RONA. Marks Anniversary Of Australian Indigenous Voice Referendum With 'Burn It'

One year on from the Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, Mparntwe and Naarm-based Kaytetye producer and DJ, RONA. has marked the date with a new anti-colonial anthem, Burn It.

Featuring Zimbabwe-born, Naarm-based neo-soul artist KYE on vocals, the single is a response to the people who voted against the First Nations Voice referendum. Despite the negative inspirations that the song was born out of, it’s ultimately a track rooted in possibilities and resilience.

A hopeful invitation for collective transformation and regeneration, the song was itself created following a trip in which RONA. was surrounded by the joy and strength of the First Nations community.

“It was a moment of clarity – our collective need to burn down systems that have never served us, that are suffocating our communities,” she said. “It was a recognition that colonial systems haven’t been serving any of us. To heal, to reimagine, we need to create space for new shoots, for new journey lines.”

As the track urges the listener to “burn it to the ground”, this idea of razing the current institutions at play and regenerate new, more inclusive ways of living was a necessity which made itself clear to RONA. in the weeks leading up to the referendum.

“It was a time when colonial narratives, so deeply embedded in our systems, were magnified,” she said. “I felt the weight of seeing our communities consistently pushed to the margins, forced to defend our right to exist and thrive on our own terms.

“The beginning of the vocals came to me during that intense lead-up,” she added. “The hook didn't just sit in my head, it grew louder, more insistent, and I found myself singing it out at parties and gatherings. There was this communal strength in the words – they captured the intensity of the time we were in, but also offered a form of release.”

RONA.'s latest track follows on from the arrival of last month's Raise It, and comes just in time for an appearance at the Strawberry Fields festival next month, and the recent announcement of a spot on the 2025 Laneway Festival lineup.