CANCER TRAUMA HEALS
get to go through it too and experience it with me.”
She will revisit more of the album when she comes to Cairns later this month, but in the meantime her next big move is tackling her racial identity.
Born in Papua New Guinea, Ngaiire moved back and forth between the island nation and New Zealand while receiving treatment. She has called Australia home since 2000 when she moved with her mother to Lismore, NSW.
“This time around I’m writing with a lot more people, and it’s a bit more conceptual. I’m exploring my heritage,” she says.
“I’ll release an album in conjunction with visuals that we collected during a research trip to Papua New Guinea.
“Knowing about heritage, especially of Pacific Islanders, is so important in creating the fabric of Australia as a whole.
“There are a lot of Pacific Islanders in Australia, but they don’t have a voice loud enough to represent them all.”
She says there are risks in documenting her heritage, especially from those who say she has renounced her PNG ties for life in Australia.
“My parents are pretty proud of me for exploring my heritage, but they understand that there could be backlash because I don’t live in PNG anymore. But I think it will be a big but rewarding challenge to take on,” she says.
“The fact is that I can’t change the blood that runs through my veins.”