PIRRITU’S STORY

Ngiyampaa man and First Nations singer-songwriter Pirritu’s (Brett Lee) music is gentle, honest and from the heart. Strange and melodic chords frame this songwriters vocals that weave around his lyrics like a gentle wind, enticing you into the depths of his personal journey, singing you a story of both sadness, love and hope.

Pirritu (meaning ‘Brett’ in Ngiyampaa Language) was adopted by a non-Aboriginal couple as a newborn baby and raised to be proud of his Aboriginality, to follow his cultural journey and to connect back to family, culture and language - a journey he began when he was 14 years old. Two things drive his continual thirst to connect to his people, country, language and culture - his one year old daughter and his passion for music. 

To deepen his understanding of his mother tongue, Pirritu volunteers with the Ngiyampaa Language Project to test materials being created for the purpose of updating the Ngiyampaa Grammar written by Tamisin Donaldson in the 1970’s. 

Pirritu previously worked as Art Project Officer at The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) and sits on the Board of Songlines, Victoria’s peak Aboriginal music body, a not-for-profit organisation which has supported Aboriginal musicians since 1996 by providing professional development programs, performance opportunities and administering a range of festivals and events.

Pirritu spent some time in 2019 working with international touring project The HOMELANDS Tour, connecting with established and young First Nations artists on their Homelands, across oceans and out onto stages at festivals around Australia and Canada

Pirritu’s single Ngurrampaa is out later this year on all major platforms with his debut album due for release in 2020.