Icon of Australian Sudanese Music.

With the release of Let Me Grow My Wings, her aptly titled fifth studio album, Australia’s renowned songwoman of contemporary South Sudanese music, Ajak Kwai has established her footing firmly on the Australian music landscape. Now, she has engaged with some of Melbourne’s finest producers and musicians to bring to life an eclectic collection of twelve self-penned songs which reflect her observations, influences and connections since moving to Australia in the late nineties.

Flash forward two decades, and Ajak’s broadly inspired artistic achievements include a successful collaboration withs ARIA award-winner Sarah Blasko, becoming ambassador of the Melbourne International Arts Festival, recording with a group of industry stalwarts including Missy Higgins, and performing live at major festivals around Australia and internationally, including Mofo, WOMADelaide, Panama Festival and the Tamar Valley, Port Fairy and Woodford Folk Festivals.

But it was a rich musical journey that brought her here, starting in the small town of Bar on the Upper Nile, where growing up, she would sing at all the village events, and was a member of a local missionary choir. This idyllic life was brutally interrupted when the Sudanese civil war forced her to move to the capital, Khartoum. Soon thereafter, she left her family behind for the last time, travelling to Egypt and joining a gospel choir, then starting an all female band called Bor Band, performing original and traditional Dinka songs, as well as many other musical styles she discovered during her eight years in Cairo.

In 1999, Ajak was accepted into Australia under The Humanitarian Aid Program. Then in her mid-twenties, she migrated to Hobart, Tasmania and joined the small Southern Sudanese community living there.

She threw herself into her studies: an AMES English language course and accounting studies at TAFE. When class members organising a ceremony asked if anyone could sing, Ajak readily obliged and from there, her singing career was reborn.

She was soon called upon to sing at many community and fundraising events including a welcome concert for refugees from Kosovo, for which she wrote her own song. She continues to be invited to perform at the Hobart Refugee Fundraising Concerts, Hobart Multicultural Ball, International Women's Day events and other refugee awareness conferences.

She remembers with a laugh, the first pub gig she performed in Hobart, and was offered the standard meal rider and cash performance fee: ‘I was so taken aback and refused both! In Sudan, you don’t go and perform at a pub and get paid, so I was embarrassed to be offered money and food for doing what I was mostly used to doing at church and fundraisers.’

She sings in her native Dinka tribal language as well as in Arabic and English.

In 2001, Ajak formed the band "Wahida" (Arabic for “Unity”) and in 2002, she began performing at various festivals and events around Australia, often accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Martin Tucker, whom she met in Tasmania. In May 2004, Ajak produced her first CD, Why Not Peace and Love?

In 2008, with two albums under her belt (Why Not Piece and Love - 2004 and Come Together - 2008) and having travelled the country enough to learn where the opportunities were, Ajak was attracted to the thriving music scene in Melbourne and moved to the mainland, performing live and recording two more albums (Songs for Children - 2011 and Of Cows, Women and War - 2016) before gaining Australian citizenship ten years after the move.

In 2012, she was flown to the UK to co-write and record Sarah Blasko for a compilation CD called The Key Of Sea, a celebration of culture diversity, featuring well-known Australian musicians collaborating musically with a handful of migrant and refugee musicians. Their glorious track, titled Nyiir lanqarr (Dinka words, meaning ‘We need love’) turned out to be a highlight of the album, garnering international recognition and radio airplay, while raising awareness for refugees around the world. Indeed, the experience elevated Ajak’s confidence as an artist, as with Sarah, she felt the connection between two accomplished musicians, while at the same time, sharing a passion for helping refugees.

In 2016, Ajak recorded with a group of high profile women including musician/singer Missy Higgins, actor Nadine Garner (City Homicide, Doctor Blake Murder Mysteries), Verity Hunt Ballard (Two-time Helpmann award winner for her roles in Mary Poppins and Sweet Charity), TV presenter Gorgi Coghlan, Heidi Arena (TV, theatre and comedy performer), Australia and West End theatre performer Silvie Paladino and Amanda Harrison (Helpmann Award Winner for We Will Rock You and Australia’s first Elphaba)

The well-received project was Mums 4 Refugees, recording a cover of the John Farnham hit, The Age Of Reason, in which Ajak sang her part in Dinka language.

