Latest news with #IndigenousInitiative
ABC News
14-08-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Introducing your 2025 Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative Winner, Kyla Belle!
The moment has arrived for us to unveil the winner of our Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative for 2025! Running within the Unearthed High comp for the last decade, the Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative brings deadly high school aged talent to the forefront, and has been a launching pad for the growth of previous winners like Becca Hatch, Inkabee and last year's winner RIAH (now a 2025 Unearthed High finalist!) From start to finish, this year's competition saw us unearth countless astonishing entries from deadly high school aged talents around the country. It made for a difficult decision when the time came to choose our winner, but the Unearthed team (with extra help from some top triple j music heads) have worked together to select a winner! And this year, thanks to her alt-country ode to teenage identity, 'Myself', that title belongs to Gomeroi singer-songwriter... Kyla Belle Kyla is a 16-year-old from Moree, NSW creating a new kind of country. Her ability to craft intricate stories into meaningful and memorable melodies has made her a stand-out in the local music scene. Despite her youth, Kyla tackles compelx and mature concepts with the grace and understanding of songwriters beyond her years. Taking example from and looking up to other indigenous artists, particularly Thelma Plum, Kyla presents a unique perspective in a beautiful and incredibly gifted manor. As part of this year's prize, Kyla will have her next track mixed and mastered by industry heavyweight Konstantin Kersting, who's worked with the likes of Mallrat, Spacey Jane, and Budjerah just to name a few! She also receives mentorship and coveted career advice from none other than triple j Blak Out and 3%'s very own Nooky. Congratulations to superstar in the making, and your 2025 Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative winner, Kyla Belle! Check out her triple j Unearthed profile and leave a review to support this superstar.
ABC News
14-08-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
She's the deadly high school talent breathing new life into R&B, meet RIAH
This South West Sydney songwriter has a soulful vocal that's gonna blow your mind.... Sydney, NSW Growing up on a diet of Tongan hymns, Italian records, Fijian lullabies, reggae, jazz, country and R&B, RIAH channels all these sounds through a voice that needs to be heard to be believed. Textured yet undeniably smooth, her penchant for big R&B vocal lines has made her an undeniable standout in this years competition. No stranger to the competition, the soulful high-schooler was last year's winner from our parallel competition, the Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative. Loading Coming from Tongan, Fijian, Aboriginal and Italian decent, it's safe to say that RIAH's cultural background and upbringing has shaped the silky R&B records she now makes. Her most recent single 'Motherslove' is an ode to the one who shaped her with family, clearly still front and centre in her life. The matriarch-focused track forms a sort of lullaby under the influence of RIAH's skilful yet soothing vocals, stripped back ever-so slightly too allow her lyrics to shine. She describes her artistry as "a nostalgic realm where soul meets modernity", bringing a fresh approach to the R&B space that's informed by greats of the genre before her, both in her songwriting and her vocal performance. Loading It's voice we projected would propel her into super-stardom in 2024's Indigenous Initiative, and in 2025, RIAH shows no signs of slowing!
CTV News
25-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Group from Mexico helps Nipissing First Nation build rainwater harvesting unit
A delegation from Mexico is visiting Nipissing First Nation as part of a project to build rainwater harvesting units. A delegation from Mexico is visiting Nipissing First Nation as part of a project to build rainwater harvesting units. Many hands made light work Tuesday as a group worked to get eavestroughs and pipes installed on a small cabin on Charles Street in the Nipissing First Nation. Helping with the build was a group of 13 people from three communities from Mexico. FN rain catcher1 Many hands made light work Tuesday as a group worked to get eavestroughs and pipes installed on a small cabin on Charles Street in the Nipissing First Nation. Helping with the build was a group of 13 people from Mexico. (Eric Taschner/CTV News) The group is building a rainwater harvesting unit that will be ready by the next time it rains. It will collect and store runoff from the cabin roof for future use. It's part of the One Water Project, an Indigenous-led initiative aimed at enhancing water resilience for First Nations communities in Ontario. 'This is all about building relationships across nations to achieve water resilience,' said project coordinator Jose Torcal. Through a partnership between the Nipissing First Nation and the Mexican delegation, a friendship was formed. Rain catch3 vMany hands made light work Tuesday as a group worked to get eavestroughs and pipes installed on a small cabin on Charles Street in the Nipissing First Nation. Helping with the build was a group of 13 people from Mexico. (Eric Taschner/CTV News) Rain catch2 vMany hands made light work Tuesday as a group worked to get eavestroughs and pipes installed on a small cabin on Charles Street in the Nipissing First Nation. Helping with the build was a group of 13 people from Mexico. (Eric Taschner/CTV News) It's funded by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. The group is here to share their knowledge of water management. 'Mexico has very extensive experience with rainwater harvesting. Isla Urbana, which is a social enterprise in Mexico, has done over 40,000 systems,' Torcal said. Maribel Gallardo, who came all the way from Oaxaca, Mex., is lending a hand. Water is a right Through a translator, Gallardo said it's important to share knowledge and expertise to help others who might not have access to clean water. 'Human access to water is a right. It's something that we need,' she told CTV News. 'It's a necessary thing to have water.' The partnership started in June 2023 as part of a two-year pilot project. In August of that year, a group from the First Nation flew to Mexico to learn about the water harvesting system in that country. 'In Ontario and in this part of the world, we have an abundance of water. We really take that for granted,' Nipissing First Nation manager Curtis Avery said. Rain catch 4 vMany hands made light work Tuesday as a group worked to get eavestroughs and pipes installed on a small cabin on Charles Street in the Nipissing First Nation. Helping with the build was a group of 13 people from Mexico. (Eric Taschner/CTV News) 'We're hoping to use this as an example to show that we can put these units on other cabins in the forest, for instance, to help our people when they're harvesting in the forest, or even if members are interested in putting one on their house themselves.' Avery said the First Nation community is hoping this project will be an example for other Indigenous communities in Ontario struggling to get access to clean water or that are under boil water advisories. According to the Government of Canada, there are currently 26 long-term drinking water advisories in 25 communities in Ontario, while 77 advisories have been lifted. 'We're trying to be a seed for the idea of harvesting rainwater to not only combat some of these issues for other First Nations but also to make us more resilient in the face of climate change,' Avery said. This is the second rainwater harvesting system to be installed at the First Nation. The first was erected at Nbisiing Secondary School last year. Gallardo said she has enjoyed her time in Canada and is 'grateful for how well we've been received.' 'This is an amazing experience that we're having,' she smiled.
