Renowned for his playing the Yidaki (Didgeridoo), actor, presenter and performer Mitch Tambo is one of Australia’s most talented entertainers. A proud Gamilaraay man, Mitch lights up any arena with a passion and deep commitment to his First Nations culture and the people he represents. First Nations and Sony Music recording star Mitch Tambo is celebrating women and their achievements with his uplifting new single ‘Dreamtime Princess’ set for release May 7th 2021. The track, in which Mitch raps on for the first time in English, was written by Mitch and produced by Rob Amoroso.
The 90s inspired production gets you up and dancing, whilst Mitch’s lyrics carry a deeper sentiment. Released just in time for Mother’s Day, ‘Dreamtime Princess’ aims to empower First Nations women, and women everywhere, to rise up, feel honoured and celebrated. Mitch also wants to use the song to let women in the Aboriginal community particularly mums - know that they come from the oldest living continual culture on the planet and are considered “Royal Queens”.
“My mum raised me as a single mother and we’re very close,” Mitch said. “She was instrumental in shaping the man I am today. A proud Aboriginal woman, she showed me that there was - and is - so much more to women, their sacrifices and achievements.
This helped me develop a deep respect for women.” The song also explores the theme of domestic violence and the threat towards women. “Women have been disempowered for too long,” Mitch says. “I witnessed this first-hand growing up with a single mum from the age of two. I grew up in a housing commission area of Tamworth and have vivid memories of my mother walking around with a crowbar inside and outside of where we lived. She also used to sleep with this crowbar under her bed because there were threatening male neighbours all around us constantly in trouble with the law. We didn’t feel safe in our own community. “With the help of my grandparents we were eventually able to move to a better location and my mum then worked a series of jobs to put me through private school. If it wasn’t for her strength and personal sacrifices I would probably would have ended up in the system.”
“When I started writing ‘Dreamtime Princess’ my intent was to write a fun, light-hearted song. However, when I started to explore writing ‘Dreamtime Princess’ I had honest conversations with some women who opened up about the domestic violence they’d endured. Hearing that first-hand and their raw emotions really unsettled me. Together I feel we can break this cycle and can create a beautiful future for our daughters, sisters, mothers, aunties, grandmothers, and all the women in our lives.” Mitch recently married his own Dreamtime Princess - partner Lea – and became a stepdad to her three children Sofia, 15, Ofa, 12, and Kalani, 5, who he says has made incredible sacrifices for her girls. Since his star turn on Australia’s Got Talent in 2019 and being hailed as the “new voice of our generation” by Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Mitch’s music has soared up the World Music charts around the world. Mitch currently has a consecutive 5 #1 World Music songs and has been #1 and numerous top 10 in World Music Charts.
Mitch spent 2020 busy as ever, releasing ‘LOVE’, an upbeat anthem, sung in Tambo’s Gamilaraay language and his electro-pop Gamilaraay language version of Vanessa Amorosi’s ‘Absolutely Everybody’. He also launched Season 3 of his online content series Tambo Talk on Facebook, where he spoke to the likes of Ash London, Casey Donovan, Jessica Rowe, Julia Zermiro and more as well as hosted Facebook’s NAIDOC Live – Celebrating Blak Excellence. Mitch has been a headline act in some of the biggest shows in recent memory including the nationally televised Fire Fight Australia: Concert for National Bushfire Relief singing ‘You’re the Voice’ alongside John Farnham, Olivia Newton John and Queen’s Brian May, The T20 Women's World Cup pre-match show, The Australian Open and Eurovision 2020 Australia Decides. With a style that blends traditional sounds and language with modern contemporary beats and rhythms, Mitch’s music cuts across cultures. His debut album, Guurrama-Li, entered the iTunes Top 200 Australia World Music Chart at #2 and at #18 on the Germany iTunes Top 200.
The album received rave reviews when it featured on Triple J Unearthed. As a talented actor and presenter, Mitch’s charm endears him to audiences and brings a sense of joy and liveliness to his performances. As the much-loved host of MusoMagic Outback Tracks, Mitch helps highlight positive stories in remote Aboriginal Communities and is a voice for youth, giving them an opportunity to be seen and heard.
He also voiced Tez the Echidna in the Outback Christmas episode. Mitch was an extra on Aussie movie Charlie and Boots, and more recently has been a judge on Channel 7’s All Together Now.
In a highlight of his career, Mitch lead the procession during the canonisation of Australia’s first Saint – Mary McKillop – in 2010 along with traditional dance and performances at the Vatican Museum. His career has taken him to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Melanesia showcasing the breadth of his skills and the beauty of his culture, performing at the Australian Embassy in Laos and the Langkawi Island Music Festival. At home, he has performed at the Melbourne Didgeridoo Festival and opened for social media sensation Macka B and Ky-Mani, son of reggae royalty Bob Marley. Mitch is a favourite for Australian corporate events and has performed at events for some of Australia’s largest organisations, as well as at early education summits and international conferences held in Australia. He has performed alongside some of Australia’s favourite entertainers, appearing at John Williamson’s 50th Anniversary Concert at the Sydney Opera House. Committed to empowering family and community, Mitch completed a Bachelor of Social Work in 2014 and is Co- founder of True Culture, an Aboriginal-owned business empowering and engaging people through Aboriginal culture. True Culture offer interactive cultural performances, mentoring and empowerment workshops for boys and young men, cultural awareness workshops and music performance and songwriting workshops. Mitch is an engaging performer and community-minded spirit. His music has moved people the world over and he is passionate about sharing knowledge and experience of his culture. Not content with simply performing, Mitch is championing change and committed to promoting positive Indigenous experiences, walking the path of a true First Nations warrior.