17-07-2025
Jessica Mauboy And Barkaa Bring Home NAIDOC Week On ‘Like A Version'
Jessica Mauboy has made her debut appearance on triple j's Like A Version segment, in the final days of NAIDOC Week. The Wakaman and Kuku Yalanji singer performed a cover of Yothu Yindi's 1993 single 'World Turning' from their third studio album Freedom, with a guest verse from Malyangapa and Barkindji rapper Barkaa. Watch the full performance from the duo below.
In an interview conducted for the station's YouTube channel, Mauboy explained that she covered the song as it was one that she grew up with. 'It takes me back to being a child, growing up in the Northern Territory,' she said. 'This song is the theme song in the background. At that young age, I didn't quite know what the song meant – but I knew that it felt really great.
'Now that I'm older, I know that it means something much bigger. Yothu Yindi gave me the strength to go out into the world and be who I am – and be brave.' Barkaa, for her part, said that she wanted to 'pay homage' to NAIDOC. 'NAIDOC's theme [this year] is 'Our Next Generation',' she said. 'We're paying homage to our babies and our future elders. I really wanted to say that the world keeps turning; we have struggled, we have carried a lot on our backs, and we have kept that fire burning.'
Jessica Mauboy feat. Barkaa – 'World Turning'
In addition to performing the Yothu Yindi cover, Mauboy and her band performed a rendition of her debut solo single: 2008's 'Running Back'. Lifted from her debut album Been Waiting, the track featured a guest verse from American pop-rapper Flo Rida. It peaked at number three on the ARIA Singles Chart, and would go on to be certified double platinum by ARIA. Watch it below.
Jessica Mauboy – 'Running Back'
Mauboy's fifth studio album, Yours Forever, was released in February 2024. It debuted at number 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and sported five singles: 'Give You Love' (featuring Jason Derulo), 'Flashback', 'Never Giving Up', 'Forget You' and 'I'm Sorry'. She was nominated for three ARIA Awards that same year, including Best Pop Release for Yours Forever and Song Of The Year for 'Give You Love'. She won the ARIA for Best Original Soundtrack Or Musical Theatre Cast Album as part of the soundtrack for the limited series Faraway Downs, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
Barkaa, meanwhile, was recently announced as a three-time NIMA nominee at this year's ceremony – at which, coincidentally, Mauboy is also set to perform. She is up for Album Of The Year for her second EP Big Tidda, as well as both Song Of The Year and Film Clip Of The Year for her track 'Ngmaka' – a collaboration with Leroy Johnson. Mauboy is also up for those two categories with 'Won't Stop', her track with Indigenous hip-hop supergroup 3% from last year's Kill The Dead.
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