September 29, 2025 • 51 mins
Meet Kaylah Truth, a powerhouse Meerooni woman of the Gurang Nation whose journey through hip-hop, activism and cultural reconnection will leave you inspired and reflective.
Growing up in Brisbane's south side, Kaylah's earliest memories revolve around her grandmother's bustling "black house" – a hub of community activism where young Kaylah absorbed the passionate discussions of politics and social justice happening around her. From nearly being whisked away to the Tent Embassy as a toddler to witnessing her first Salt-N-Pepa concert at age six, these formative experiences shaped her path in ways she couldn't yet understand. After facing significant losses in her late teens, Kaylah found herself at a crossroads. Choosing the Aboriginal Center for the Performing Arts became her lifeline – "hip-hop saved my life," she shares with raw honesty. What followed was a remarkable career balancing professional performance with profound community service, taking her from remote Australian communities to international stages alongside artists like TLC, Nelly and Lupe Fiasco.
The heart of this conversation reveals the beautiful intersection between hip-hop culture's "each one, teach one" philosophy and Indigenous knowledge-sharing traditions. Now returned to Brisbane after years in Victoria, Kaylah speaks movingly about her evolving priorities – stepping fully into her role as an aunty, deepening her connection to country and embracing the responsibility of language revival and cultural preservation following her grandmother's passing. This episode offers much more than a career retrospective – it's a meditation on healing through creative expression, finding purpose in community service, and recognising when life comes full circle. Kaylah's parting wisdom resonates deeply: "Try to be in the moment, acknowledge all the hard work that you did to get to that moment, but don't rush into the next one quicker than you have to."
Ready to be moved by a story of resilience, purpose, and coming home?
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Kayla, welcome to the podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (00:02):
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
Of course.
Now we go way back.
So I'm gonna try and be asprofessional as I can be.
But just know that I feel like Imight have to edit parts of
myself out.
Let's just start with uh fullname mob and a little bit about
uh where you grew up and whereyou reside.
SPEAKER_01 (00:24):
My name's Kayla Tyson.
I'm a Maroni woman of the GurangNation with ties also to the
Noogie people of the Kwandamukaregion.
Um most people know me as KaylaTruth or maybe even KMT if
you've been around for thatlong.
Um yeah, I grew up in Brisbane,uh south side of Brisbane,
mostly in between Logan, sospecifically Browns Pain's.
(00:46):
Um, and then yeah, you know,back and forth in my teenage,
early 20s, working in and aroundBrisbane and moved around
Australia a lot, but I've justcome back home to Brizzy.
SPEAKER_00 (01:00):
Well, I'm glad you're here.
Because when I wrote my list ofpodcast people I wanted to yarn
to, you're my sister fromanother mistake.
And I was like, all right, we'regonna have a good yarn.
Why don't we just start maybe,you know, early years growing
up, you know, any memories youhave about culture and then when
(01:23):
you first discovered the artsand your passion for music and
storytelling?
SPEAKER_01 (01:30):
Well, I was born in Ipswich.
Um, so my very early years wereliving in my nan's house.
Um, and if you can just imaginelike a big two-story house out
in out the you know, nearIpswich area, and it was a black
house, so everyone lived there.
(01:52):
Most, you know, most of Nan'skids lived there, which is why
we were there because I wasthere with mum.
Um, my dad was there at the timeas well, and yeah, it was just
always people in and out, alwayssomething happening.
You know, Nan cooking a big stewup to feed everyone.
Um, I'm the eldest grandchild,so I think I got a little bit
(02:12):
spoilt.
Um, there was always someonethere to read a book to me, or
um my aunties and uncles willactually talk about how Mary
Poppins was constantly onrepeat, and I used to make them
all watch it with me, and theyhad to know the words, and if
they didn't sing it right, thenwe had to start it again.
So I didn't really think aboutit, but I would say that my
(02:35):
interest in the arts and musicaltheatre probably started back
then.
Um, but yeah, I yeah, I itprobably would have just been,
you know, mixed in togetherbecause growing up with my nan
so close to me, um, and my popas well, like they were both in
politics in different ways andthey were very active in the
(02:58):
community.
Um, all of my family, I wouldsay, are activists in one way or
another in their line of workthat they do.
And I took a very keen interestin learning as much as I could
back then.
But I was that kid that was, youknow, in the black organizations
back in the days.
Um, I remember a lot of theaunties and uncles calling me
(03:20):
that baby, because you know, itwas just me somewhere around
there with them.
And um, I think there wasactually a time where my mum
says they were all, all the mobwere in Musgrove Park and they
were about to get on the bus togo down to the tent embassy.
I was only young then, likereally, really young.
And mum had to jump on and say,Who's got my kid?
(03:41):
Like, where where is she?
And yeah, they were like, Oh, wethought the baby was coming with
us.
And mum's like, no, come on,she's too little.
So I almost ended up in Canberraat the tent embassy um very
early on.
But yeah, I guess that was mypath in life, you know, getting
all played out for me from veryearly on.
SPEAKER_00 (04:02):
100%.
And you would have been exposedto a lot, a lot of great music,
culture, politics.
Now, let's go into those earlyteenage years, some of your
musical influences, and thenspecifically travel down the
lane of the hip-hop path and howthat started.
SPEAKER_01 (04:18):
Yeah.
Um biggest experience for mefrom early on, where I think it
really, you know, was pivotal inthat me deciding that that was
what I wanted to do, even if Ididn't realise the weight of it
at the time, would have been uhmy mum taking me to a salt and
pepper concert when I was sixyears old.
(04:39):
So my mum was young.
Um, and when I think about itnow, she probably didn't have a
babysitter or I don't know, butshe took myself and my cousin,
and my mum was having the timeof her life.
She was up on the chair dancing,she was getting in trouble for
standing on the chair dancing atthe concert.
Um, but there's a lot ofBrisbane community there who I
still talk to these days, um,you know, people that have gone
(05:02):
into the music world as well.
And I think right there and thenI just remember thinking, wow,
this is cool, I could do that.
I already liked salt and pepperby that point.
I remember for the next fewyears, you know, we didn't have
internet back then, so wecouldn't look up lyrics.
So if you didn't get it in thesleeves of the CDs or whatever,
(05:23):
or the tapes at that time, thenyou had to just listen and learn
it.
So we used to sit there andwrite them lyrics out and, you
know, pause it, write a bit,play, keep going.
And I was doing that stuff fromreally early on.
So I think that all of the umsteps along the way were
happening without me beingconscious of it.
(05:45):
And I focused a lot more onsports while I was at school,
but um, once I got out of it, myfirst job was at a community
radio station.
Um, so I was back, you know,amongst all of the music again,
started dancing a little bit,and yeah, ended up auditioning
for the Aboriginal Center forthe Performing Arts.
(06:07):
Honestly, the reason I did thatwas actually because there was a
lot of death happening around meat the time.
Um, it had been for a few years,and I just thought to myself,
like, what should I be doing asa 19-year-old?
I don't have anyresponsibilities, I don't have
any dependence.
(06:28):
I should just do something thatI love doing, and you know,
we'll see how it goes, and thenI make up my mind from there.
So honestly, that's just whatgot me to the performing arts
school and auditioning.
Um, but that was a crossroadsfor me because I ended up really
focusing in and being throwninto the performing arts world
and training for the next fiveyears and um picking up all the
(06:51):
skills that I needed to kind ofstep out into the industry and
still here, you know, many yearslater.
Um things that we've picked upduring that time are things that
you can kind of transfer intoother industries, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (07:08):
I want to go back to that time.
So you're a young woman, there'sso many challenges just
happening in the landscape atthat time in the 90s, you know.
Um just being a young woman.
What were some of thosechallenges that sort of led you
down to needing that outlet foryourself?
SPEAKER_01 (07:30):
Well, I think that as young uh Indigenous
Australians we're facing racismbefore we even know what is
happening, you know what I mean?
Like we're we're getting calledthese names or we know that
people are looking at usdifferently.
And I grew up in Logan City, soyou would nowadays you look at
(07:53):
that, and we know that there'sover 250 different cultural
backgrounds living in this city,and it's actually a beautiful
thing.
Um, but it wasn't always likethat, you know.
Um, and then wherever we go, wecan get a very different
reception, whether it's out inthe country or whether it's in a
city, you know, and you start topick up on these little things.
And um as you get a bit older,you know, like it's very normal.
(08:18):
I I was very angry um because Ifelt helpless.
When when you're younger, youhave this like sense of wanting
to change the world and andcontribute in a positive way,
um, but you don't always knowhow you can do that.
So sometimes it can, you know,show up in different ways.
(08:39):
You fight back or or whatever.
But the lucky thing for me wasthat I grew up absolutely loving
reading.
I had adults around me whotaught me a lot, and I think we
I got early chances to learn howto communicate to the best of my
ability.
I was very confident from theget-go, um, ready to argue my
(09:00):
point.
So I guess like I just thought Ican write this stuff in my
journal, and then it eventuallyturned into a bit of poetry, and
I grew up watching hip-hop andRB music videos because we
didn't have that representationof black and brown faces on
(09:23):
Australian TV.
If you watch some of the showsthat are on every night, we
weren't represented anywhere.
But if you watched music videoson Rage or Video Hits on the
weekend, you could see someonewho, you know, we're not the
same cultural background, butthey look similar to our mums
and aunties and dads and unclesand that.
(09:45):
And um it wasn't just what wesaw, but with rappers, they were
talking about issues that werehappening over in the States,
like deaths and custody, racism,you know, all of that stuff.
And it was things that we couldrelate to.
SPEAKER_00 (10:01):
Shared struggle.
SPEAKER_01 (10:02):
100%, even though we're on the opposite sides of
the world.
So I think for me, it was justsomething that was there right
in front of me.
And, you know, you can go aroundand get into fights, but you
know that's wrong, right?
So how do you grab at adifferent um tool to help you
(10:22):
express those frustrations andum just do it in a more positive
way where you can actually getsomething back from it?
That's what I I like to tellkids, you know, like, yeah, you
can go fight someone, but whatare you gonna get out of it?
Um get in trouble with the lawor whatever.
If you write a song and it andyou're passionate about it and
you want to keep doing that, youcan make money to support
(10:44):
yourself or your family.
Um, you can get a very healthybuzz out of being on stage or,
you know, just hearing umsomething that you've done give
joy to other people in yourcommunity.
So have to live by that myself.
SPEAKER_00 (11:00):
It's hard sometimes.
SPEAKER_01 (11:02):
Oh, very hard.
