As one of the two local chosen candidates and performers during the GRID Series launch, Martha Kulang found it hard to believe that such an opportunity had been granted to her.
A budding model with big aspirations, Martha is no stranger to the limelight, but as a self-taught singer, being accepted into GRID is a game-changer.
“I am honestly still processing it, and I feel a little bit conceited just because I don’t actually have any music out in comparison to the other artists,” she said.
“And there are so many other people out in Melbourne as well; they could have chosen anyone else, but for me to be a part of it makes me feel like I’ve progressed as a person.”
The night of Thursday, 7 August, marked the first time she had sung her own track, titled Regardless, a piece where she said centred around pursuing your goals regardless of any setbacks.
Tracking back to her reaction after being chosen, Martha said that she was “over the moon”.
“I genuinely said to myself that I have six months to really make it to the global scale, and at this point, there is no way that I can’t.
“In this day and age, it’s easy to be noticed if you do it the right way, and being in this program is one of those ways to get that platform,” she said.
GRID looks to provide the four artists with six months and a chance to record a fully produced track with renowned producers Alice Ivy, UNO Stereo and Sensible J, as well as one-on-one mentorship with N’fa Forster-Jones as well as Hanna Fox, the co-artistic director of Rising Festival.
Looking into the program itself, Martha’s focus was on her “vulnerability in my song writing”, with aspirations to be more “raw and authentic, and comfortable with who I am as a woman now”.
“I’ve been writing for so many years, but to now be at the forefront and the potential to have a career, it’s different, and I want that authenticity because I know I’m holding back 95 per cent of myself when writing.”
Reflecting on her main goals of the program, Martha said that bringing that sense of recognition and exposure to talent in the southeast continues to be one of her key priorities.
Building on that is also her desire to advocate for her people, her community, and her generation, hopefully breaking the barriers of accessibility and laying the groundwork for those who want to pursue their passions in the industry.
“I would like to be a pillar for my people, because there’s a lot that’s unnoticed and a lot that’s unsaid,” Martha said.
“The only way you can say it is if you’re in these rooms, and I’m so grateful that I’m in them, and to be able to tell them what it is that can be done, and to be able to assist us, so we can build on the industry as a whole.”
Going down the path of being a singer and performer was a recent endeavour, but in that time has seen her take on renditions of popular R&B songs, as well as embodying the very essence of neo-soul, afrobeat and jazz during her time on the stage.
Having busked in the streets of Melbourne CBD, performed for the Motion Sounds Collective and the Stolen Gold concert at the Evelyn Hotel, Martha’s performance is both an ode to those who look to do the same and a reflection of her younger self’s inspirations.
“I feel like my main point of inspiration is my inner child, like now, I feel like she can say whatever she wants,” she said.
“I’m a woman now, you know? I’m not that child anymore, and I feel like I’ve allowed myself to be as natural as I can.
“I guess you could say it’s my soul or whatever, but it’s not something that I think about; it’s just who I am.”
Another point of inspiration is her big family, one she said is also filled with big personalities that, through time, have helped shape her into the woman she is.
Artists have always, and will continue to be, the prospects of artistic inspiration, but Martha said that when it comes to her as a person, she “makes sure to look within”.
“Singing for me came when I was younger, I always watched MTV when I was around 16 and would see like Beyonce and stuff perform,” she said.
“And I said ot myself, if they can do it, then there’s no reason why I can’t; so I would sing in front of the teachers in school, my family, and I would ask for their opinions.
“That led to me doing talent shows, musicals, and that’s when I sort of knew that I had the drive for it.”
Looking ahead, Martha, alongside her local fellow Jordz, are looking to make some big names for themselves by the end of the program, eager to get their names on the world’s biggest stages.
