Kiwat Kennell, A proud Torres Strait Islander from the islands of Ugar (Stephen) & Erub (Darnely) in the Eastern Torres Strait, is an artist that navigates his life by walking between two worlds. A Naarm based (Melb, Au) Singer/Songwriter, with a passion for First Nations representation in the arts & a strong Mental Health advocate. His music is a reflection of being raised on the road living across multiple towns and experiencing many peoples across this country, all represented through his music and creative path.
We’ve had him put together his dream rider for 27 Magazine.
- Firstly I’m gonna need my Air Humidifier with Eucalyptus and/or Patchouli essential oils to calm the space.
- Big Screen TV with Hi Fi and comfortable couch to chill out on pre-show, with access to all my favorite movies and/or shows! (I like to zone out to shows/movies a few hours before i perform haha)
- I always liked the idea of having a hot tub/spa or steam shower on site , I like to do my vocal warm ups in the shower with the help of the hot steam hahah so something like that in the green room before the show would be sick!
- An Oodie to vibe out in post-spa/shower, to chill in whilst watching TV.
- Maybe a PS5 to have a game to get all my stress and anxiety out before jumping on stage!
- Fresh fit on standby to change into before heading on stage.
- If this was a DREAM rider, i’d love a SEPARATE room that has all my family and support people there ready to wish me luck! I’m nothing without the love and support from my people, so having them there would just mean everything to me!
- A full buffet of winter meals and Torres Strait Islander food, including chicken vermicelli, sopsop, and lamb shanks with mashed potato… but like ready for AFTER the show haha
- Would definitely like to have my cat there with me and my sisters dog, i practically raised my sisters dog and my cat gives me peace, so like that extra layer of unconditional love would be perfect!
- Lastly I gotta have my scotch, pepsi max and a pack of with Cheezels and/or Cheese Supreme Doritos… YESSS!
My new single ‘Disconnected’ is out now and is the second track to come out of The Archie Roach Foundations new program called ‘Singing Our Futures’. A mentoring experience to help emerging First Nations artists to tell their stories through songwriting. I was fortunate enough to be mentored by the legendary ‘Dan Sultan, and together we created a very special track that tells the story of how my father, saved my life, from my own dark actions in a very difficult time.
‘Disconnected’ is a warm and wonderous ode to deep hearted yearnings for connections after emotional loss… In a post-lockdown life, this is something that we’re all too familiar with. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with someone like Dan and also to be a part of the whole mentoring experience, it’s something I will never forget.
We have a show on the 30th of July at Brunswick Ballroom to welcome in the next round of Singing our Futures participants, I’ll be performing my new single ‘Disconnected as part of this showcase, plus performances from new mentors in the program including Bumpy, Tasman Keith and Dobby to name a few!
Listen ‘Disconnected’ now on all major streaming platforms (be sure to check out my music video too) and keep following for all future show updates via my website and socials, everything linked below:
https://linktr.ee/kiwatkennell