SPEAKER_00 (11:03):
Because you're getting pushed in society.
Now, um when you first kind ofgot into that landscape, I'm
gonna go and I'm gonna go andperform in arts and stuff.
Do you remember the first timethat you sort of danced at, say,
uh a performance that youtrained for?
And take me back there and tellme how it felt that first time
you you really performed infront of say an audience.
SPEAKER_01 (11:28):
I'm gonna say that we always had an audience.
Um, but it was a lot smaller,you know, in the early days
because like I was saying, I wasthe eldest cousin and I used to
make all my cousins come up withchoreography, and um, you know,
whether it was at a family gettogether or whether it was on
(11:49):
the little discos that we had atour house on Friday nights, we
were putting on littleperformances, um, wanting to be
the Spice Girls or whoever itwas at the time.
Um, but outside of family, I dorecall jumping up on stage at my
very last parade at school.
(12:11):
It took me that long to get upthere because I guess I don't
know, the the styles and stuffthat were being taught in school
at the time, though it didn'treally feel like a lot of us
black and brown people couldconnect with that.
And so we'd just meet up atlunchtime and you know, we were
thinking we'll cruise from yougot served or one of those dance
movies.
(12:31):
And we did that, and then we gotour opportunity to jump up at
the end of um school.
And I don't know why I waitedthat long, but I really enjoyed
that.
Like it was fun, it wasn'treally planned out.
Um and then from there, youknow, I was kind of just dancing
around a little bit more whenwe'd be out.
Um, but then there were dancecompetitions that were
(12:51):
happening, and back then it wasthe era of dance cruising, and
people you didn't go out unlessyou were going to dance.
It wasn't like now where youjust all stand around.
Um so I started entering dancecompetitions with the
encouragement of my friends, wona few of those, and then I
thought, oh, I can I canactually do something with this.
Um, but nothing beats performingto your whole community at like
(13:16):
Nadock Week.
Nadock Week Musgrove Park.
Not necessarily, you know,getting paid a lot or whatever,
but you wouldn't miss it for theworld because that's where all
your mob are, and you're justthere to have a have a good
time.
So I don't care how many gigs Ido, like I always love to do
those ones because it does takeme back to that point in time
(13:39):
where it's not about anythingelse other than just like having
fun and having a laugh with allof your mob around you.
SPEAKER_00 (13:45):
Yeah.
And tell us um, you know, someof the performance you've done,
share some of the work thatyou've done and some of the work
in the community.
SPEAKER_01 (13:53):
And yeah, um I've always done uh sort of like
there were times where I wastouring a bit more with my own
music and um doing those typesof gigs, but at the same time I
was always in communities doingmusic workshops.
Well, they're actually more likeleadership workshops, but we
used hip hop as a tool to umbring out some confidence and
(14:17):
and I guess be appealing to theyounger people so we could
achieve some of those thingsthat we were there to do.
But um, yeah, so traveled allaround Australia to remote
indigenous communities and likerural towns um to places that
people won't even go in theirlifetime, don't even know exist.
So very blessed to be able tosee all the different countries
(14:39):
across Australia.
Um and then yeah, over I'vetaken that type of work
specifically took me overseas toNew York and I performed in New
York and um we volunteered at asummer camp that was for kids
that were affected by sicklecell and HIV.
Um and as much as it sounds likea good thing to do from our end
(15:02):
to give back and all of that,that was actually a blessing for
us as well.
Um it opened my eyes up and youknow, that was one of the one of
those things in my time thatI'll never forget about.
I really appreciated theopportunity to go over there and
share um the tools that I'vebeen given uh with those kids
over there too.
And yeah, but uh like I wassaying, alongside that I was
(15:25):
always doing my gigs.
So I've been lucky enough towork with um artists like TLC,
uh Nelly, Lupe Fiasco BOB.
You would know that because yougot on stage with me.
People don't know, but he's arapper too, you know.
That's where we all started.
SPEAKER_00 (15:42):
We were drifting in them clubs.
SPEAKER_01 (15:44):
We definitely were, yeah.
Um, but yeah, also hosted uhSierra um and Jay Holiday.
Um there's a bunch more, butyeah, obviously a lot of local
artists as well, who are stillmy friends to this day.
SPEAKER_00 (16:00):
And a lot of your launches for your for your
tracks and stuff.
SPEAKER_01 (16:04):
Yeah, yeah.
So I'm 100% self-managed andfunded.
So uh we haven't always you knowpumped out material like you
would if you had the team of arecord label, a big record label
behind you.
Um so sometimes those things arefew and far between, but in in
(16:26):
between those things, you'restill doing your gigs, you're
still building those networks.
And um I I honestly think thatwe could rock up to a hip-hop
show now and we would see all ofour friends from back in those
days as well.
SPEAKER_00 (16:41):
So it really is a beautiful community to the whole
time you've been giving backthrough your work and the
community.
SPEAKER_01 (16:46):
Yeah, well, as a black follower, I think that
we're always taught from theget-go that you should always
pass on the tools that youlearn.
And especially as the eldestgrandchild in the family, I the
well, I think that's a hugeresponsibility that I have.
Whatever I learn, I try to passit on straight away because um
we're not uh about likeindividualism, like we're about
(17:10):
community and we should sharewhat we've got, you know, and
help everyone eat and get aheadin life and be as healthy as
they can.
But that's also from the hip-hopcommunity side of things as
well.
You know, there is that slogan,each one, teach one.
So whichever culture I'm leaninginto, whether it's hip-hop or my
Aboriginal culture, it's like alaw on both sides that I have to
(17:34):
do that and I love to.
SPEAKER_00 (17:35):
100%.
It's in you, it's in your DNA,knowledge sharing, community
giving back.
Now let's talk about um I thinkyou mentioned all those great
shows and and artists you'veworked with.
Um, is there any otherhighlights that come to mind?
Uh it could be nothing to dowith that work, it could just
be, you know, you helped afriend plan her dream wedding.
(17:58):
Just a highlight for you of ofsome of the work you've done.
SPEAKER_01 (18:02):
A bigger one, which is funnily enough, a little more
recent, um, was the first timethat I got to do my own show on
country over on StrawbrokeIsland.
So um so close to home, so closeto where I've grown up.
Not sure why it took that long,but doing that, you know, I kind
(18:25):
of just approached it like anyother gig, but it wasn't until I
was about to get on stage and Iwas like, oh, this is this is
different.
Like all my ancestors will behere watching what I'm doing,
and it's a special thing to beable to say that I've been in
the industry for as long as Ihave, um and come back to
(18:45):
country and bring all my artistfriends back with me for them
kids and aunties and uncles tosee.
But it yeah, just it has adifferent feeling, you know?
It's like I don't know, it'shard to explain, but being on
country is just somethingsomething else.
Like the connection to countryand being able to bring your
(19:06):
skills back there and share itis just is so so important.
And I would take that feelingover being on a stage at a
festival with tens of thousandsof people any day.
SPEAKER_00 (19:19):
We talked about this amazing gift that you've been
sharing in community and beingon country and and that feeling.
Um how has let me let me getthis right.
Apart from giving that gift, hasit healed you in a way?
SPEAKER_01 (19:42):
Mm-hmm.
Never-ending healing.
And sometimes when I feel alittle bit lost, I have to go
back to it and remind myselfthat I have that there as a
tool.
Are we talking about using hiphop as a tool to help other
people bring out things likeconfidence and you know, give a
(20:03):
bit of structure to your life,something to look forward to.
But we need to remember thatthat's why we started it as
well.
Um whether it's writing lyrics,that can be quite cathartic
because maybe you're not ajournaler, but you could it's
the same thing, like you'rewriting out your thoughts and
(20:23):
feelings in your lyrics.
Um and then, you know, say ifyou're preparing for a show or a
tour, gives you something tofocus on, you're training, you
all of a sudden your mindsetschange, you're trying to focus
on eating as well as you can,and you know, you're at the gym
or you're rehearsing orwhatever.
(20:44):
Um on those physical andemotional levels, like that's
there, and that's something thatyou can really tap into.
Um, but for me, as cliche as itsounds, like hip-hop saved my
life, because there were therewere probably more than one
moment in my life where it waslike a crossroad.
(21:05):
And I am very blessed that Ihave other things that I can
lean into.
I'm not limited to only doingthat one thing.
Um, but reminding myself that itis there and I can pick it up
whenever I want to.
And it is something that I canuse to heal me at any time.
Maybe like I was saying, maybe Ijust need to write something out
(21:27):
and get it out of my system andrelease it and let it go.
Or it could be that, you know,you do get up on stage and you
just feel that deadly energythat you get when you're up
there and you don't alwaysrealize that there's somebody in
the crowd that's really holdingon to the words that you're
sharing, or that you know, whenI saw someone pepper up on
(21:51):
stage, I hope that when I'm onstage there's a six-year-old
girl that's like, oh, I reckon Icould do that, you know?
So all of it's healing.
SPEAKER_00 (22:01):
You mentioned the word crossroads and um What were
some of those crossroads?
SPEAKER_01 (22:10):
When I auditioned to go to um performing art school,
I was actually in court at thattime, and I was very lucky that
I had support around me, but umwhen Leah Purcell came in to be
the artistic director there, shshe didn't do she actually
didn't know me.
(22:30):
Um we were meeting for the firsttime.
Obviously, our families, youknow, knew knew each other over
different generations.
Um, but I was in court for acharge that I could have gone to
jail for.
Um and luckily I hadn't been introuble any other time, and I
(22:52):
was studying, and by the time wewent to court, I had been able
to show that I had things goingfor me.
Um but you know, like I do thinkback to those moments where it
could have gone the other way,and I wonder how different my
life would be.
Um and I, yeah, I really just amso grateful that I got the
opportunity to go in a differentdirection.
(23:14):
And I wouldn't have been able todo that without the support
around me.
Um but it was on me to take theopportunity that was in front of
me and to desperately learn andpick up tools that could help me
move down that new path in ahealthier way for myself.
SPEAKER_00 (23:37):
And having those support systems, great people,
those outlets for anyone outthere that might be struggling
and and not having thoseoutlets.
How important is it for them totake that opportunity that they
might not see as an opportunityto help them get out of that
that place?
SPEAKER_01 (23:54):
So, so important.
When you're in that place, youoften can't see past what's run
right here in front of you.
Um, even to the point where youmight not even think to ask for
help.
Um But I I am, you know, anexample of if you speak up, you
ask for help, you might not evenknow how you need help, but just
(24:17):
ask for it.
And you never know.
Like like I said, Leah Percelldidn't know who I was back then,
you know.
