Nothing quite gets the blood pumping on a Tuesday morning than a performance by Mitch Tambo in a school hall in suburban Canberra.
The kids at St Bede's Primary in Red Hill jumped, clapped, flossed, did the griddy and the worm, and sang their hearts out as the 34-year-old Melbourne performer brought his special blend of Indigenous and contemporary culture to the school.
A finalist in the 2019 season of Australia's Got Talent, when he performed a stirring First Nations' version of John Farnham's iconic You're the Voice, Mitch is now on a tour of schools across the country, including several in Canberra.
The Walanbaa ("Strong") tour is about empowering Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth - and having a lot of fun - according to Mitch, a proud Gamilaraay man originally from Tamworth in north-western NSW.
It's a change of pace for the dad-of-four who usually plays to big stadiums, whether it's performing at the NRL or with Farnham himself.
"To be out here spending a big part of the year giving back to the next generation is awesome," he said.
"Kids' energy is just so electric and it's so pure. You know, if they like it, they like it, if they don't they don't.
"So when you have a whole room of them just screaming and partying, it's great feedback."
Mitch's performance on Tuesday included versions of Farnham's You're the Voice and Great Southern Land by Ice House in his traditional language, as well as an "epic dance banger" version of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
Interspersed with the songs were down-to-earth and relatable messages from Mitch, who also has a degree in social work.
His song Heal was written after the lockdowns in Melbourne and was about letting emotions flow, like a healthy river.
Just as the emu never walks backwards, he told the kids to "don't give up on yourself. Believe in yourself. Keep moving forward".
Dreamtime Princess was about honouring all the women in their lives - mums, grandmothers, sisters and aunties.
The children got the chance to ask their own questions, including about his start in music.
He said it was kind of by accident about six years ago when a friend encouraged him to perform music.
"Never in my life did I ever think I wanted to do music or be a singer," he said.
"I really wanted to learn my culture and share my culture for the rest of my life. And I'm really blessed to be living out that dream."
His career in music, he told the kids, was simply due to the encouragement of a friend.
"It all came from having a friend who believed in me when I couldn't see it," he said.
The kids loved it - including Robbie from Year One who almost stole the show when he got up on stage and busted his own moves.
Mitch has a new album out called Tambo Jamz with 60 instrumentals featuring the didgeridoo or "yidaki".
"It's all about the didge crossing genre and just breaking it outside that stereotypical box it gets placed in. So there's tracks there that are like country, hip hop, pop, reggae, electro-house - it just goes on and on and on," he said.
