An indigenous Australian singer has topped the Australian independent record charts with an album recorded mostly in his native Yungul language. The 37-year-old singer, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, has been blind since birth, but has already become an accomplished self-taught musician—he might be known to some world music fans as a sometime member of the Yothu Yindi band. But it’s his debut solo album that’s causing a sensation, mostly due to Yunupingu’s voice, which the Sydney Morning Herald called one of “absolutely transcendental beauty.” The singer is a bit of a recluse, since he apparently speaks little English, and Australia’s ABC News calls him “very shy.” But that didn’t stop him from selling out the Sydney Opera House twice last weekend, and the UK Guardian says Elton John, Sting, and Björk are fans.
After the jump, check out “Wukun,” a track from the new album that foregrounds the clear, shiver-inducing tones of Yunupingu’s voice against a simple guitar melody that’s almost like a lullaby.
