DANGEROUSLY CURIOUS - NEW MUSIC SHEDS LIGHT ON THE PLIGHT OF THE AUSTRALIAN DINGO

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) EINPresswire/ -- Australia is famous for both its outstanding original music artists and its extremely dangerous wildlife. Teaming them up together might seem odd, but South East Queensland music act "The Amanda Emblem Experiment " has done just that with a new song and music video called“Ancient Dingo”, set to drop on Australia Day.

Dingos are exclusively Australian, evolving over 4000 years ago as an apex predator among the native Australian animals, an integral part of the ancient ecosystem. Yet today the Dingo is a controversial animal with a coloured reputation. Back in 1981 the whole world heard about a Dingo stealing a baby in the Australian Outback. 45 years later it would seem the Australian Dingo is even less understood than before, increasingly forced to co-inhabit it's natural environment with holiday makers and expanding communities.

As a threat to livestock and domestic animals the Dingo population is strictly controlled. Outside National Parks (where they are protected) they are considered a restricted invasive animal and as such, Dingos have mostly been eradicated on the mainland. Most Australians never see Dingos in the wild, until they embark on their family holiday into the Dingos' Territory. Meanwhile the cartoon Bluey, (based on a dog that has been genetically bred with the Dingo) is loved and celebrated worldwide, while the Dingo itself remains in the shadows of Australian folklore.

Co written by two members of the band, Kelly King and lead singer Amanda Emblem, "Ancient Dingo" was inspired after a camping holiday on K'gari (a.k.a. Fraser Island) a stunningly beautiful Island on the Great Sandy Strait of South East Queensland. K'gari is unique because it has the only pure Dingo colony in the World. In contrast, it is also a 4WD enthusiast, fishing and camping hotspot, with a family friendly tourist resort. Despite very careful management and marketing of the Island as a Dingo Sanctuary, all the public warnings, signage, and numerous strategies in place on K'Gari fail to protect humans from Dingos and vice versa. Incidents occur regularly and often children are involved. Messages just aren't getting through. As the lyrics in the song go, "Something's not quite right".

In many ways the complex issues of mainstream Australia's relationship with the Dingo reflects Australia's problematic and sad history with its indigenous people. Dingoes are a significant totem animal for the local clans with deep cultural and kinship ties. Before European settlers came to K'Gari there were two types of Dingo known to the Traditional Owners, the Butchulla people. One was Wat'dha ( the camp Dingo) and the other Wongari (Wild Dingo). The Wat'dha Dingo helped them hunt, track and protect the indigenous people from Bad Spirits. When the last of the indigenous people were removed from K'Gari, over 100 years ago, all the Dingos became Wongari (wild). The decision to release”Ancient Dingo” on Australia Day is with the hope of promoting better relationships all round through understanding and awareness, with full respect to the Indigenous peoples of Australia and their cultural history.

The message in“Ancient Dingo” is one of caution. Amanda & Kelly hope the song "gets through" to fellow Australians and overseas visitors so they understand and appreciate the significance of the Dingo, but mostly to be aware of the danger the animal presents. The single release features two versions of the song: An "electric" version, with a snappy reggae upbeat, (which features on the album“The Wood”) and a acoustic“stripped back” version, featuring the Didgeridoo upon a gentle fingerpicked acoustic guitar. Both versions of "Ancient Dingo" and the music video will be officially released on January 26, 2026 on Wild Weather Records, available through all streaming services.

The Amanda Emblem Experiment are an original band, formed in 2017. Fronted by Amanda Emblem on vocals and guitar, the band performs a combination of original Folk, Rock, Blues and Roots music. The band includes Kelly King on harmonica, flute and vocals, Billy Adams on drums and vocals, Scott Astill on bass with a variety of live guests including Moses King on Lead Guitar. They regularly perform live at local venues and Festivals having released four original albums, the most recent“The Wood” in Sept 2025.

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