This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

B2M Is Indigenous Australia's Answer To The Backstreet Boys

They're a boy band with a plan.

Interview: Cayla Dengate. Shot & Edited: Emily Verdouw

Just like the Backstreet Boys or Boys2Men, Tiwi Islands group B2M create insanely catchy pop and r'n'b songs.

Yet their lyrics aren't about romance.

As lead singer Jeffrey 'Yellow' Simon says, "There are too many love songs in the world already".

Rather, B2M's songs are a message in disguise for the younger generations growing up in their Northern Territory island home.

To a pop beat, the band, which stands for Bathurst 2 Melville -- the two main islands in the Tiwis -- warn against taking drugs, about how domestic violence affects a community and, in the phenomenal song Parlingarri, traditional Tiwi chants are miked with a modern beat.

Yellow said it was a rush to see the kids in Tiwi singing their songs, but now when they play in Darwin, they're mobbed by people from all ages and backgrounds, and they're off to Taiwan on tour this month.

"It just shows music is the universal language," he said.

To checkout more of B2M (Bathurst to Melville) head here.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.