Genealogy Tree by Mani Sunai

Mani Norris

1033321_3_2 — 2024-02-06 00:43:11 UTC

Christine Anu

1033321_3_2 — 2024-02-06 00:45:47 UTC

I listened to Christine's album "Come My Way" frequently in childhood. Her music on that album was the first time I ever heard a style of music and thought "I want my sound to sound like that". On this album particularly, Christine opened my eyes to the possibility that infusing different genres and sounds is refreshing and empowering, and that the idea of this is limitless. In terms of genres, majority of the songs on the album bounce back and forth between Alt-Pop, Rock, Urban and Dance. In a sense, because of "Come My Way", it has encouraged me to experiment with sounds as an artist, which I'm forever thankful for.

Adele

1033321_3_2 — 2024-02-06 00:45:54 UTC

When I was 16, I fell deep down the Adele rabbit hole and listened to her albums "19" and "21" repetitively. It changed my life as a young artist, having mostly listening to mainstream Pop music beforehand. Although Adele is considered a mainstream Pop Artist, it's instead her sound which draws from Soul, R&B, Bluegrass, Rock and Folk, that opened my eyes to the level of how beautiful traditional music and instrumentation is. It was here at this age where I also agreed that "I want my sound to sound like hers".

Etta James

1033321_3_2 — 2024-02-06 00:47:04 UTC

“She was the first time a voice made me stop what I was doing and sit down and listen. It took over my mind and body" (Touré, 2011), Adele said as she reflected on her love for Etta James. Etta was known for her powerhouse vocals and her iconic love songs. Adele found one of Etta's albums in a bargain bin at a CD store during her youth and it changed her life forever. (Digital Spy, 2012). Etta's vocals and her willingness to open up and be vulnerable when it comes to love, really encouraged Adele to do the same as an artist.

Amy Winehouse

1033321_3_2 — 2024-02-07 01:56:00 UTC

“If it wasn’t for Amy and ‘Frank’, one 100 per cent I wouldn’t have picked up a guitar, I wouldn’t have written ‘Daydreamer’ or ‘Hometown’ and I wrote ‘Someone Like You’ on the guitar too,” (Desk, N. N., 2015).

Being from North London, her and Adele may have also shared similar experiences growing up due to the same location and environment (Gateway, M, 2019). Like most of the Western World, the UK was always heavily influenced by America's mainstream music, making typically American genres like Blues, R&B and Soul more accessible. Adele and Amy were both born in the 80s, so the music in their childhood must have been similar.

Lauryn Hill

1033321_3_2 — 2024-02-07 01:56:46 UTC

When speaking about Lauryn's albums: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Songs in A Minor, Adele has labelled these as “life-defining.” (Bustle, 2019). Similar to Amy Winehouse, Lauryn's sound revolves around Soul and R&B, but she has also dabbled with Reggae, Neo-Soul, Hip-Hop and Rap (Bennett, D., 2015). Lauryn's confidence to unapologetically express herself in music throughout her career has influenced Adele and her style entirely, for the better.

Aretha Franklin

1033321_3_2 — 2024-02-07 02:02:17 UTC

It's no surprise that Christine adores Aretha. The two artists share a unique and powerful voice, which has only then supported the work they do as musicians.

Christine grew up in the Torres Strait Islands, and when she wasn't listening to traditional cultural music, she mostly listened to mainstream R&B, Soul and Pop music (Resilience, 2016, 1:12) Aretha echoed the R&B, Soul and Jazz sound during her time, with instrumentation that is also found in Gospel music (In Memoriam: Aretha Franklin (1942–2018). (2018, August 16)). Aretha being a powerful woman of colour and her use of Gospel and Soul techniques in her music, influenced Christine; as she is also a woman of colour and grew up in a religious household.

Tina Arena

1033321_3_2 — 2024-02-07 02:05:21 UTC

In childhood, Christine and her family would sit around the TV regularly to watch Young Talent Time, an Australian talent show which ran during the 70s and 80s. Christine has fond memories of adoring Tina during her time on the show, citing she would love to perform the way she does one day (Resilience, 2016, 1:53) As Tina's career progressed, she's touched on various genres and styles, such as Pop, Rock, Ballad, R&B and Soul. It only makes sense that her artistry influenced Christine and her work, because the two's styles reflect each other today.

Warumpi Band

1033321_3_2 — 2024-02-13 00:31:36 UTC

Warumpi Band were an Australian Rock Band in the 80s-2000s, with predominantly Indigenous members (Will, 2005). Their sound mainly floated between Blues, Rock, Country and also influences of traditional Indigenous music and language (Will, 2005). Instrumentation involved guitars, drums, bass, piano and Didgeridoo, and just from here alone we can see the direct musical influence this has had on Christine and her style.