Marliya is a group of young Indigenous singers based in Cairns, whose music goes straight to the heart. Born out of a collaboration between Gondwana Choirs and Felix Riebl, these young women sing with a warmth and richness that belies their age.

In 2015, Gondwana Choirs commissioned a new work from Felix Riebl for Gondwana Indigenous Children’s Choir, premiering Spinifex Gum – a song cycle at National Choral School 2016. Felix visited the Pilbara three times, meeting and developing relationships members of Indigenous communities in Karratha and Roebourne. On one trip, 35 Indigenous choristers joined him, performing as part of the Red Earth Arts Festival.

The original 30-minute song cycle explores aspects of indigenous life in the Pilbara, incorporating Yinjabarndi language. Over the next two years, Felix and his partner Ollie McGill would add more works, expanding Spinifex Gum into a full album, which was released in October 2017.