We that was a relationship thatwe formed um a lot further on
down the track and continued toform today.
But there were many Leahs in mylife, and I know that I am very
lucky to be able to say thatbecause my family for starters
(24:40):
have always been very supportiveand pushed me to be the best
version of myself.
Um, I've had great teachers, andLeah was another person along
that track.
But um yeah, if you have thatone person in your life that you
think you could maybe reach outto, then give it a crack and you
know, see if you can get somesupport.
(25:01):
But whatever your thing is, itmight not be music, it could be
sport, it could be you know,anything else.
Um, could be church, whatever.
Just give it a go because it'snot gonna hurt, you know.
Like you have to just decidethat I have to make a change
here and lean into even theslightest bit of opportunity
(25:22):
that's in front of you to go ina different direction.
SPEAKER_00 (25:24):
Love it.
It's very important just to takethat first step.
SPEAKER_01 (25:28):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00 (25:28):
One step at a time.
Acknowledging that, hey, it'sokay for me to feel this way.
SPEAKER_01 (25:33):
Yeah.
And I can guarantee that you'renot the first person in the
world that's been in thatposition.
Even though your brain will betelling you that no one else
understands.
SPEAKER_00 (25:42):
And it's the people that you think wouldn't be.
You know, you see all thesepeople and you think they're
killing it, and social media isdistorting our our our vision of
reality.
It can make you feel, you know.
Um how much of an impact issocial media having on young
artists these days.
SPEAKER_01 (25:58):
A huge impact.
For the good and the bad.
You can really use social mediaas a tool to um reach places and
people that we would havestruggled to reach back when we
were starting out.
Um but it is definitelysomething that you need to be in
(26:20):
control of.
Um, you know, unfortunately, wesee a lot of people um with, you
know, body dysmorphia and umonline bullying and all those
things.
So I do feel for people who areaffected by that type of stuff.
And uh I think we might havebeen lucky to be that last
generation to kind of livebefore the internet and social
(26:43):
media became a thing.
It was something that we had tolearn as well, and we probably
resisted for a while, you know,like old school.
We just do stuff in person, youknow.
Um, but like I said, it issomething that you can lean
into.
And if you are conscious of whatyou're exposing yourself to,
then it can actually be a reallypowerful tool.
unknown (27:06):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (27:06):
Make sure you consume the good stuff.
SPEAKER_00 (27:08):
Yes.
Fill your feed with positivityand all that good stuff.
And um creative people generallyare wired, there's mental health
issues there as well.
Um is that anything you'veexperienced, mental health side
of things, that tend to go handin hand.
I'm making that assumption.
Um but yeah, any experience withthat?
(27:30):
Any um examples of how you mayhave got through that?
SPEAKER_01 (27:34):
Yeah, definitely.
Um I there's been many at manytimes, not just as uh a black
fellow, but more so in ourcommunities, we experience a lot
of grief and loss, and it'salmost normalized from a very
young age.
Um when I was 14, one of my bestfriends back then, he was
(27:58):
murdered, and that was my firstexperience of a really uh heavy,
heavy, heavy loss, and thatdefinitely changed who I was um
at the time and still to thisday.
So back then no one was reallygoing to counseling, or it
wasn't something that maybe ourparents or our teachers or
(28:20):
anyone around us would, youknow, send us to do as a
priority.
Um so I think that that carried,you know, a heavy kind of weight
with me, like into my adultyears as well.
And it was something that maybeI didn't really deal with until
a bit later on.
(28:40):
Um, and continue to deal withbecause as you would know, like
in our community, we often don'tget the opportunity to uh finish
grieving someone before we losethe next person.
And it's yeah, it just feelslike it's nonstop sometimes.
Um, so that has definitelyaffected my mental health and is
(29:02):
a big part of why I needed topick up a pen and pad and write
some raps, you know, because Ijust needed to get some of those
things out.
And often you don't even knowwhat you're feeling until you
start writing it out.
Um uh yeah, so that's yes,something that I'm constantly
still trying to remind myself ofis checking in with myself about
(29:22):
where I'm at with dealing withgrief, because that's been a big
um, big challenge for me, anongoing thing, and become more
and more apparent on howimportant it is for us to be
conscious of that struggle forus.
Um, you know, I know a lot ofother people out there struggle
with different um diagnoses andand stuff like that.
(29:43):
And I guess we are lucky that welive in a world today where we
can um like acknowledge that andthere's a bit more support out
there.
So yeah, I think like I wassaying before, um if you are
somebody who's on social media alot, if you make sure that you
You watch what you're consuming,you can also use social media to
(30:04):
tap into some of those toolsthat can benefit your mental
health as well.
And sometimes you feel a lot ofpeople feel more comfortable
speaking to a stranger than theydo.
Um, the ones that are close tothem in their life.
So social media can be apowerful tool for that as well.
SPEAKER_00 (30:20):
It's great advice, checking in with yourself.
That's a really big one.
SPEAKER_01 (30:23):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (30:23):
First.
And then knowing we we sort ofcovered it, those support
networks and people andresources and the same thing
that could be taking you downthe rabbit hole.
You can quickly put in a searchthat can help it bring you out
of that.
SPEAKER_01 (30:39):
But also go outside.
I'm a salt water person, andoften, you know, I might get to
a point where I'm like, oh, somewhat's wrong with me?
Like something feels off.
And then I realise I haven'tbeen to the beach for a month or
two.
And that's all I need.
I just need to go outside andget some sun and smell that salt
water and put my feet in thereand yeah, just lay them on the
sand.
SPEAKER_00 (31:00):
Cheeks out, eh?
SPEAKER_01 (31:01):
Yeah.
Gotta soak up that vitamin D.
SPEAKER_00 (31:06):
Now, um, who's been the biggest influence in your
life?
SPEAKER_01 (31:12):
It's hard to say one.
SPEAKER_00 (31:15):
You can say multiple.
SPEAKER_01 (31:16):
Collectively, all of the deadly women in my life.
Um, for better or for worse, welive in a community where the
women are usually at the centerof it and they're the glue that
holds us all together.
Um, sometimes too independent,but that's just what we've had
(31:39):
to do to survive.
Definitely my mum has been myconstant, my number one constant
in my life.
And, you know, being at thisage, I now know that she was
quite young when she had me andmy brother not long after that.
Um, she worked very hard, shewas a professional woman, um,
and had to, you know, strugglethat with being a single mum.
(32:03):
Um, with the help of ourcommunity, she was able to do
that.
And um my mum leaning into thosepeople around us uh also brought
other, you know, deadly aunniesand that into our life.
Um, but my nan is also like mybiggest, you know, biggest hero.
And um she was only she was onlya little woman, but when she
(32:27):
spoke, people listened.
And I guess that's the power innot talking all the time, you
know, that when you saysomething, people know that
you've actually got something tosay.
And yeah, she was a fiery, fierylittle woman.
Um that even grown men would,you know, they'd shut up and
they'd listen.
So that's a powerful thing tohave.
(32:49):
And there were back then, Ithink my first job was cleaning
um Marumura, which was where Nanworked at.
And now I think about it, shemust have been paying me out of
her own pocket.
Because it wasn't a real lot ofmoney in the, you know, black
orgs.
And um yeah, I just think aboutthat generation who constantly
(33:11):
showed up every day, probablyweren't making any money, yet
still found a way to do the workand set all these things up for
our generation.
No, I work in a world where Ican get a salary to go and
support my brothers and sistersout there in the community,
(33:32):
which can also help me supportmy family.
Um, and that was just somethingthat actually didn't exist back
then.
So sometimes I think I don'tknow how they did it, but I
guess they did it out ofnecessity.
Always grateful for them.
Like I'll give a shout-out tothe generation of Brisbane
blacks that, you know, startedout.
Um, I feel very grateful to comefrom, you know, staunch warriors
(33:59):
who pushed forward and showed upat all the time and maybe didn't
always have the tools to lookafter themselves the best, but
um tried their best to lookafter the rest of us.
SPEAKER_00 (34:10):
What's your fondest memory of Nan?
SPEAKER_01 (34:15):
Wow, there's there's actually so many.
I was always with Nan, all thetime.
And as I got older, Nan um cameto gigs and go pick her up on
the way to work and take her tothe radio station with me.
And she would I don't know, wejust hung out all the time, you
know.
I would sit there and debatepolitics and whatever with Nan.
(34:40):
We loved a good debate.
Um I think what I would bereally grateful for is that I
was meant to model for Reebok atthe Melbourne Fashion Festival,
and this was in 2020, justbefore COVID hit.
It was all locked in.
And Nan hadn't been to Melbournebefore, but she'd been wanting
to go for a while because youknow, she knew before the
(35:01):
activism that existed inVictoria and how a lot of that
was a building block for whatended up happening elsewhere in
Queensland and all of that.
So Nan was keen to come toMelbourne.
She wanted to watch me walk andshe wanted to go do her thing.
She also went for MelbourneStorm, which tried not to hold
against her.
(35:23):
Um, but yeah, she came down andthen COVID hit the world and um
it the whole festival got shutdown at the same time as the
rest of the world, and weactually got sent back home,
which at the time I felt umdisappointed that I didn't get
to fulfill that dream that I hadum to walk the runway.
(35:43):
But I we ended up losing Nenduring the pandemic, so I think
that that was um yeah, that wasa gift that was given to me to
be able to spend that time withNan and have that trip.
And I'm so so grateful for it.
SPEAKER_00 (36:02):
Thank you for sharing.
I know how important she was toyou.
SPEAKER_02 (36:08):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (36:09):
And um that hard work doing what she had to do
and only getting this much, butstill giving you that to instill
within you what you've actuallybeen doing in community.
That's that's been ingrained inyou.
SPEAKER_01 (36:27):
Yeah, and that's why I try to um find a balance of
taking care of myself, but tryto, you know, get out there and
um I take that responsibilityseriously because like you said,
um Nan and my mum's generationas well, they did so much for us
(36:52):
to be able to have the freedomto um fly, you know.
You just come back from Sydneythis morning, I came back from
Melbourne the day before.
We can get on a plane at thedrop of a hat and move around
wherever we want.
We don't have to ask permissionto travel.
And it was only in such recentgenerations where our mob
(37:13):
couldn't leave the missionswithout getting permission.
Um, so there's that, but there'salso spaces where we're still
the first black person to dosomething in, you know, and it's
crazy that we're still there.
But if we have to be thatperson, then so be it.
Let's go kick the door down.
(37:33):
And I got that from my mum andan and all of them aunties and
uncles.
