SINGAPORE — Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (aka Gurrumul) is an indigenous Australian musician who sings in his Yolngu language. But that hasn’t stopped him from gaining international fame.

Gurrumul can claim famous fans such as Elton John, will.i.am, Quincy Jones and Sting, among others. His 2008 self-titled debut album sold half a million copies worldwide, reaching three times platinum in Australia. His second solo album Rralaka (2011) hit platinum, which earned him the title of “Australia’s Most Important Voice”. Along the way, he performed for various heads of state and royalty and earned several awards for his music. And he’s set to give a show tonight at the University Cultural Centre (UCC) Theatre.

Here’s the thing: Gurrumul was born blind, is said to be acutely shy and eschews media interviews as a rule. So how does Gurrumul take care of all the press requirements that the music industry demands for an artiste to release music and perform in concerts? He relies on a special friend who goes by the name of Michael Hohnen.

Formerly of the band, The Killjoys, Hohnen is a long-time musician and one of the men behind Skinnyfish Music, Gurrumul’s Darwin-based label. But he’s more than that.

“I am his carer, and work as his double bass player and producer”, Hohnen explained. He admitted that sometimes his position was difficult as he had to share emotions and a musical experience — and history — that is essentially someone else’s.

Gurrumul’s had joined Yothu Yindi — the best-selling pioneering band that combined Australian indigenous music with Western pop-rock — when he was 15 wand was in the band for six to seven years. He later left to have a break and formed the now-retired Saltwater Band.

After a chance meeting in Gurrumul’s hometown, the pair decided to collaborate on some music. “I heard his voice and tried to decide how to bring that out,” said Hohnen. “He never got that fragile exposure to his beautiful voice in his previous bands — he needed to do something by himself.”

They initially worked on a couple of demos, which would developed into his album. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Hohnen said Gurrumul’s songs are “mainly about the land, spirit world, ancestral makeup and language expression”. “He is constantly reiterating all the important things about his identity — an oral history of his culture, in song,” he added. “Essentially, Gurrumul is always re-explaining how the world works.”

As Gurrumul’s producer, Hohnen is also instrumental in how Gurrumul’s songs sound on his records. “We are constantly evolving them. The first album was fragile and acoustic, the second had more instruments and was deeper, culturally; and the third was a gospel album.”

Hohnen was very enthusiastic about the next album, which he said would attempt to combine the traditional music with the minimalist styles of composer Philip Glass.

But right now, the focus is on the UCC show tonight. Being part of Gurrumul’s band and having being on the same stage all over the world, Hohnen said that each performance is quite dependent on the audience’s response. “He waits and he reacts to the crowd’s emotional energy,” explained Hohnen. “If the audience is flat then it will be difficult. Gurrumul has a strong sense of how people respond to his music. He is not performing as an entertainer but as a spiritual singer.”

Hohnen promised that for the Singapore concert, the music would be very varied and even include electronic sounds. “My job is to bring two worlds together to express his (Gurrumul’s) music,” Hohnen stressed, adding that there is a musical mission of sorts that transcends beyond the concert proper. “His family wants his language brought to the world. So the journey is not over as there is a lot of unfinished business.”

Gurrumul performs tonight at the UCC Theatre, at NUS. Tickets are available from SISTIC.