Even in death, Indigenous Australian musician Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu has continued to break new ground, with his final album becoming the first in an Australian Indigenous language to top the nation's music charts.
His unique voice spawned a career that saw him sell more than half a million albums, recorded in his native Yolngu tongue, and perform for audiences that included the Queen and former US President Barack Obama.
Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) has claimed the number one spot on the ARIA albums chart on Saturday, following the album's April 13 release.
The album, more than four years in the making, was finished just weeks before the 46-year-old blind singer, known simply as Gurrumul, died in July after a battle with kidney and liver disease.
It combines songs and harmonised chants from Gurrumul's traditional Yolngu life with orchestral arrangements, featuring members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra among others.
Producer Michael Hohnen, Gurrumul's musical partner and manager, says all Australians can be proud of Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)'s success.
"The history he has made taking a true Australian language and heritage to number one proves the strength of the underlying cultural identity of this nation," Mr Hohnen said in a statement on Saturday.
"This album is a testament to this great Australian and his family, all Yolngu and the greater Aboriginal population."
Earlier this year a new documentary exploring the two worlds Gurrumul lived was released. The film examined his life of fame and success, and the life he lived with his family back on country.
Born blind in 1971 on Elcho Island in East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Gurrumul's voice and music took him around the world, performing in places such as New York's Carnegie Hall and at the Queen's Jubilee Concert in London.
With AAP
