1971–1989: Early life The first of four sons born to Ganyinurra (Daisy), of the Gumal clan, and Nyambi "Terry" Yunupingu, a
Gumatj clansman, Yunupingu was born
blind in Galiwin'ku,
Elcho Island, in 1971, situated off the coast of
Arnhem Land in northern Australia, about east of
Darwin. When he was four years old, he taught himself how to play a toy piano and an
accordion. A year later he began to play a guitar; despite being a left-hander, he played a right-handed guitar, holding it upside down, which he would continue to do throughout his career. He later sang hymns in the mission choir and also enjoyed Western pop music, particularly
Dire Straits,
Cliff Richard, and
Stevie Wonder. He left school at the age of 12, having attended his local school, Shepherdson College, along with a brief stint at an institute in the Victorian city of
Geelong for instruction in Braille, which did not interest him. His first solo album,
Gurrumul, was released in 2008, debuting at No. 69 on the
ARIA Charts and No. 1 on the independent chart.
Gurrumul peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Charts. The album was certified triple platinum. He did not generally give interviews, instead relying on Hohnen to speak for him, following a Yolŋu custom that dictated that Yunupingu's role was only to sing, while his elders spoke publicly. In a 2009 interview with him and Hohnen, Yunupingu said that he was generally shy but more comfortable playing music, and went on to say: "I don't have much to say to people when I talk. That is for other Yolŋu. But I can play and sing and tell people things through my songs. We have an encyclopedia of stories ready to tell people, if they want to listen." In 2008 Yunupingu was nominated for four
ARIA Awards, winning the awards for Best World Music Album and Best Independent Release. He also won three
Deadlys, winning for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for
Gurrumul and Single of the Year for "Gurrumul History (I Was Born Blind)". In November 2009, Yunupingu was named Best New Independent Artist and his album,
Gurrumul, Best Independent Release and Best Independent Blues/Roots Release at the
Australian Independent Record (AIR) Awards held at Melbourne's
Corner Hotel. In 2009 a portrait of Yunupingu by
Guy Maestri won Australia's major art prize, the
Archibald Prize. He was again awarded the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Award for Best Independent Blues and Roots Album in 2011 for his album
Rrakala. At the
ARIA Music Awards of 2011, he won Best World Music Album and performed "Warwu" featuring
Missy Higgins on piano. In 2019,
Double J's Dan Condon described it as one of "7 great performances from the history of the ARIA Awards." In December 2013, Yunupingu released a
live album, titled
His Life and Music, which was recorded in the
Sydney Opera House and released through
ABC Music. It was nominated for Australian Independent Record Labels Association and
ARIA awards. "
Bayini" became the first track by an indigenous musician to reach the top five of the Australian charts. He released his third studio album,
The Gospel Album, on 31 July 2015. It debuted at number 3 on the ARIA Charts. In October 2015, the album won Gurrumul's third
ARIA Award for Best World Music Album. In July 2016, Yunupingu featured on the
A.B. Original track "Take Me Home".
2017–present: Death and posthumous releases and recognition Yunupingu died at the
Royal Darwin Hospital, Northern Territory, at about 5:00 pm on 25 July 2017, aged 46. A documentary film titled
Gurrumul was also released, which Luke Buckmaster reviewed, stating that "For Gurrumul fans, the film is obviously a must-see. For those unfamiliar, or vaguely familiar with his work, it's an even greater treat: they will be entertained, enthralled, perhaps in some small way changed." The album won four
ARIA Music Awards at the
2018 ceremony; his daughter Jasmin accepted the award for
Best Male Artist on his behalf. In November 2020,
Decca Records announced they had signed to the rights to Yunupingu's catalogue and future recordings, announcing forthcoming releases, including limited-edition vinyls, a box set and collaborations among a slate of projects. In September 2021, Yunupingu's first anthology was released, entitled
The Gurrumul Story. In the same year, a species of
frog from the
Wessel Islands, Northern Territory, was named
Uperoleia gurrumuli (Gurrumul's toadlet) in honour of Yunupingu. On 8 November 2024, an album with the Prague Metropolitan Orchestra, conducted by Jan Chalupecky, titled
Banbirrngu - The Orchestral Sessions was released. It will feature reworkings of some of his songs and features new arrangements by Australian composer Errkki Veltheim. ==Discography==