Acclaimed rapper and master storyteller, 26-year-old Gomeroi man Kobie Dee has expanded upon his already-rich discography, teaming up with M?ori artist and five-time ARIA Award nominee, Stan Walker for the release of his latest single, Father’s Eyes via Bad Apples Music / Island Records Australia.
A track rooted in elements of classic hip-hop through its slick beats and visceral storytelling, Father’s Eyes is a starkly honest rumination on breaking familial cycles, creating generational change, and beating the system that has removed opportunities to foster strong families. With a strong mind paid to improving upon the past and becoming a bastion of strength and positivity for his own growing family, Kobie taps deep into the essence of fatherhood, and how he sees it through his own eyes.
While Kobie dives into his own experiences to provide a confessional and deeply emotional backbone to the track, Aotearoa New Zealand’s most successful artist’s Stan – himself a M?ori man of T?hoe, Ng?i Te Rangi, and Ng?ti Porou descent – delivers a powerful hook with his own soulful vocals, channelling his own unique story with every soaring syllable.
Alongside the release of Father’s Eyes, Kobie and Stan joined forces with Director Kieran Satour of GARUWA, with cinematography by Andrew Amanaki from Amanaki Studios producing a truly compelling film clip. Filmed on unceded Bidjigal Land, the video opens with Kobie and Stan discussing their culture, their upbringing, and the future of their respective mobs, before portraying fathers from M?ori and Aboriginal communities coming together with family and friends to centre and celebrate shared paternal experiences and bonds.
As Kieran – himself a Gurindji, Pertame Arrernte, and Worimi man – explains, the production of the clip was a powerful one – designed to not only contextualise the lyrical depth present within the song, but to also challenge stereotypes of black fatherhood through the use of honest, strong, and proud visuals.
“Working with Kobie and Stan on this clip was such a blessing,” says Kieran. “This special song, deeply grounded in their own experiences as Indigenous fathers and sons, is about highlighting the strength and resilience of all the families out there striving to break cycles.”
“It was really important to me to work with someone I trust and have a Creative Director like Kieran lead this project and help apply a cultural lens and make sure both our Aboriginal and M?ori cultures were represented appropriately and in a strong, beautiful way,” adds Kobie. “It was a great collaboration and I feel everyone that was involved really resonated with what the track was about and really captured the vision for the video clip.”
Echoes Stan; “Flying to Sydney to be part of the ‘Father’s Eyes’ video shoot was so buzzy. Epic team and a video unlike no other I have ever shot or been a part of.”
Father’s Eyes is Kobie’s first solo single since the release of 2022’s Basics, which itself followed on from the release of his AIR Awards-nominated debut EP, ‘Gratitude Over Pity’. In the years since making his debut, Kobie has signed to Briggs’ Bad Apples Music label, was nominated for Artist of the Year at the 2023 National Indigenous Music Awards, taken out triple j’s 2022 Done Good Award and FBi SMAC Radio’s Best Live Act for 2022. Alongside serving as an Ambassador for Weave Youth & Community Services and being named “the voice of a generation” by GQ Australia, he’s curated a massive following online, including more than 100k followers on all social platforms, and garnered more than 29M global streams for his music.
More recently, Kobie has just wrapped up several national live appearances, including performances at VIVID LIVE, SXSW SYDNEY, LISTEN OUT, and BIGSOUND 2023, with a promotional trip to New Zealand alongside Stan Walker also planned.
FATHER’S EYES IS OUT NOW VIA BAD APPLES MUSIC / ISLAND RECORDS AUSTRALIA – BUY / STREAM HERE
With thanks to Island Records Australia
