there still a long way to go in their education?
Kee’ahn – It feels like there is more awareness and appreciation and I guess the willingness to get involved. I think its always going to come down to how first nations people want the wider community to know how to support them. It definitely feels like the willingness to do so more and more, and that feels great to witness in the community like, ‘Survival Day’ and the ‘Invasion Day march’, where the numbers are growing and that people that show up. Especially for ‘First Nations festivals’, and the ‘First and forever festival’. I also was invited to perform at the St Kilda Festival with Uncle Archie Roache’s Foundation. The amount of people there just wanting to support aboriginal appreciation and their music was great. It would be interesting to see how things progress this year with the referendum and all the important voices and messages coming through so yeah it feels like we are at a historical point in time especially in Victoria as well with treaties and to hopefully we will see those things improve.
Kee’ahn will perform at Womadelaide – Sunday 12th March 9.30pm – 10.30pm, Moreton Bay Stage and Monday 13thMarch, 5.00pm – 6.00pm, Frome Park Pavilion.