SPEAKER_00 (37:39):
And I think anyone that knows you knows you well
enough to to know that that'swhat you're about and what you
stand for, and if you'repassionate about something, you
you fight for it.
SPEAKER_02 (37:50):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (37:51):
Um, through your music and through the the work
you're doing in the community.
What does the next twelvemonths, three years I'm not
worried about calendar, but whatwhat does the next steps forward
look like for Kayla?
SPEAKER_01 (38:09):
Well, I've just returned home um from living in
Victoria for a few years.
Um I am at the point in my lifewhere I do want to be at home
and I want to find moreopportunities to be on country a
bit more.
And I have these awesome littlenephews who are little maniacs
(38:33):
as well, and I miss them while Iwas gone.
So um I think for me, like mymain role that I want to step
into is just being an auntie.
I'm ready to be Arnie Kayla inall of the meanings of that
word.
Um I just want to go to footballon Sunday mornings and and be
(38:53):
there to support my mum a bitmore.
And it's seems like such adifferent plan, you know.
You know me.
I could have a couple of yearsago would have told you my
five-year plan and it would havelooked insane.
Um, and it would have beenthings that were all focused on
work and those types ofachievements.
(39:14):
Um, but I just feel like I'velived a few lives already and
I'm blessed to be able to saythat.
So yeah, family, country, andfiguring out, you know, the I
there's still so much that Ineed to learn when it comes to
language and uh different thingsabout my country and and the
(39:37):
things that I feel that I nowhave to really, really learn so
I can pass it on to my nephewsand some other ones around me.
SPEAKER_00 (39:46):
It's a huge journey.
SPEAKER_01 (39:48):
Yeah.
Definitely.
SPEAKER_00 (39:49):
And it's kind of like you need to go through what
you've been through to to nowmake that next journey.
And I know um you know, some ofthe things that you've done in
your life, but I still know thatthe most important things are
yet to come for you.
Because it's a deeper journey,it's a real spiritual
(40:12):
reconnection.
SPEAKER_01 (40:14):
Yeah, it was like we just spent all these years just
peeling back the layers anddifferent challenges and and
good things at every layer.
Um and you continually learnabout what is important.
And you kind of get there andyou realize it's not it's not
(40:36):
necessarily out there.
It's like all in here and I havebeen so blessed to grow up like
max an hour boat trip away frommy country.
And yet I haven't spent as muchtime there as I'd like to.
So now it's all about makingsure that we don't take those
(40:56):
things for granted.
And if that means I write analbum in the language that I
learn, that would be amazing.
But maybe it won't be that, youknow, but we'll we'll see what
comes of it.
Um when I was in Melbourne, Iwas very blessed to be able to
work alongside the mob downthere on the Treaty for Victoria
(41:20):
campaign, and it gave me a bitof an insight into the blueprint
of what could potentially workelsewhere.
So I think that we're a littlefar from achieving that here
right now, but um I do feel acall to, you know, um talk to my
(41:41):
mob and see what we can do andsee if we want to play a part in
kind of achieving that in ourarea somewhere in the near
future.
So yeah, it's just all about mypeople and community and
culture, which it always hasbeen, but I guess it's uh
(42:01):
stepping into that role um beingat this age and being that young
auntie.
SPEAKER_00 (42:10):
Feels like a purpose.
SPEAKER_01 (42:12):
Yeah.
True.
I I would 100% say so.
I think that even though I don'tw really know what it looks like
just yet or what it will looklike, I think everything I've
done up until this point is justbeen me collecting information
and collecting tools and umfiguring myself out to be able
(42:33):
to bring all of that backtogether to come back and be
like, okay, maybe we okay, wehave to um revive and you know,
um look revitalize ourlanguages.
Okay, well, let's make a songbecause people know how to, you
know, sing along to a song, andthat's usually how our brains
(42:53):
retain it.
So maybe we're learning how towrite so I could come and keep
our language going.
I don't know, we'll we'll haveto wait and see.
SPEAKER_00 (43:02):
I agree.
We literally, like, this weekwe're at the language symposium,
the state library, talking aboutlanguage, and I'm hearing uncles
from the NT in his early 70s getcoming to tears about language
and trying, and I'm just sittingthere like trying to document
(43:23):
this stuff, just getting alllike it's a beautiful thing, but
it's also humbling because it'sthat journey, and like, man,
there's an obligation to thisnow.
SPEAKER_01 (43:36):
There really is.
When my nan passed away, assomeone who feels like I spent
as much time as possible withher, I still felt like there
were so many more things that Iwanted to ask, and I didn't get
the opportunity to do that.
But that's something that wehave to remind ourselves of.
Our old people are passing away,and with them our cultural
(43:58):
libraries are going, you know,unless we've taken the
opportunity that we could to getas much out of them as possible.
Um and I believe, you know,everything happens out to me
too.
So there's probably more stuffthat's sitting inside of me that
I didn't realise I soaked up,and I hope that I can tap into
(44:18):
that, you know, as I'm movingthrough this next part of my
journey.
Um, but it definitely is anobligation.
Um when my nan passed away,there was something about the
shift where I felt like, oh, Ijust got moved up a generation.
And that was just such a strangeand important feeling to have
(44:47):
that I guess I didn't really seecoming.
Um yeah, since then it's justbeen a lot of reflection and you
know, I'm ready to step into myresponsibility with that.
SPEAKER_00 (45:01):
You imagine there's so many things that so many
things you would have asked.
If you got one question.
SPEAKER_01 (45:15):
Oh my god, there's I don't know if it would be a
question.
I just wish that I maybe didthis more, like just hit record.
I don't know if Nan would havewanted me to do that, but you
know, them old people they're abit private.
Um I did so much talking to Nanand I was very blessed to be
able to do that, and I just wishmaybe I recorded it so that the
(45:37):
younger ones could have heardthose yarns if they didn't.
And um, like you were saying,documenting.
We do live in an age now wherewe have technology and almost
anyone can operate it.
So uh no, write those books andfilm those yarns or just record
(46:01):
the yarns and you can go backand listen to it, you know.
Um I'm actually lucky that Nanused to be with me all the time
because I've got a music videofrom a community project where
Nan raps on it.
Wow.
I don't know how we managed toget her to do that, but I've got
that, and then there's anotherdocumentary that Leah Purcell
(46:23):
was producing where they did asegment on a bit of my life, and
we go, you know, to one of thefamily homes, and Nan's talking
on that too, and so is my mumand all that.
So I am grateful that I gotthose opportunities because I
can listen to Nan's voice when Iwant to.
Um but I just wish I did more ofit, that's all.
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (46:44):
Definitely feels full circle moments.
When you're a kid, you don'tunderstand it.
You don't understand thatknowledge that is right there.
Yes.
Or you're sitting on the lap ofthat knowledge holder because
you're a kid.
You've been through, haven'texperienced the racism, you
haven't experienced the hardshipand the heartache and the ups
and the downs.
And then here we are, you and Iten years ago would have been
(47:06):
talking about who's driving tothe Gold Coast.
SPEAKER_01 (47:08):
Which would have been you.
SPEAKER_00 (47:10):
That's right.
Here we go.
I'm not gonna do that.
I'm not gonna go there.
Um, it's it's good to have theseyarns and and at the same time
there's all this sort of stuffthat's trying to silence truth
telling.
It's almost like we're now youand I right here are just going,
no, no, no, no.
(47:30):
We're not gonna be silenced.
Truth telling's not gonna stop.
SPEAKER_01 (47:34):
And we don't need permission to tell our truth.
We never have.
We've been telling our truththis whole time.
SPEAKER_00 (47:41):
Al Kala truth?
SPEAKER_01 (47:42):
No.
SPEAKER_00 (47:47):
You're right.
Like, don't need permission.
SPEAKER_02 (47:51):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (47:52):
We have the tools now.
We have the cameras, we have thethe phones.
SPEAKER_02 (47:58):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (47:58):
We've developed all the media skill sets through the
performing and the writing, theacting and the producing and the
scheduling.
Maybe it's just been thewarm-up.
SPEAKER_01 (48:09):
I think so.
Every important position I findmyself in at different points in
my life, I often feel like Ijust have this moment of clarity
where I'm like, oh, that's why Idid all of that.
It was just to get me ready forthis moment.
SPEAKER_00 (48:26):
That's why I needed that lesson.
SPEAKER_01 (48:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (48:29):
We're being proper wise here, eh?
You and I.
Wow, look out.
They call me uncle now.
Yeah, them young ones, eh?
SPEAKER_01 (48:37):
When they call you uncle and a like speaking of,
that's why I need to just stopgoing to the Gold Coast and
stuff because they call me Annienow out there.
unknown (48:45):
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (48:45):
Yeah, wasn't ready for that.
SPEAKER_00 (48:47):
Remember that first time, eh?
SPEAKER_01 (48:49):
Who are you talking to?
SPEAKER_00 (48:50):
Yeah.
Some of them greys startedcoming through.
SPEAKER_01 (48:53):
I'm like, uh We embrace the Greys now.
SPEAKER_00 (48:56):
Yeah, no, it's good.
And um, I'd love to sort of umclose with possibly just an
ethos, a quote, a statement,something you live by, a word of
advice, anything.
The ball's in your court.
Um, you can just take the stage.
SPEAKER_01 (49:21):
I resonate with so many different things over
different points in my life.
A simple quote that's alwaysstuck with me was I don't know
who said it, but the don't crybecause it's over smile because
it happened.
And at some point in my younglife that really spoke to me.
And I think that it pops upevery now and then, and it's
(49:43):
just a reminder that some thingsdon't last forever, but there's
beauty in the fact that it evenhappened, and sometimes we're so
busy and on the go, and um, oneof my biggest challenges has
been to remind myself to be inthe moment and soak up the
beauty of being there instead ofbeing so caught up in what comes
(50:06):
next, you know?
So I think that for me I'd justsay try to be in the moment,
acknowledge all the hard workthat you did to get to that
moment, um but don't rush intothe next one quicker than you
have to.
SPEAKER_00 (50:26):
And that comes straight back to you saying that
checking in with yourself, notjust when it's bad.
Well, maybe I'm like it's goingwell.
Let's check in.
Grounding, let's be present,acknowledge that this is a
beautiful day, and and being inpresent is is not easy.
Here I am, like, yeah, we'llclose it out, and I'm like, hmm.
(50:49):
But it's it's nice.
I I really believe that that'sinward, you know, looking inward
instead of looking forward.
Yeah, yeah.
It's a nice, nice way.
Now, um, where can people findyou?