Now a seasoned performer and recording artist, Ajak, with her stunning, distinctive vocals fronts a four-piece rock band consisting of lead guitarist Kumar Shome, Matt Erickson on bass and Kofi Kunkpe on drums/percussion, occasionally joined by special guest musicians.

A passionate activist for refugees and a radio broadcaster with weekly shows on TWO prominent Melbourne community stations, Ajak says it has been a long labour of love to finally bring her fifth album, Let Me Grow My Wings to fruition, because of her dedication to her causes.

Ajak explains, “It has taken years to complete this album, as I’ve kept getting distracted with my work as a community promoter and educating people at the Migrant Resource Centre, which takes me to many areas of Melbourne’.

Performed in English, some Arabic and Ajak’s native language, Dinka, the record sees Ajak honouring the traditions of her homeland, yet defying stereotype in what is best described as “modern South Sudanese rock” (credit to award-winning composer, songwriter and producer Jan Skubiszewski who mixed and performed additional instruments on five of the tracks on Let Me Grow My Wings).

Backed by a pulsing rhythm section, piano and guitars feature throughout, with rhythmic rock gems like the opener, Love Not Bitterness (sung in English, urging people of the world to choose love over hate), Cool (Track 3 - Ajak’s message to young people, sung in English and Dinka, telling them they don’t need to act the fool to be cool, Life Is A Mystery - sung entirely in Dinka - in which Ajak questions why she ended up in Australia whilst so many of her people lost their lives (the final track on the album), and the album title track (Track 2) - one that Ajak says she feels closest to and the first single off this album - in which she expresses (also in English and Dinka) her desire for the people in her community to have the same opportunities and be treated equally in Australia.

Then there are emotive ballads such as In Our Hearts (Track 7), featuring the Yogyakarta State University College of Music Choir, with a poignant message (in English and Dinka) that we are all the same, no matter what colour or race and Don’t Make The Woman Cry, Ajak’s dedication to women, urging suppressors to choose kindness over harm.

Says Ajak, 'My experiences in Australia inform my songs and my music. Music is a universal language – maybe one day we will forget our differences and hold the hands of one another.

‘This album is a collection of those hopes and dreams for an integrated future where we are one and can share and be accepted for what my community has to offer.’

She hopes that by taking time out to concentrate on her own art and completing this album, she will inspire people with her music and lyrics to create a more positive environment for themselves.

Living in Melbourne after her lengthy stint in Tasmania - where she regularly returns to for performances and to enjoy the comparative peace and calm - has opened Ajak’s eyes and made her more wary, ’When I first came to Melbourne, I was so naive and trusted people on their word. Unfortunately, I learnt very quickly that I need to be more street smart.’

Her work with refugees has led to some deep frustrations with the system.

‘No-one knows how to deal with the young people who come here and turn into rebels and it just becomes too hard for the government departments to deal with.

‘They’re placed into dangerous situations in the public housing units, and no-one is willing to do the hard work of helping them stay on the right path.

‘I now do a lot of work with young mothers and try to connect them with experts to help them raise their kids safely.’

In addition to Ajak’s band, the album’s impressive credits include Jan Skubiszewski, Nicky Bomba, Simon Lewis, Boris Conley, Chris Basile (prominent on the guitar throughout), Kate Madden, Robin Mai and Aaron Wilson (who has also directed her forthcoming music video for the title track). Filmmaker and Ajak’s longtime friend, Margot McDonald executive produced the project. It was recorded at Nicky Bomba Studios, Jan Skubiszewski’s Red Moon Studios, and Simon Lewis’ Panorama Studios, where it was also mastered.

Ajak is also a popular broadcaster in Melbourne, as a presenter on TWO prominent community radio stations! On PBS, she can be heard each Monday between 1300 and 1500 AEST hosting Come Together - focusing on music that promotes love and acceptance and on bringing her community into the radio realm. On 3CR, her multi-lingual show is Ubuntu Voices (ENGLISH, DINKA, NUER, ARABIC) each Wednesday night from 8.30pm-9.30pm, giving voice to the local African community to tell their stories through music and spoken word … challenging one-sided political narratives that deny our contribution to society and create hostility toward our community.

March 2021

Let Me Grow My Wings by Ajak Kwai is released by 100 Pianos For Australia, supported by Creative Victoria and City Of Melbourne.