Nathan May is an Arabana , Yawuru and Marridjabin man living on Kaurna country with his young family. He has been developing his talent since the age of three, when he began playing drums at church in Darwin. Nathan has gone on to play drums with Marlon x Rulla 2020-22 including Womadelaide 2021 and Emily Wurramara 2022-present including Bluesfest Byron 2022.
Rising star, Nathan May, opens up on his meditative new single, ‘Home’. Instantly ‘Home’ evokes a sense of calm. Inspired by May’s affinity for wet weather, the song emerged from a bout of homesickness.
“I started writing this song when I first moved away from my home,” he reveals. “I was a 17-year-old who’d never really been away from my family. But every time it started raining, I would think about home.” The theme of rain trickles through every facet of the track, from its vivid lyrics to its free-flowing production. Writing the song took several years. “I started writing it in Adelaide all those years ago,” admits the Arabana, Yawuru and Marridjabin man.
Upon returning home to Darwin for the holidays he attempted to complete it and gained a little help. “The song finally came together in a great collaboration with Colin Buchanan, which was a nice finishing touch that I thought the song needed.
” The song’s heart-warming story of belonging is artfully delivered thanks to the duo’s clever lyricism. “Well you know I love the rain / I’m feeling back home again”. Produced by May’s mentor James Gillard, the track features an incredible display of musicianship.
With tracking taking place at The Music Cellar on the NSW Central Coast, musicians James Gillard (bass), Rod McCormack (acoustic guitar) and Scott Hills (Drums) built the foundations before legends Vance Burrow (electric guitar) and Lawrie Minson (harmonica) applied the finishing touches.
The result is a track that lives and breathes alongside May’s stoic vocal; like a rainstorm softly beating on a tin roof. As one of Adelaide’s hardest working live performers, May’s performed on countless stages, including the Adelaide Fringe Festival and the South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament event. He is also set to perform his new single at this year’s BIGSOUND in Brisbane.
The singer-songwriter has also been awarded the Governor’s Aboriginal Young Achiever of the Year (Arts Category) in 2019, the 2020 Tomorrow Maker AMP Award and the 2022 7news Creative Young Achiever of South Australia.
There are few topics as universal as the feeling of home and Nathan May communicates it beautifully. “I know a lot of people tend to hold this song close to them when I perform this live.
Doesn’t matter if their hometown is Darwin or not.” Backed by a mesmerising vocal performance, May’s ‘Home’ is a sentimental masterpiece.