Ziggy Ramo has shared a new song titled ‘Sugar Coated Lies’, featuring Wergaia/Wemba Wemba singer Alice Skye.
Released today (December 23), the track is lifted from the forthcoming Stan Original series Black Snow, in which Ramo stars alongside Travis Fimmel (Vikings), Talijah Blackman-Corowa, Jemmason Power and his real-life cousin, Molly Fatnowna, among others.
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The song itself sees the First Nations artist rapping over a trap-like beat, addressing the show’s themes of secrecy and deceit. Skye lends her sweet, airy vocals to the cut’s chorus and final verse, warning: “It’ll all unwind / if we keep pretending.”
It arrived alongside an accompanying music video, which features clips from Black Snow. Set in North Queensland among a sugar cane plantation, the dramatic clip gives viewers a taste of what to expect from the series – which will mark Ramo’s screen debut – when it premieres on January 1. Check out ‘Sugar Coated Lies’ below.
Ramo produced all of the music on the show alongside composer Jed Palmer. The soundtrack incorporates organic field recordings from the filming location in Prosperine, as well as Tanna in Vanuatu.
The six-part series is a mystery, following a detective as he strives to solve the 1995 murder case of 17-year-old Isabel Baker. According to press materials, Black Snow focuses on the fictional town’s “deep ties to the Australian South Sea Islander community”, with director Lucas Taylor emphasising the importance of cultural collaboration in making the show.
Back in October, Ramo performed at the inaugural First & Forever festival in Victoria, celebrating Australia’s community of First Nations artists. The line-up, which was curated by Briggs and Paul Kelly, featured an array of musicians from various genres, including Baker Boy, Tasman Keith, Jessica Mauboy, Budjerah, Sycco, Thelma Plum, King Stingray, Dan Sultan, Electric Fields and many more.
In 2021, Ramo announced he had a new album and accompanying book in the pipeline, both titled ‘Human’. He has not yet shared a release date, but it will be his first LP since his acclaimed 2020 debut ‘Black Thoughts’.