Dylan Voller has turned to music to heal from his traumatic past

"Shackles and chains, I break away the stigma, scared little boy, I didn't see the bigger picture."
These are lyrics from Dylan Voller's song Break Through.
"I've never really got counselling, I've never really got therapy, so I guess jumping in the studio … it's like therapy for me," he told the ABC.
When Voller's treatment as a child in the Northern Territory's Don Dale Detention centre was exposed in 2016, it sparked a royal commission.
"All everyone really wanted to do was push me in front of cameras to talk about it and be this big spokesperson," he said.
"I love fighting for my people, I love fighting for the other young people but what I realise is, at the time, I wasn't ready to do all that stuff.
Now, the 27-year-old says he is using music and songwriting to try to move forward from his traumatic past.
"Music's more than just becoming a famous rapper, more than trying to make money and stuff like that, it's a way that I can tell my story and actually feel safe within the way I tell my story."
He recently performed at Tasmania's Dark Mofo festival, which he said was the first festival to pay him to fly out and play.
Caleb Nichols-Mansell is the Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural advisor for DarkLab, the organisers of the festival.
"Like so many, I watched this boy grow into a young man with an incredible talent for performing and storytelling … including Dylan [Voller] seemed obvious," Nichols-Mansell said.
"Too often, First Nations artists and performers are undervalued and offered exposure over actual payment … I've been able to set a standard within the festival and hopefully the arts and cultural scene more broadly for what First Nations artists and musicians should be paid."
Voller was in and out of detention as a child and has faced court since.
"Only a couple of years ago, I was relapsing on drugs and I was back at my lowest again," he said.
"I guess music got me away from that and it's put me back on a positive path that I'm actually doing something with my life," he said.
Nichols-Mansell said using music to heal from past trauma is a sentiment he thinks a lot of First Nations people would relate to.
"The medicine of music, arts and creativity … it has sustained our people, culture and stories for millennia and it continues to do so."
Voller said he always loved freestyle rapping as a child, but his dream was to be a professional AFL player.
He began producing music with the team at Heaps Decent in 2023, which is an arts organisation working with under-represented and marginalised youth to produce their own music and visual media activities.
"More funding for programs like that because not every kid wants to play sport … there needs to be more options and more things out there for young people," Voller said.
Voller is returning to Alice Springs in July for the Dream Big 2025 festival, which is a youth event aiming to inspire social change with music, culture and mentorship.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

West Australian

2 hours ago

• West Australian

3000 swimmers bare all and strip down to tackle the harsh waters on during the winter solstice

Swimmers have stripped off and braved brisk waters on the shortest day of the year. Wearing nothing but red swim caps, 3000 souls took the annual nude sunrise plunge into Hobart's River Derwent to mark the winter solstice on Saturday. The water temperature was about 13C as the naked pack took to the river at 7.40am, sparking shrieks and anguished yells. Liz Cannard, who has been travelling around Tasmania for almost four months with her husband, said she was petrified before taking the dip. 'I'm not a strong swimmer and I don't take my gear off for anybody ... so I've ticked off a couple of things today,' the Geelong resident said. Lizzy Nash from Sydney was also in the mood for a bit of carpe diem. 'It's about seizing the moment, seizing life and being inspired,' she said. 'This is the sort of thing that motivates you to want to do more and challenge yourself. It was awe-inspiring and I absolutely loved it.' The free swim is part of the Dark Mofo festival and started with just a few hundred participants in 2013. Melburnian Belinda Chambers has been watching people do it on television for years and decided to work remotely from Tasmania for the festival so she could stay and leave on a high. 'So exhilarating,' she said post swim. 'I was nervous but there was this almost primal moment of everyone being together that carries you along, and a sense of pure happiness.' Dark Mofo festival returned to its full pomp in 2025 after running a reduced program in 2024 so it could find a more sustainable financial model. It has made a name for itself by courting controversy and in 2018 drew the ire of some by installing inverted Christian crosses along Hobart's waterfront. Festival artistic director Chris Twite said the swim was a tremendous way to bring things to a close. 'The response in 2025 has been incredible,' he said. 'The streets of Hobart have come alive with locals and visitors celebrating winter and Dark Mofo again.' University of Queensland psychologists surveyed swimmers in previous years before and after they took the plunge and found a significant boost in feelings of connection. 'People told us about whether they felt pain and pleasure during the swim,' Laura Ferris said. 'And those who rated their swim as pleasurable also felt more social connection with the other people around them.' It is an example of people seeking out aversive experiences, such as eating extremely spicy food or watching horror movies. 'This is what psychologists call 'benign masochism',' Dr Ferris said. That could be the optimal term for expeditioners at Australia's four Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations, who also celebrated the solstice with a much-colder traditional plunge. At the three Antarctic stations, a hole is cut in the sea ice each year and expeditioners have a quick dip in the sub-zero waters. 'The shock is closely followed by a rush, which is quickly followed by a scramble to the ladder to get the hell out of that water,' Mawson Station leader Dave Roberts said. 'Ironically, the water is warmer than the wind chill, so it's all a bit confusing but totally worth it.' Those on the sub-Antarctic base at Macquarie Island have it mildly easier for their beach swims, with temperatures hovering from 2C to 4C. A shared meal and the exchanging of gifts and awards round out expedition festivities for the solstice, which is historically the most important day on the Australian Antarctic calendar. 'It's the soul of the Antarctic winter,' Casey Station leader Andy Warton said.

