WARREN H WILLIAMS MAKES GOLDEN GUITAR HISTORY WITH FIRST FULL ABORIGINAL LANGUAGE NOMINATION
BY MARLI RYAN AND TANGIORA HINAKI
Central Australian country music legend Warren H Williams has made history at the Golden Guitar Awards, with his song Ntaria becoming the first full Aboriginal language track ever nominated in the awards’ history.
The song has picked up nominations for Vocal Collaboration of the Year and Heritage Song of the Year, marking a significant moment for both Australian country music and First Nations language representation.
Williams says the achievement still hasn’t fully sunk in.
“It still hasn’t hit me yet,” he said.
“I don’t know when it’s gonna hit me. It feels like a dream.”
Sung entirely in Western Arrernte, Ntaria is a tribute to Williams’ home community of Hermannsburg in Central Australia. He says the fact the song is in language makes the recognition especially meaningful.
“It’s a language song — a full-on language song — and it’s about my home,” he said.
“For me, as an Aboriginal person, language is everything.”
Williams says the nomination is bigger than just one artist.
“It’s not just for me,” he said.
“It’s for every other Aboriginal person who speaks language.”
The track features collaborations with Australian country music heavyweights Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, both of whom Williams says immediately backed the project.
“They’re two of my favourite people in the world,” he said.
“As soon as I asked them, they just said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’”
Both Chambers and Nicholson also sang in language on the track — something Williams describes as a powerful moment of cultural respect and exchange.
The Golden Guitar recognition follows a strong year for Williams, including a recent performance at SXSW in Sydney, where his music reached new audiences.
Reflecting on his journey, Williams says Aboriginal artists have often faced barriers in the industry, but believes language and culture are strengths, not obstacles.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said.
“If you’ve got that feeling inside you, just do what you’re good at. Don’t listen to anyone else — just listen to yourself.”
The Golden Guitar Awards will be held in Tamworth next year, where Ntaria will stand as a landmark nomination — signalling a broader shift in Australian country music, and a growing recognition of First Nations voices, stories and languages.