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Ziggy Ramo Burrmuruk Fatnowna, known professionally as Ziggy Ramo, is an Indigenous Australian singer, songwriter and activist.

Ziggy Ramo
Ziggy Ramo performs at Adelaide Festival 2021
Background information
Birth name	Ziggy Ramo Burrmuruk Fatnowna[1]
Born	Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia
Origin	Australia
Genres	Hip hop Australian hip hop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter activist
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	2016–present

Early life

Ziggy Ramo Burrmuruk Fatnowna was born to an Aboriginal and Solomon Islander father and a mother of Scottish heritage in Bellingen, New South Wales and brought up across Arnhem Land and Perth, Western Australia.[1]

Ramo Burrmuruk Fatnowna moved to Perth when he was six years old and began pursuing music in his mid-teens, the social messaging of classic US hip-hop resonating with him. After graduating from school, he embarked on a Pre-Medicine degree, determined to advocate for Indigenous health, before switching back to music, aiming to represent Indigenous Australian perspectives in rap.[2]

Career

In 2015, Ramo completed his debut album Black Thoughts; an album that incisively addressed colonial dispossession, systemic racism and intergenerational trauma. Yet he worried that non-Indigenous Australia wasn't ready to engage with his truth-telling, so he shelved the album. Instead, in 2016, an EP of the same name was released.[2]

The EP spawns the singles "Black Thoughts"[3] and "Black Face".[4]

Following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May 2020, and the subsequent global Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality, Fatnowna decided to "rush release" the album saying "It was just still so relevant".[2]

In August 2020, Ramo performed the album live at Sydney Opera House as part of its From Our House to Yours weekly program.[5] In March 2021 Ramo was the headline artist at the Adelaide Festival's hip hop finale concert which featured an all-Indigenous line-up of artists. Other performers included Jimblah, JK-47 and J-Milla.

Influences

Ramo lists his musical influences including Lauryn Hill and Yasiin Bey and Aboriginal activists such as Charlie Perkins and Gary Foley.[1][6]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio album released, with release date and label shown

Title	Album details
Black Thoughts	Released: 5 June 2020[7] Label: Ramo Records Formats: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

List of EPs released, with release date and label shown

Title	EP details
Black Thoughts	Released: 2016[8] Label: Ziggy Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles

List of singles and album name shown

Title	Year	Album
"Black Thoughts" (featuring Stan Grant)[9][3]	2016	Black Thoughts (EP)
"Black Face"[10][4]
"Same Script"[11]	2017
"Ykwd (You Know We're Done)"[12]
"A to Z"[13]	2018
"Empire"[14]	2019	Black Thoughts
"Pretty Boy"[15]
"Tjitji" (featuring Miiesha)[16]	2020	Deadly Hearts: Walking Together
"Little Things" (featuring Paul Kelly)[17]	2021	TBA

Awards and nominations

Australian Music Prize

The Australian Music Prize (the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. They commenced in 2005.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2020	Black Thoughts	Album of the Year	Nominated[18]

J Award

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
J Awards of 2020	himself	You Done Good Award	Nominated	[19]
J Awards of 2021	"Little Things" (with Paul Kelly)	Australian Video of the Year	Nominated	[20][21]

National Indigenous Music Awards

The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) recognise excellence, dedication, innovation and outstanding contribution to the Northern Territory music industry.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2018[22]	"himself"	Best New Talent	Nominated

West Australian Music Industry Awards

The Western Australian Music Industry Awards (commonly known as WAMis) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM).[23]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result (wins only)
2017	Ziggy Ramo	Best Hip Hop Act	Won
		Best Indigenous Act	Won

References

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