A record compelled to speak with truth and poise, Nyaaringu is the debut full-length from Central Queensland singer-songwriter Miiesha. Compiling her previous singles and new material into one, her debut collection shows the fullness of her lush style, combining the gospel influences of her childhood with hip hop and spoken word poetry, the rich, velvety smoothness of 90s R&B and the fragmented electronica of her avant-pop contemporaries. Threaded through with quiet, poignant interludes from her grandmother, Nyaaringu draws on family, story-telling and the passing down of knowledge to chronicle Miiesha’s life as a proud Pitjantjatjara and Torres Strait Islander woman from the small community of Woorabinda to a rising star of Melbourne’s bustling music scene. Taking its title from the Pitjantjatjara word for “what happened”, Nyaaringu presents a vision of history that is in constant conversation with itself, past, present and future all informing one another. Across her ambitious debut, Miiesha speaks to themes of intergenerational trauma, selfhood, community, truth-telling, survival, mass incarceration, media portrayals of First Nations peoples and the ongoing realities of colonialism in Australia. In doing so, she establishes herself as one of Australian music’s most vital new voices.