Electric Fields

Electric Fields is an Australian electronic music duo made up of vocalist Zaachariaha Fielding and keyboard player and producer Michael Ross. Electric Fields combine modern electric-soul music with Aboriginal culture and sing in Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and English. The duo have released an EP and several singles. They are set to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "One Milkali (One Blood)".

Career

2011–2020: Formation and Inma

In 2011, Zaachariaha Fielding auditioned for the third season of The X Factor Australia, performing Tracy Chapman's "Talkin Bout a Revolution". In 2013, Michael Ross auditioned for the fifth season performing Phil Collins' "You Can't Hurry Love".

The pair has been performing as Electric Fields since 2015. Their repertoire moves across pop, soul, and electronica, while being described as "Daft Punk meets Nina Simone in the Deep Forest".

In June 2016, the duo released their debut EP Inma (which derives its name from the cultural ceremony of Aṉangu women known as inma). Daniel Browning, a presenter and producer of ABC Radio National said "Co-creating music that is as exciting as it is emotionally moving – the beauty and sheer power of their musicality is breathtaking. Often featuring Zaachariaha's traditional languages of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara people, Electric Fields music ranges from pop to epic-scale electronic works, through to intensely intimate story-songs." Their music was played at the Spirit Festival 2016 and Adelaide Fashion Festival 2016 and on Triple J. In 2016, the duo won the Emily Burrows Award, an award given to recognise and further the professional development of original South Australian music artists or bands.

The duo won Best New Talent of the Year at the 2017 National Indigenous Music Awards. The duo was nominated for Artist of the Year at the 2018 National Indigenous Music Awards.

In December 2018, the duo was announced as one of the entrants in Eurovision – Australia Decides in an attempt to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Electric Fields performed at the competition with their song "2000 and Whatever" on 9 February 2019 and came second in both Jury and Audience vote, and second overall. In May 2019, the duo announced the Australian jury votes at the Eurovision Song Contest final. Later that year, Electric Fields toured with "2000 and Whatever" around Australia.

In July 2019, Electric Fields received two nominations at the National Indigenous Music Awards.

On 3 April 2020, Electric Fields' collaboration with Norwegian group Keiino "Would I Lie" was released.

The duo were joined virtually by Jessica Mauboy, Missy Higgins and John Butler for a performance of Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody‘s song about the Gurindji strike, "From Little Things Big Things Grow". The performance was recorded at the Adelaide Botanic Garden conservatory, and broadcast for the season finale of ABC Television's 6-part pandemic series, The Sound, on 23 August 2020.

In August 2020, they performed three acoustic sets at the Ukaria Cultural Centre in Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills, in a collaboration with online streaming platform Sunny Side Uploads.

In October 2020, the duo performed "From Little Things Big Things Grow" at the 2020 AFL Grand Final.

In December 2020, Electric Fields headlined one of the shows in the queer talent-seeking series "Express Yourself – Queer Discovery", which was run by APRA AMCOS and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

2021–present

In February 2021, Electric Fields performed "Don't You Worry" and "Gold Energy" at the Sydney Cricket Ground for Mardi Gras.

In November 2021, Electric Fields performed "From Little Things, Big Things Grow" at the National Indigenous Music Awards. In the same month, they signed a global deal with Warner Music Australia and released "Gold Energy". On 18 March 2022, the duo released "Catastrophe".

In February 2023, Electric Fields released "We the People" as the official WorldPride theme song. They performed their song to a crowd of 20,000 people at the festival's opening concert in Sydney's Domain on 24 February 2023, saying "Pride is not just about acceptance, but feeling at home in your own individuality".

On 5 March 2024, the duo was announced as the Australian representatives for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "One Milkali (One Blood)". The song includes Yankunytjatjara lyrics, and the event takes place in Malmö, Sweden, in May 2024.

On 17 March 2024, Electric Fields performed in a concert called "Floods of Fire" with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra at the Adelaide Festival Centre, as the finale to the Adelaide Festival.

Members

Identity

Electric Fields' band motto is "bypass the barriers", and Fielding and Ross describe themselves as "two feminine brothers", embracing their queer identity and affectionately referring to each other as Mala (Fielding, the "younger sibling") and Tjutja (Ross, the "older brother"). They are very close friends but not romantically involved. They embrace their feminine identity, saying that it makes them stronger. They are 10 years and one day apart in age.

Zaachariaha Fielding

Zaachariaha Fielding is the oldest of nine children of a family who live in Mimili, in the APY lands of north-west South Australia. He studied Indigenous Australian music and started producing his own work at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music at the University of Adelaide.

He is also known as an artist, whose work has been exhibited in several exhibitions as well as winning the Wynne Prize and the Ramsay Art Prize A$15,000 People's Choice prize in 2023.

Michael Ross

Michael Ross is a singer, songwriter, pianist and producer from Adelaide. His musical influences growing up were mainly Mariah Carey, along with The Cranberries, Tracy Chapman, and Lauryn Hill.

Before joining Electric Fields, Ross was a contestant on the X Factor Australia in 2013.

In film

Electric Fields are the subject of a SBS/NITV documentary, "Voice From The Desert", screened nationally from 10 December 2018. The film was part of the Our Stories series, featuring emerging Indigenous Australian creatives, and directed by Daniel Clarke and Amy Pysden. The doco shows duo performing at the 2017 National Indigenous Music Awards in Darwin, as well as covering Fielding visiting Mimili, and examining his early life experiences growing up in remote South Australia and his artistic and personal growth. There are also interviews with his parents Kaye Lowah and Robert Fielding.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other appearances

Awards

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual award ceremony event celebrating the Australian music industry. Electric Fields have been nominated for one award.

National Dreamtime Awards

The National Dreamtime Awards is an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in sport, arts, academic and community and commenced in 2017. Electric Fields have won one award.

National Indigenous Music Awards

The National Indigenous Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises the achievements of Indigenous Australians in music. The award ceremony commenced in 2004. Electric Fields have won one award from four nominations.

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia. They paused between 2021 and 2022 due to Covid-19

South Australian Music Awards

The South Australian Music Awards (previously known as the Fowler's Live Music Awards) are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They commenced in 2012.

References

Further reading

• Archibald-Binge, Ella (27 February 2019). "'We weren't allowed to be ourselves': How Electric Fields burst out of the box". NITV.
• Tan, Teresa (31 August 2019). "Electric Fields' Zaachariaha Fielding and artist Robert Fielding reflect on Anangu spirit and connection to country". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

External links

• Electric Fields on Facebook