SPEAKER_01 (51:03):
You can find me everywhere at Kalatruth.
Um now I'm on all of the goodstreaming services and on
YouTube and social media.
I do love a bit of social media,I'm not gonna lie.
I like to try to have somerestrictions around it these
days.
No screen Sundays um breaks whenI need to, but everything I'm at
(51:26):
Caleb Truth.
So find me there, otherwiseyou'll just see me at the next
community event.
SPEAKER_00 (51:33):
That's it.
No screens on Sunday, unlessthis screen you'll be honest.
Unless you're watching this one?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Uh Deadly says, Thank you somuch.
SPEAKER_01 (51:40):
Uh thanks for having me, and it's good to see your
face again.
SPEAKER_00 (51:43):
No, it's too deadly, and we'll now we'll have all the
stories come out.
Now we're gonna cut the camera.
That's a wrap.
Kayla, welcome to the podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (00:02):
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
Of course.
Now we go way back.
So I'm gonna try and be asprofessional as I can be.
But just know that I feel like Imight have to edit parts of
myself out.
Let's just start with uh fullname mob and a little bit about
uh where you grew up and whereyou reside.
SPEAKER_01 (00:24):
My name's Kayla Tyson.
I'm a Maroni woman of the GurangNation with ties also to the
Noogie people of the Kwandamukaregion.
Um most people know me as KaylaTruth or maybe even KMT if
you've been around for thatlong.
Um yeah, I grew up in Brisbane,uh south side of Brisbane,
mostly in between Logan, sospecifically Browns Pain's.
(00:46):
Um, and then yeah, you know,back and forth in my teenage,
early 20s, working in and aroundBrisbane and moved around
Australia a lot, but I've justcome back home to Brizzy.
SPEAKER_00 (01:00):
Well, I'm glad you're here.
Because when I wrote my list ofpodcast people I wanted to yarn
to, you're my sister fromanother mistake.
And I was like, all right, we'regonna have a good yarn.
Why don't we just start maybe,you know, early years growing
up, you know, any memories youhave about culture and then when
(01:23):
you first discovered the artsand your passion for music and
storytelling?
SPEAKER_01 (01:30):
Well, I was born in Ipswich.
Um, so my very early years wereliving in my nan's house.
Um, and if you can just imaginelike a big two-story house out
in out the you know, nearIpswich area, and it was a black
house, so everyone lived there.
(01:52):
Most, you know, most of Nan'skids lived there, which is why
we were there because I wasthere with mum.
Um, my dad was there at the timeas well, and yeah, it was just
always people in and out, alwayssomething happening.
You know, Nan cooking a big stewup to feed everyone.
Um, I'm the eldest grandchild,so I think I got a little bit
(02:12):
spoilt.
Um, there was always someonethere to read a book to me, or
um my aunties and uncles willactually talk about how Mary
Poppins was constantly onrepeat, and I used to make them
all watch it with me, and theyhad to know the words, and if
they didn't sing it right, thenwe had to start it again.
So I didn't really think aboutit, but I would say that my
(02:35):
interest in the arts and musicaltheatre probably started back
then.
Um, but yeah, I yeah, I itprobably would have just been,
you know, mixed in togetherbecause growing up with my nan
so close to me, um, and my popas well, like they were both in
politics in different ways andthey were very active in the
(02:58):
community.
Um, all of my family, I wouldsay, are activists in one way or
another in their line of workthat they do.
And I took a very keen interestin learning as much as I could
back then.
But I was that kid that was, youknow, in the black organizations
back in the days.
Um, I remember a lot of theaunties and uncles calling me
(03:20):
that baby, because you know, itwas just me somewhere around
there with them.
And um, I think there wasactually a time where my mum
says they were all, all the mobwere in Musgrove Park and they
were about to get on the bus togo down to the tent embassy.
I was only young then, likereally, really young.
And mum had to jump on and say,Who's got my kid?
(03:41):
Like, where where is she?
And yeah, they were like, Oh, wethought the baby was coming with
us.
And mum's like, no, come on,she's too little.
So I almost ended up in Canberraat the tent embassy um very
early on.
But yeah, I guess that was mypath in life, you know, getting
all played out for me from veryearly on.
SPEAKER_00 (04:02):
100%.
And you would have been exposedto a lot, a lot of great music,
culture, politics.
Now, let's go into those earlyteenage years, some of your
musical influences, and thenspecifically travel down the
lane of the hip-hop path and howthat started.
SPEAKER_01 (04:18):
Yeah.
Um biggest experience for mefrom early on, where I think it
really, you know, was pivotal inthat me deciding that that was
what I wanted to do, even if Ididn't realise the weight of it
at the time, would have been uhmy mum taking me to a salt and
pepper concert when I was sixyears old.
(04:39):
So my mum was young.
Um, and when I think about itnow, she probably didn't have a
babysitter or I don't know, butshe took myself and my cousin,
and my mum was having the timeof her life.
She was up on the chair dancing,she was getting in trouble for
standing on the chair dancing atthe concert.
Um, but there's a lot ofBrisbane community there who I
still talk to these days, um,you know, people that have gone
(05:02):
into the music world as well.
And I think right there and thenI just remember thinking, wow,
this is cool, I could do that.
I already liked salt and pepperby that point.
I remember for the next fewyears, you know, we didn't have
internet back then, so wecouldn't look up lyrics.
So if you didn't get it in thesleeves of the CDs or whatever,
(05:23):
or the tapes at that time, thenyou had to just listen and learn
it.
So we used to sit there andwrite them lyrics out and, you
know, pause it, write a bit,play, keep going.
And I was doing that stuff fromreally early on.
So I think that all of the umsteps along the way were
happening without me beingconscious of it.
(05:45):
And I focused a lot more onsports while I was at school,
but um, once I got out of it, myfirst job was at a community
radio station.
Um, so I was back, you know,amongst all of the music again,
started dancing a little bit,and yeah, ended up auditioning
for the Aboriginal Center forthe Performing Arts.
(06:07):
Honestly, the reason I did thatwas actually because there was a
lot of death happening around meat the time.
Um, it had been for a few years,and I just thought to myself,
like, what should I be doing asa 19-year-old?
I don't have anyresponsibilities, I don't have
any dependence.
(06:28):
I should just do something thatI love doing, and you know,
we'll see how it goes, and thenI make up my mind from there.
So honestly, that's just whatgot me to the performing arts
school and auditioning.
Um, but that was a crossroadsfor me because I ended up really
focusing in and being throwninto the performing arts world
and training for the next fiveyears and um picking up all the
(06:51):
skills that I needed to kind ofstep out into the industry and
still here, you know, many yearslater.
Um things that we've picked upduring that time are things that
you can kind of transfer intoother industries, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (07:08):
I want to go back to that time.
So you're a young woman, there'sso many challenges just
happening in the landscape atthat time in the 90s, you know.
Um just being a young woman.
What were some of thosechallenges that sort of led you
down to needing that outlet foryourself?
SPEAKER_01 (07:30):
Well, I think that as young uh Indigenous
Australians we're facing racismbefore we even know what is
happening, you know what I mean?
Like we're we're getting calledthese names or we know that
people are looking at usdifferently.
And I grew up in Logan City, soyou would nowadays you look at
(07:53):
that, and we know that there'sover 250 different cultural
backgrounds living in this city,and it's actually a beautiful
thing.
Um, but it wasn't always likethat, you know.
Um, and then wherever we go, wecan get a very different
reception, whether it's out inthe country or whether it's in a
city, you know, and you start topick up on these little things.
And um as you get a bit older,you know, like it's very normal.
(08:18):
I I was very angry um because Ifelt helpless.
When when you're younger, youhave this like sense of wanting
to change the world and andcontribute in a positive way,
um, but you don't always knowhow you can do that.
So sometimes it can, you know,show up in different ways.
(08:39):
You fight back or or whatever.
But the lucky thing for me wasthat I grew up absolutely loving
reading.
I had adults around me whotaught me a lot, and I think we
I got early chances to learn howto communicate to the best of my
ability.
I was very confident from theget-go, um, ready to argue my
(09:00):
point.
So I guess like I just thought Ican write this stuff in my
journal, and then it eventuallyturned into a bit of poetry, and
I grew up watching hip-hop andRB music videos because we
didn't have that representationof black and brown faces on
(09:23):
Australian TV.
If you watch some of the showsthat are on every night, we
weren't represented anywhere.
But if you watched music videoson Rage or Video Hits on the
weekend, you could see someonewho, you know, we're not the
same cultural background, butthey look similar to our mums
and aunties and dads and unclesand that.
(09:45):
And um it wasn't just what wesaw, but with rappers, they were
talking about issues that werehappening over in the States,
like deaths and custody, racism,you know, all of that stuff.
And it was things that we couldrelate to.
SPEAKER_00 (10:01):
Shared struggle.
SPEAKER_01 (10:02):
100%, even though we're on the opposite sides of
the world.
So I think for me, it was justsomething that was there right
in front of me.
And, you know, you can go aroundand get into fights, but you
know that's wrong, right?
So how do you grab at adifferent um tool to help you
(10:22):
express those frustrations andum just do it in a more positive
way where you can actually getsomething back from it?
That's what I I like to tellkids, you know, like, yeah, you
can go fight someone, but whatare you gonna get out of it?
Um get in trouble with the lawor whatever.
If you write a song and it andyou're passionate about it and
you want to keep doing that, youcan make money to support
(10:44):
yourself or your family.
Um, you can get a very healthybuzz out of being on stage or,
you know, just hearing umsomething that you've done give
joy to other people in yourcommunity.
So have to live by that myself.
SPEAKER_00 (11:00):
It's hard sometimes.
SPEAKER_01 (11:02):
Oh, very hard.
SPEAKER_00 (11:03):
Because you're getting pushed in society.
Now, um when you first kind ofgot into that landscape, I'm
gonna go and I'm gonna go andperform in arts and stuff.
Do you remember the first timethat you sort of danced at, say,
uh a performance that youtrained for?
And take me back there and tellme how it felt that first time
you you really performed infront of say an audience.
SPEAKER_01 (11:28):
I'm gonna say that we always had an audience.
Um, but it was a lot smaller,you know, in the early days
because like I was saying, I wasthe eldest cousin and I used to
make all my cousins come up withchoreography, and um, you know,
whether it was at a family gettogether or whether it was on
(11:49):
the little discos that we had atour house on Friday nights, we
were putting on littleperformances, um, wanting to be
the Spice Girls or whoever itwas at the time.
Um, but outside of family, I dorecall jumping up on stage at my
very last parade at school.
