Ziggy Ramo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ziggy Ramo
Ziggy Ramo performs at Adelaide Festival 2021
Background information
Birth name	Ziggy Ramo Burrmuruk Fatnowna
Born	Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	Hip hop Australian hip hop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter activist
Years active	2016–present
Associated acts	Miiesha

Ziggy Ramo Burrmuruk Fatnowna, known as Ziggy Ramo, is an Australian singer, songwriter, and activist. He uses his music to share important messages about Indigenous Australian experiences.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Ziggy Ramo Burrmuruk Fatnowna was born in Bellingen, New South Wales. His father is from an Aboriginal and Solomon Islander background. His mother has Scottish heritage. Ziggy grew up in different places, including Arnhem Land and Perth, Western Australia.

When he was six, Ziggy moved to Perth. He started making music in his mid-teens. He really connected with the social messages in classic US hip-hop. Albums like Black On Both Sides by Mos Def were some of his favorites. The album Charcoal Lane by Indigenous musician Archie Roach also inspired him early on.

After finishing school, he first studied medicine. He wanted to help improve Indigenous health. Later, he switched back to music. His goal was to share Indigenous Australian stories through rap music.

Ziggy Ramo's Music Career

Ziggy Ramo wears a special version of the Aboriginal flag while performing at Adelaide Festival 2021.

In 2015, Ziggy Ramo finished his first album, Black Thoughts. This album talked about important issues. These included the impact of colonization, unfair treatment of people, and problems passed down through generations. He worried that people outside Indigenous communities might not be ready to hear his honest words. So, he decided to wait to release the album. Instead, he released an EP (a shorter album) with the same name in 2016.

This EP included the songs "Black Thoughts" and "Black Face".

In May 2020, a man named George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis. This led to many Black Lives Matter protests around the world. These protests were against police unfairness. After this, Ziggy Ramo decided to release his full album Black Thoughts quickly. He said the album's messages were "still so relevant."

In August 2020, Ziggy Ramo performed his album live. This happened at the Sydney Opera House. In March 2021, he was the main artist at the Adelaide Festival's hip hop concert. This show featured only Indigenous artists, including Jimblah and JK-47.

In 2021, Ziggy Ramo released the song "Little Things." This song was based on Paul Kelly's 1993 song "From Little Things Big Things Grow." "Little Things" reached number 99 on the Triple J Hottest 100 list in 2021.

Also in 2021, a publisher bought the rights to Ziggy Ramo's first non-fiction book, called HUMAN.

In December 2022, he released "Sugar Coated Lies." This song featured singer Alice Skye. It was from the TV series Black Snow, where Ziggy Ramo also acted for the first time. On January 26, 2023, Ziggy Ramo released his second studio album.

Ziggy Ramo worked with composer Jed Palmer. They created all the music for the 2023 TV crime drama series Black Snow. Ziggy Ramo also appeared in the show.

In January 2024, Ziggy Ramo released "Banamba." This is the first song from his upcoming album, Human?.

Musical Inspirations and Influences

Ziggy Ramo looks up to many artists and activists. His musical influences include Lauryn Hill and Yasiin Bey. He is also inspired by Aboriginal activists. These include Charlie Perkins and Gary Foley.

Ziggy Ramo's Music Releases

Studio Albums

Extended Plays (EPs)

Singles

Awards and Nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (AIR Awards) celebrate the success of Australia's independent music artists each year.

Australian Music Prize

The Australian Music Prize (the AMP) gives an award to an Australian artist for a great album released that year.

J Awards

The J Awards are annual music awards started by the radio station Triple J.

National Indigenous Music Awards

The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) honor great achievements in the music industry by Indigenous artists.

West Australian Music Industry Awards

The Western Australian Music Industry Awards (WAMis) are given to artists in Western Australia by the WAM association.