Perth Now

2 hours ago

• Perth Now

Swimmers strip down and the ocean during winter solstice

Swimmers have stripped off and braved brisk waters on the shortest day of the year. Wearing nothing but red swim caps, 3000 souls took the annual nude sunrise plunge into Hobart's River Derwent to mark the winter solstice on Saturday. The water temperature was about 13C as the naked pack took to the river at 7.40am, sparking shrieks and anguished yells. Liz Cannard, who has been travelling around Tasmania for almost four months with her husband, said she was petrified before taking the dip. 'I'm not a strong swimmer and I don't take my gear off for anybody ... so I've ticked off a couple of things today,' the Geelong resident said. HOBART, AUSTRALIA- NewsWire Photos- JUNE 21, 2025. Dark Mofo Nude Solstice Swim 2025 at Long Beach Sandy Bay. Nikki Davis-Jones/ NewsWire Credit: NCA NewsWire Lizzy Nash from Sydney was also in the mood for a bit of carpe diem. 'It's about seizing the moment, seizing life and being inspired,' she said. 'This is the sort of thing that motivates you to want to do more and challenge yourself. It was awe-inspiring and I absolutely loved it.' The free swim is part of the Dark Mofo festival and started with just a few hundred participants in 2013. Melburnian Belinda Chambers has been watching people do it on television for years and decided to work remotely from Tasmania for the festival so she could stay and leave on a high. 'So exhilarating,' she said post swim. 'I was nervous but there was this almost primal moment of everyone being together that carries you along, and a sense of pure happiness.' Dark Mofo festival returned to its full pomp in 2025 after running a reduced program in 2024 so it could find a more sustainable financial model. It has made a name for itself by courting controversy and in 2018 drew the ire of some by installing inverted Christian crosses along Hobart's waterfront. HOBART, AUSTRALIA- NewsWire Photos- JUNE 21, 2025. Dark Mofo Nude Solstice Swim 2025 at Long Beach Sandy Bay. Nikki Davis-Jones/ NewsWire Credit: NCA NewsWire Festival artistic director Chris Twite said the swim was a tremendous way to bring things to a close. 'The response in 2025 has been incredible,' he said. 'The streets of Hobart have come alive with locals and visitors celebrating winter and Dark Mofo again.' University of Queensland psychologists surveyed swimmers in previous years before and after they took the plunge and found a significant boost in feelings of connection. 'People told us about whether they felt pain and pleasure during the swim,' Laura Ferris said. 'And those who rated their swim as pleasurable also felt more social connection with the other people around them.' It is an example of people seeking out aversive experiences, such as eating extremely spicy food or watching horror movies. 'This is what psychologists call 'benign masochism',' Dr Ferris said. That could be the optimal term for expeditioners at Australia's four Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations, who also celebrated the solstice with a much-colder traditional plunge. At the three Antarctic stations, a hole is cut in the sea ice each year and expeditioners have a quick dip in the sub-zero waters. 'The shock is closely followed by a rush, which is quickly followed by a scramble to the ladder to get the hell out of that water,' Mawson Station leader Dave Roberts said. 'Ironically, the water is warmer than the wind chill, so it's all a bit confusing but totally worth it.' Those on the sub-Antarctic base at Macquarie Island have it mildly easier for their beach swims, with temperatures hovering from 2C to 4C. A shared meal and the exchanging of gifts and awards round out expedition festivities for the solstice, which is historically the most important day on the Australian Antarctic calendar. 'It's the soul of the Antarctic winter,' Casey Station leader Andy Warton said.

ABC News

4 hours ago

• ABC News

Tash LC

Loading You're in very capable hands with this long-time NTS Radio Resident tonight on Mix in the UK, Tash LC is a DJ, collector, broadcaster and presenter who has been performing around Australia over the last fortnight, slinging big blends of traditional Afro-diasporic sounds and club played to packed-out dfloors around the world, including slots at Glastonbury, the Warehouse Project and Boomtown, and she's also the founder of label and club night Club Yeke where she spotlights music from the Global LC is stepping into the triple j booth for a sweat inducing mix tonight, featuring top-tier selections of funk, bass, garage, house and everything else in between. Turn it up and enjoy the ride!