(12:11):
It took me that long to get upthere because I guess I don't
know, the the styles and stuffthat were being taught in school
at the time, though it didn'treally feel like a lot of us
black and brown people couldconnect with that.
And so we'd just meet up atlunchtime and you know, we were
thinking we'll cruise from yougot served or one of those dance
movies.
(12:31):
And we did that, and then we gotour opportunity to jump up at
the end of um school.
And I don't know why I waitedthat long, but I really enjoyed
that.
Like it was fun, it wasn'treally planned out.
Um and then from there, youknow, I was kind of just dancing
around a little bit more whenwe'd be out.
Um, but then there were dancecompetitions that were
(12:51):
happening, and back then it wasthe era of dance cruising, and
people you didn't go out unlessyou were going to dance.
It wasn't like now where youjust all stand around.
Um so I started entering dancecompetitions with the
encouragement of my friends, wona few of those, and then I
thought, oh, I can I canactually do something with this.
Um, but nothing beats performingto your whole community at like
(13:16):
Nadock Week.
Nadock Week Musgrove Park.
Not necessarily, you know,getting paid a lot or whatever,
but you wouldn't miss it for theworld because that's where all
your mob are, and you're justthere to have a have a good
time.
So I don't care how many gigs Ido, like I always love to do
those ones because it does takeme back to that point in time
(13:39):
where it's not about anythingelse other than just like having
fun and having a laugh with allof your mob around you.
SPEAKER_00 (13:45):
Yeah.
And tell us um, you know, someof the performance you've done,
share some of the work thatyou've done and some of the work
in the community.
SPEAKER_01 (13:53):
And yeah, um I've always done uh sort of like
there were times where I wastouring a bit more with my own
music and um doing those typesof gigs, but at the same time I
was always in communities doingmusic workshops.
Well, they're actually more likeleadership workshops, but we
used hip hop as a tool to umbring out some confidence and
(14:17):
and I guess be appealing to theyounger people so we could
achieve some of those thingsthat we were there to do.
But um, yeah, so traveled allaround Australia to remote
indigenous communities and likerural towns um to places that
people won't even go in theirlifetime, don't even know exist.
So very blessed to be able tosee all the different countries
(14:39):
across Australia.
Um and then yeah, over I'vetaken that type of work
specifically took me overseas toNew York and I performed in New
York and um we volunteered at asummer camp that was for kids
that were affected by sicklecell and HIV.
Um and as much as it sounds likea good thing to do from our end
(15:02):
to give back and all of that,that was actually a blessing for
us as well.
Um it opened my eyes up and youknow, that was one of the one of
those things in my time thatI'll never forget about.
I really appreciated theopportunity to go over there and
share um the tools that I'vebeen given uh with those kids
over there too.
And yeah, but uh like I wassaying, alongside that I was
(15:25):
always doing my gigs.
So I've been lucky enough towork with um artists like TLC,
uh Nelly, Lupe Fiasco BOB.
You would know that because yougot on stage with me.
People don't know, but he's arapper too, you know.
That's where we all started.
SPEAKER_00 (15:42):
We were drifting in them clubs.
SPEAKER_01 (15:44):
We definitely were, yeah.
Um, but yeah, also hosted uhSierra um and Jay Holiday.
Um there's a bunch more, butyeah, obviously a lot of local
artists as well, who are stillmy friends to this day.
SPEAKER_00 (16:00):
And a lot of your launches for your for your
tracks and stuff.
SPEAKER_01 (16:04):
Yeah, yeah.
So I'm 100% self-managed andfunded.
So uh we haven't always you knowpumped out material like you
would if you had the team of arecord label, a big record label
behind you.
Um so sometimes those things arefew and far between, but in in
(16:26):
between those things, you'restill doing your gigs, you're
still building those networks.
And um I I honestly think thatwe could rock up to a hip-hop
show now and we would see all ofour friends from back in those
days as well.
SPEAKER_00 (16:41):
So it really is a beautiful community to the whole
time you've been giving backthrough your work and the
community.
SPEAKER_01 (16:46):
Yeah, well, as a black follower, I think that
we're always taught from theget-go that you should always
pass on the tools that youlearn.
And especially as the eldestgrandchild in the family, I the
well, I think that's a hugeresponsibility that I have.
Whatever I learn, I try to passit on straight away because um
we're not uh about likeindividualism, like we're about
(17:10):
community and we should sharewhat we've got, you know, and
help everyone eat and get aheadin life and be as healthy as
they can.
But that's also from the hip-hopcommunity side of things as
well.
You know, there is that slogan,each one, teach one.
So whichever culture I'm leaninginto, whether it's hip-hop or my
Aboriginal culture, it's like alaw on both sides that I have to
(17:34):
do that and I love to.
SPEAKER_00 (17:35):
100%.
It's in you, it's in your DNA,knowledge sharing, community
giving back.
Now let's talk about um I thinkyou mentioned all those great
shows and and artists you'veworked with.
Um, is there any otherhighlights that come to mind?
Uh it could be nothing to dowith that work, it could just
be, you know, you helped afriend plan her dream wedding.
(17:58):
Just a highlight for you of ofsome of the work you've done.
SPEAKER_01 (18:02):
A bigger one, which is funnily enough, a little more
recent, um, was the first timethat I got to do my own show on
country over on StrawbrokeIsland.
So um so close to home, so closeto where I've grown up.
Not sure why it took that long,but doing that, you know, I kind
(18:25):
of just approached it like anyother gig, but it wasn't until I
was about to get on stage and Iwas like, oh, this is this is
different.
Like all my ancestors will behere watching what I'm doing,
and it's a special thing to beable to say that I've been in
the industry for as long as Ihave, um and come back to
(18:45):
country and bring all my artistfriends back with me for them
kids and aunties and uncles tosee.
But it yeah, just it has adifferent feeling, you know?
It's like I don't know, it'shard to explain, but being on
country is just somethingsomething else.
Like the connection to countryand being able to bring your
(19:06):
skills back there and share itis just is so so important.
And I would take that feelingover being on a stage at a
festival with tens of thousandsof people any day.
SPEAKER_00 (19:19):
We talked about this amazing gift that you've been
sharing in community and beingon country and and that feeling.
Um how has let me let me getthis right.
Apart from giving that gift, hasit healed you in a way?
SPEAKER_01 (19:42):
Mm-hmm.
Never-ending healing.
And sometimes when I feel alittle bit lost, I have to go
back to it and remind myselfthat I have that there as a
tool.
Are we talking about using hiphop as a tool to help other
people bring out things likeconfidence and you know, give a
(20:03):
bit of structure to your life,something to look forward to.
But we need to remember thatthat's why we started it as
well.
Um whether it's writing lyrics,that can be quite cathartic
because maybe you're not ajournaler, but you could it's
the same thing, like you'rewriting out your thoughts and
(20:23):
feelings in your lyrics.
Um and then, you know, say ifyou're preparing for a show or a
tour, gives you something tofocus on, you're training, you
all of a sudden your mindsetschange, you're trying to focus
on eating as well as you can,and you know, you're at the gym
or you're rehearsing orwhatever.
(20:44):
Um on those physical andemotional levels, like that's
there, and that's something thatyou can really tap into.
Um, but for me, as cliche as itsounds, like hip-hop saved my
life, because there were therewere probably more than one
moment in my life where it waslike a crossroad.
(21:05):
And I am very blessed that Ihave other things that I can
lean into.
I'm not limited to only doingthat one thing.
Um, but reminding myself that itis there and I can pick it up
whenever I want to.
And it is something that I canuse to heal me at any time.
Maybe like I was saying, maybe Ijust need to write something out
(21:27):
and get it out of my system andrelease it and let it go.
Or it could be that, you know,you do get up on stage and you
just feel that deadly energythat you get when you're up
there and you don't alwaysrealize that there's somebody in
the crowd that's really holdingon to the words that you're
sharing, or that you know, whenI saw someone pepper up on
(21:51):
stage, I hope that when I'm onstage there's a six-year-old
girl that's like, oh, I reckon Icould do that, you know?
So all of it's healing.
SPEAKER_00 (22:01):
You mentioned the word crossroads and um What were
some of those crossroads?
SPEAKER_01 (22:10):
When I auditioned to go to um performing art school,
I was actually in court at thattime, and I was very lucky that
I had support around me, but umwhen Leah Purcell came in to be
the artistic director there, shshe didn't do she actually
didn't know me.
(22:30):
Um we were meeting for the firsttime.
Obviously, our families, youknow, knew knew each other over
different generations.
Um, but I was in court for acharge that I could have gone to
jail for.
Um and luckily I hadn't been introuble any other time, and I
(22:52):
was studying, and by the time wewent to court, I had been able
to show that I had things goingfor me.
Um but you know, like I do thinkback to those moments where it
could have gone the other way,and I wonder how different my
life would be.
Um and I, yeah, I really just amso grateful that I got the
opportunity to go in a differentdirection.
(23:14):
And I wouldn't have been able todo that without the support
around me.
Um but it was on me to take theopportunity that was in front of
me and to desperately learn andpick up tools that could help me
move down that new path in ahealthier way for myself.
SPEAKER_00 (23:37):
And having those support systems, great people,
those outlets for anyone outthere that might be struggling
and and not having thoseoutlets.
How important is it for them totake that opportunity that they
might not see as an opportunityto help them get out of that
that place?
SPEAKER_01 (23:54):
So, so important.
When you're in that place, youoften can't see past what's run
right here in front of you.
Um, even to the point where youmight not even think to ask for
help.
Um But I I am, you know, anexample of if you speak up, you
ask for help, you might not evenknow how you need help, but just
(24:17):
ask for it.
And you never know.
Like like I said, Leah Percelldidn't know who I was back then,
you know.
We that was a relationship thatwe formed um a lot further on
down the track and continued toform today.
But there were many Leahs in mylife, and I know that I am very
lucky to be able to say thatbecause my family for starters
(24:40):
have always been very supportiveand pushed me to be the best
version of myself.
Um, I've had great teachers, andLeah was another person along
that track.
But um yeah, if you have thatone person in your life that you
think you could maybe reach outto, then give it a crack and you
know, see if you can get somesupport.
(25:01):
But whatever your thing is, itmight not be music, it could be
sport, it could be you know,anything else.
Um, could be church, whatever.
Just give it a go because it'snot gonna hurt, you know.
Like you have to just decidethat I have to make a change
here and lean into even theslightest bit of opportunity
(25:22):
that's in front of you to go ina different direction.
SPEAKER_00 (25:24):
Love it.
