UNIFIED Music Group Announces Next Ground Floor Act
UNIFIED Music Group has added Northeast Arnhem Land band Wild Honey to its Ground Floor program.
UNIFIED Music Group has added Northeast Arnhem Land band Wild Honey to its Ground Floor program.
The announcement lands the same day as the band’s new single, “Sacred Ground,” out via Community Music.
Ground Floor is a six-month incubator for independent homegrown artists. For this, UNIFIED is working with Bush Music Fund, which joins as an official delivery partner.
Under the program, Wild Honey gets early-career industry backing and mentorship from UNIFIED Artist Management, The Annex, Core Talent Agency, and Sound Story.
“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Wild Honey as the latest artist to join Ground Floor,” UNIFIED head Jaddan Comerford said in a statement.
“They came to us through our close relationship with Bush Music Fund who are doing vital work to support and champion musicians and communities throughout Australia. We have immense respect for what they do and value our partnership deeply.
Reporting from inside the Australian music business since '94.
“Wild Honey are an exceptional talent, and we can’t wait to work alongside them, back their development, and be part of this next chapter.”
Wild Honey band members include Balumba Gondarra and Gawukawu Gurruwiwi, grandsons of the late Yothu Yindi frontman and songwriter, Dr. Mandawuy Yunupingu. The group is one of the region’s newer acts, but it has already played festival stages including Garma Festival, East Arnhem Live, and Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival.
Jack Parsons, Co-Founder and Director of Bush Music Fund, said: “There are so many incredible First Nations artists from remote communities across the country that we’re eager to champion through the Bush Music Fund.
"We’ve been following Wild Honey closely since the release of their debut single, ‘Common Ground’, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to see them join UNIFIED’s Ground Floor program.”
Gurruwiwi said the program was a chance for the band to build on its family’s musical legacy. “We are very excited to be part of the Ground Floor program and to share our music with the world,” he said.
“It is our dream to carry on the legacy of our grandfather and the many powerful Yolngu musicians who came before us. Working with UNIFIED and Bush Music Fund is an incredible opportunity to help us achieve our dreams, and the release of our song ‘Sacred Ground’ is the first step forward.”
Wild Honey is the third Ground Floor participant, after ATHANASIA and Hayku Kyah.