It's very important just to takethat first step.
SPEAKER_01 (25:28):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00 (25:28):
One step at a time.
Acknowledging that, hey, it'sokay for me to feel this way.
SPEAKER_01 (25:33):
Yeah.
And I can guarantee that you'renot the first person in the
world that's been in thatposition.
Even though your brain will betelling you that no one else
understands.
SPEAKER_00 (25:42):
And it's the people that you think wouldn't be.
You know, you see all thesepeople and you think they're
killing it, and social media isdistorting our our our vision of
reality.
It can make you feel, you know.
Um how much of an impact issocial media having on young
artists these days.
SPEAKER_01 (25:58):
A huge impact.
For the good and the bad.
You can really use social mediaas a tool to um reach places and
people that we would havestruggled to reach back when we
were starting out.
Um but it is definitelysomething that you need to be in
(26:20):
control of.
Um, you know, unfortunately, wesee a lot of people um with, you
know, body dysmorphia and umonline bullying and all those
things.
So I do feel for people who areaffected by that type of stuff.
And uh I think we might havebeen lucky to be that last
generation to kind of livebefore the internet and social
(26:43):
media became a thing.
It was something that we had tolearn as well, and we probably
resisted for a while, you know,like old school.
We just do stuff in person, youknow.
Um, but like I said, it issomething that you can lean
into.
And if you are conscious of whatyou're exposing yourself to,
then it can actually be a reallypowerful tool.
unknown (27:06):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (27:06):
Make sure you consume the good stuff.
SPEAKER_00 (27:08):
Yes.
Fill your feed with positivityand all that good stuff.
And um creative people generallyare wired, there's mental health
issues there as well.
Um is that anything you'veexperienced, mental health side
of things, that tend to go handin hand.
I'm making that assumption.
Um but yeah, any experience withthat?
(27:30):
Any um examples of how you mayhave got through that?
SPEAKER_01 (27:34):
Yeah, definitely.
Um I there's been many at manytimes, not just as uh a black
fellow, but more so in ourcommunities, we experience a lot
of grief and loss, and it'salmost normalized from a very
young age.
Um when I was 14, one of my bestfriends back then, he was
(27:58):
murdered, and that was my firstexperience of a really uh heavy,
heavy, heavy loss, and thatdefinitely changed who I was um
at the time and still to thisday.
So back then no one was reallygoing to counseling, or it
wasn't something that maybe ourparents or our teachers or
(28:20):
anyone around us would, youknow, send us to do as a
priority.
Um so I think that that carried,you know, a heavy kind of weight
with me, like into my adultyears as well.
And it was something that maybeI didn't really deal with until
a bit later on.
(28:40):
Um, and continue to deal withbecause as you would know, like
in our community, we often don'tget the opportunity to uh finish
grieving someone before we losethe next person.
And it's yeah, it just feelslike it's nonstop sometimes.
Um, so that has definitelyaffected my mental health and is
(29:02):
a big part of why I needed topick up a pen and pad and write
some raps, you know, because Ijust needed to get some of those
things out.
And often you don't even knowwhat you're feeling until you
start writing it out.
Um uh yeah, so that's yes,something that I'm constantly
still trying to remind myself ofis checking in with myself about
(29:22):
where I'm at with dealing withgrief, because that's been a big
um, big challenge for me, anongoing thing, and become more
and more apparent on howimportant it is for us to be
conscious of that struggle forus.
Um, you know, I know a lot ofother people out there struggle
with different um diagnoses andand stuff like that.
(29:43):
And I guess we are lucky that welive in a world today where we
can um like acknowledge that andthere's a bit more support out
there.
So yeah, I think like I wassaying before, um if you are
somebody who's on social media alot, if you make sure that you
You watch what you're consuming,you can also use social media to
(30:04):
tap into some of those toolsthat can benefit your mental
health as well.
And sometimes you feel a lot ofpeople feel more comfortable
speaking to a stranger than theydo.
Um, the ones that are close tothem in their life.
So social media can be apowerful tool for that as well.
SPEAKER_00 (30:20):
It's great advice, checking in with yourself.
That's a really big one.
SPEAKER_01 (30:23):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (30:23):
First.
And then knowing we we sort ofcovered it, those support
networks and people andresources and the same thing
that could be taking you downthe rabbit hole.
You can quickly put in a searchthat can help it bring you out
of that.
SPEAKER_01 (30:39):
But also go outside.
I'm a salt water person, andoften, you know, I might get to
a point where I'm like, oh, somewhat's wrong with me?
Like something feels off.
And then I realise I haven'tbeen to the beach for a month or
two.
And that's all I need.
I just need to go outside andget some sun and smell that salt
water and put my feet in thereand yeah, just lay them on the
sand.
SPEAKER_00 (31:00):
Cheeks out, eh?
SPEAKER_01 (31:01):
Yeah.
Gotta soak up that vitamin D.
SPEAKER_00 (31:06):
Now, um, who's been the biggest influence in your
life?
SPEAKER_01 (31:12):
It's hard to say one.
SPEAKER_00 (31:15):
You can say multiple.
SPEAKER_01 (31:16):
Collectively, all of the deadly women in my life.
Um, for better or for worse, welive in a community where the
women are usually at the centerof it and they're the glue that
holds us all together.
Um, sometimes too independent,but that's just what we've had
(31:39):
to do to survive.
Definitely my mum has been myconstant, my number one constant
in my life.
And, you know, being at thisage, I now know that she was
quite young when she had me andmy brother not long after that.
Um, she worked very hard, shewas a professional woman, um,
and had to, you know, strugglethat with being a single mum.
(32:03):
Um, with the help of ourcommunity, she was able to do
that.
And um my mum leaning into thosepeople around us uh also brought
other, you know, deadly aunniesand that into our life.
Um, but my nan is also like mybiggest, you know, biggest hero.
And um she was only she was onlya little woman, but when she
(32:27):
spoke, people listened.
And I guess that's the power innot talking all the time, you
know, that when you saysomething, people know that
you've actually got something tosay.
And yeah, she was a fiery, fierylittle woman.
Um that even grown men would,you know, they'd shut up and
they'd listen.
So that's a powerful thing tohave.
(32:49):
And there were back then, Ithink my first job was cleaning
um Marumura, which was where Nanworked at.
And now I think about it, shemust have been paying me out of
her own pocket.
Because it wasn't a real lot ofmoney in the, you know, black
orgs.
And um yeah, I just think aboutthat generation who constantly
(33:11):
showed up every day, probablyweren't making any money, yet
still found a way to do the workand set all these things up for
our generation.
No, I work in a world where Ican get a salary to go and
support my brothers and sistersout there in the community,
(33:32):
which can also help me supportmy family.
Um, and that was just somethingthat actually didn't exist back
then.
So sometimes I think I don'tknow how they did it, but I
guess they did it out ofnecessity.
Always grateful for them.
Like I'll give a shout-out tothe generation of Brisbane
blacks that, you know, startedout.
Um, I feel very grateful to comefrom, you know, staunch warriors
(33:59):
who pushed forward and showed upat all the time and maybe didn't
always have the tools to lookafter themselves the best, but
um tried their best to lookafter the rest of us.
SPEAKER_00 (34:10):
What's your fondest memory of Nan?
SPEAKER_01 (34:15):
Wow, there's there's actually so many.
I was always with Nan, all thetime.
And as I got older, Nan um cameto gigs and go pick her up on
the way to work and take her tothe radio station with me.
And she would I don't know, wejust hung out all the time, you
know.
I would sit there and debatepolitics and whatever with Nan.
(34:40):
We loved a good debate.
Um I think what I would bereally grateful for is that I
was meant to model for Reebok atthe Melbourne Fashion Festival,
and this was in 2020, justbefore COVID hit.
It was all locked in.
And Nan hadn't been to Melbournebefore, but she'd been wanting
to go for a while because youknow, she knew before the
(35:01):
activism that existed inVictoria and how a lot of that
was a building block for whatended up happening elsewhere in
Queensland and all of that.
So Nan was keen to come toMelbourne.
She wanted to watch me walk andshe wanted to go do her thing.
She also went for MelbourneStorm, which tried not to hold
against her.
(35:23):
Um, but yeah, she came down andthen COVID hit the world and um
it the whole festival got shutdown at the same time as the
rest of the world, and weactually got sent back home,
which at the time I felt umdisappointed that I didn't get
to fulfill that dream that I hadum to walk the runway.
(35:43):
But I we ended up losing Nenduring the pandemic, so I think
that that was um yeah, that wasa gift that was given to me to
be able to spend that time withNan and have that trip.
And I'm so so grateful for it.
SPEAKER_00 (36:02):
Thank you for sharing.
I know how important she was toyou.
SPEAKER_02 (36:08):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (36:09):
And um that hard work doing what she had to do
and only getting this much, butstill giving you that to instill
within you what you've actuallybeen doing in community.
That's that's been ingrained inyou.
SPEAKER_01 (36:27):
Yeah, and that's why I try to um find a balance of
taking care of myself, but tryto, you know, get out there and
um I take that responsibilityseriously because like you said,
um Nan and my mum's generationas well, they did so much for us
(36:52):
to be able to have the freedomto um fly, you know.
You just come back from Sydneythis morning, I came back from
Melbourne the day before.
We can get on a plane at thedrop of a hat and move around
wherever we want.
We don't have to ask permissionto travel.
And it was only in such recentgenerations where our mob
(37:13):
couldn't leave the missionswithout getting permission.
Um, so there's that, but there'salso spaces where we're still
the first black person to dosomething in, you know, and it's
crazy that we're still there.
But if we have to be thatperson, then so be it.
Let's go kick the door down.
(37:33):
And I got that from my mum andan and all of them aunties and
uncles.
SPEAKER_00 (37:39):
And I think anyone that knows you knows you well
enough to to know that that'swhat you're about and what you
stand for, and if you'repassionate about something, you
you fight for it.
SPEAKER_02 (37:50):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (37:51):
Um, through your music and through the the work
you're doing in the community.
What does the next twelvemonths, three years I'm not
worried about calendar, but whatwhat does the next steps forward
look like for Kayla?
SPEAKER_01 (38:09):
Well, I've just returned home um from living in
Victoria for a few years.
Um I am at the point in my lifewhere I do want to be at home
and I want to find moreopportunities to be on country a
bit more.
And I have these awesome littlenephews who are little maniacs
(38:33):
as well, and I miss them while Iwas gone.
So um I think for me, like mymain role that I want to step
into is just being an auntie.
I'm ready to be Arnie Kayla inall of the meanings of that
word.
Um I just want to go to footballon Sunday mornings and and be
(38:53):
there to support my mum a bitmore.
And it's seems like such adifferent plan, you know.
You know me.
I could have a couple of yearsago would have told you my
five-year plan and it would havelooked insane.
Um, and it would have beenthings that were all focused on
work and those types ofachievements.
(39:14):
Um, but I just feel like I'velived a few lives already and
I'm blessed to be able to saythat.
So yeah, family, country, andfiguring out, you know, the I
there's still so much that Ineed to learn when it comes to
language and uh different thingsabout my country and and the
(39:37):
things that I feel that I nowhave to really, really learn so
I can pass it on to my nephewsand some other ones around me.
SPEAKER_00 (39:46):
It's a huge journey.
SPEAKER_01 (39:48):
Yeah.
Definitely.
SPEAKER_00 (39:49):
And it's kind of like you need to go through what
you've been through to to nowmake that next journey.
And I know um you know, some ofthe things that you've done in
your life, but I still know thatthe most important things are
yet to come for you.
Because it's a deeper journey,it's a real spiritual
(40:12):
reconnection.
SPEAKER_01 (40:14):
Yeah, it was like we just spent all these years just
peeling back the layers anddifferent challenges and and
good things at every layer.
Um and you continually learnabout what is important.
And you kind of get there andyou realize it's not it's not
(40:36):
necessarily out there.
It's like all in here and I havebeen so blessed to grow up like
max an hour boat trip away frommy country.
And yet I haven't spent as muchtime there as I'd like to.
So now it's all about makingsure that we don't take those
(40:56):
things for granted.
And if that means I write analbum in the language that I
learn, that would be amazing.
But maybe it won't be that, youknow, but we'll we'll see what
comes of it.
Um when I was in Melbourne, Iwas very blessed to be able to
work alongside the mob downthere on the Treaty for Victoria
(41:20):
campaign, and it gave me a bitof an insight into the blueprint
of what could potentially workelsewhere.
So I think that we're a littlefar from achieving that here
right now, but um I do feel acall to, you know, um talk to my
(41:41):
mob and see what we can do andsee if we want to play a part in
kind of achieving that in ourarea somewhere in the near
future.
So yeah, it's just all about mypeople and community and
culture, which it always hasbeen, but I guess it's uh
(42:01):
stepping into that role um beingat this age and being that young
auntie.
SPEAKER_00 (42:10):
Feels like a purpose.
SPEAKER_01 (42:12):
Yeah.
True.
I I would 100% say so.
I think that even though I don'tw really know what it looks like
just yet or what it will looklike, I think everything I've
done up until this point is justbeen me collecting information
and collecting tools and umfiguring myself out to be able
(42:33):
to bring all of that backtogether to come back and be
like, okay, maybe we okay, wehave to um revive and you know,
um look revitalize ourlanguages.
Okay, well, let's make a songbecause people know how to, you
know, sing along to a song, andthat's usually how our brains
(42:53):
retain it.
So maybe we're learning how towrite so I could come and keep
our language going.
I don't know, we'll we'll haveto wait and see.
SPEAKER_00 (43:02):
I agree.
We literally, like, this weekwe're at the language symposium,
the state library, talking aboutlanguage, and I'm hearing uncles
from the NT in his early 70s getcoming to tears about language
and trying, and I'm just sittingthere like trying to document
(43:23):
this stuff, just getting alllike it's a beautiful thing, but
it's also humbling because it'sthat journey, and like, man,
there's an obligation to thisnow.
SPEAKER_01 (43:36):
There really is.
When my nan passed away, assomeone who feels like I spent
as much time as possible withher, I still felt like there
were so many more things that Iwanted to ask, and I didn't get
the opportunity to do that.
But that's something that wehave to remind ourselves of.
Our old people are passing away,and with them our cultural
(43:58):
libraries are going, you know,unless we've taken the
opportunity that we could to getas much out of them as possible.
Um and I believe, you know,everything happens out to me
too.
So there's probably more stuffthat's sitting inside of me that
I didn't realise I soaked up,and I hope that I can tap into
(44:18):
that, you know, as I'm movingthrough this next part of my
journey.
Um, but it definitely is anobligation.
Um when my nan passed away,there was something about the
shift where I felt like, oh, Ijust got moved up a generation.
And that was just such a strangeand important feeling to have
(44:47):
that I guess I didn't really seecoming.
Um yeah, since then it's justbeen a lot of reflection and you
know, I'm ready to step into myresponsibility with that.
SPEAKER_00 (45:01):
You imagine there's so many things that so many
things you would have asked.
If you got one question.
SPEAKER_01 (45:15):
Oh my god, there's I don't know if it would be a
question.
I just wish that I maybe didthis more, like just hit record.
I don't know if Nan would havewanted me to do that, but you
know, them old people they're abit private.
Um I did so much talking to Nanand I was very blessed to be
able to do that, and I just wishmaybe I recorded it so that the
(45:37):
younger ones could have heardthose yarns if they didn't.
And um, like you were saying,documenting.
We do live in an age now wherewe have technology and almost
anyone can operate it.
So uh no, write those books andfilm those yarns or just record
(46:01):
the yarns and you can go backand listen to it, you know.
Um I'm actually lucky that Nanused to be with me all the time
because I've got a music videofrom a community project where
Nan raps on it.
Wow.
I don't know how we managed toget her to do that, but I've got
that, and then there's anotherdocumentary that Leah Purcell
(46:23):
was producing where they did asegment on a bit of my life, and
we go, you know, to one of thefamily homes, and Nan's talking
on that too, and so is my mumand all that.
So I am grateful that I gotthose opportunities because I
can listen to Nan's voice when Iwant to.
Um but I just wish I did more ofit, that's all.
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (46:44):
Definitely feels full circle moments.
When you're a kid, you don'tunderstand it.
You don't understand thatknowledge that is right there.
Yes.
Or you're sitting on the lap ofthat knowledge holder because
you're a kid.
You've been through, haven'texperienced the racism, you
haven't experienced the hardshipand the heartache and the ups
and the downs.
And then here we are, you and Iten years ago would have been
(47:06):
talking about who's driving tothe Gold Coast.
SPEAKER_01 (47:08):
Which would have been you.
SPEAKER_00 (47:10):
That's right.
Here we go.
I'm not gonna do that.
I'm not gonna go there.
Um, it's it's good to have theseyarns and and at the same time
there's all this sort of stuffthat's trying to silence truth
telling.
It's almost like we're now youand I right here are just going,
no, no, no, no.
(47:30):
We're not gonna be silenced.
Truth telling's not gonna stop.
SPEAKER_01 (47:34):
And we don't need permission to tell our truth.
We never have.
We've been telling our truththis whole time.
SPEAKER_00 (47:41):
Al Kala truth?
SPEAKER_01 (47:42):
No.
SPEAKER_00 (47:47):
You're right.
Like, don't need permission.
SPEAKER_02 (47:51):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (47:52):
We have the tools now.
We have the cameras, we have thethe phones.
SPEAKER_02 (47:58):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (47:58):
We've developed all the media skill sets through the
performing and the writing, theacting and the producing and the
scheduling.
Maybe it's just been thewarm-up.
SPEAKER_01 (48:09):
I think so.
Every important position I findmyself in at different points in
my life, I often feel like Ijust have this moment of clarity
where I'm like, oh, that's why Idid all of that.
It was just to get me ready forthis moment.
SPEAKER_00 (48:26):
That's why I needed that lesson.
SPEAKER_01 (48:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (48:29):
We're being proper wise here, eh?
You and I.
Wow, look out.
They call me uncle now.
Yeah, them young ones, eh?
SPEAKER_01 (48:37):
When they call you uncle and a like speaking of,
that's why I need to just stopgoing to the Gold Coast and
stuff because they call me Annienow out there.
unknown (48:45):
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (48:45):
Yeah, wasn't ready for that.
SPEAKER_00 (48:47):
Remember that first time, eh?
SPEAKER_01 (48:49):
Who are you talking to?
SPEAKER_00 (48:50):
Yeah.
Some of them greys startedcoming through.
SPEAKER_01 (48:53):
I'm like, uh We embrace the Greys now.
SPEAKER_00 (48:56):
Yeah, no, it's good.
And um, I'd love to sort of umclose with possibly just an
ethos, a quote, a statement,something you live by, a word of
advice, anything.
The ball's in your court.
Um, you can just take the stage.
SPEAKER_01 (49:21):
I resonate with so many different things over
different points in my life.
A simple quote that's alwaysstuck with me was I don't know
who said it, but the don't crybecause it's over smile because
it happened.
And at some point in my younglife that really spoke to me.
And I think that it pops upevery now and then, and it's
(49:43):
just a reminder that some thingsdon't last forever, but there's
beauty in the fact that it evenhappened, and sometimes we're so
busy and on the go, and um, oneof my biggest challenges has
been to remind myself to be inthe moment and soak up the
beauty of being there instead ofbeing so caught up in what comes
(50:06):
next, you know?
So I think that for me I'd justsay try to be in the moment,
acknowledge all the hard workthat you did to get to that
moment, um but don't rush intothe next one quicker than you
have to.
SPEAKER_00 (50:26):
And that comes straight back to you saying that
checking in with yourself, notjust when it's bad.
Well, maybe I'm like it's goingwell.
Let's check in.
Grounding, let's be present,acknowledge that this is a
beautiful day, and and being inpresent is is not easy.
Here I am, like, yeah, we'llclose it out, and I'm like, hmm.
(50:49):
But it's it's nice.
I I really believe that that'sinward, you know, looking inward
instead of looking forward.
Yeah, yeah.
It's a nice, nice way.
Now, um, where can people findyou?
SPEAKER_01 (51:03):
You can find me everywhere at Kalatruth.
Um now I'm on all of the goodstreaming services and on
YouTube and social media.
I do love a bit of social media,I'm not gonna lie.
I like to try to have somerestrictions around it these
days.
No screen Sundays um breaks whenI need to, but everything I'm at
(51:26):
Caleb Truth.
So find me there, otherwiseyou'll just see me at the next
community event.
SPEAKER_00 (51:33):
That's it.
No screens on Sunday, unlessthis screen you'll be honest.
Unless you're watching this one?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Uh Deadly says, Thank you somuch.
SPEAKER_01 (51:40):
Uh thanks for having me, and it's good to see your
face again.
SPEAKER_00 (51:43):
No, it's too deadly, and we'll now we'll have all the
stories come out.
Now we're gonna cut the camera.
That's a wrap.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!