Bio
Ymma אמא Tierra pronounce (Ee-ma Tee-air-a)
Contemporary Folk, Sephardic Soul, and Sacred Text
Ymma Tierra—a name weaving together the Hebrew Ymma (Mother) and the Ladino Tierra (Earth)—is the creative project of Melbourne-based singer-songwriter and cultural bearer Samantha Levy.
Working at the vibrant intersection of ancestral memory, sacred text and the Australian landscape, Ymma Tierra creates a soundscape that is both ancient and intimately local.
The music is a "three-strand cord": weaving the silver-threaded melodies of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) with the earthy storytelling of Australian folk and the timeless resonance of Torah and Hebrew text.
Deeply influenced by the Sephardic diaspora and a spiritual connection to the Birrarung, Ymma Tierra explores what it means to carry a "diaspora heart" while rooted in the soil of the south. By lifting Hebrew scripture off the parchment and placing it alongside songs of the bush and the river, the project uses ancient wisdom as a compass for modern ecological and communal reflection.
As a dedicated voice in the Ladino revival within Australia, Ymma Tierra invites audiences to find themselves in the sacred space between the Mediterranean, the Hebrew scroll, and the Eucalyptus.
Combining acoustic vocals, guitar, loop pedal and natural ambient sounds, Ymma Tierra’s performances transport audiences into immersive sonic experiences. With every note, she crafts an invocation — a bridge between the visible and invisible, the past and present.
She has shared the stage with notable Australian artists such as Rebecca Barnard, Tanya-Lee Davies and Alison Ferrier, and has performed at some of the country’s most respected festivals and venues including Dragon Dreaming, FRL, Earthcore, Warburton Arts Centre and The Memo Music Hall in St Kilda. She is set to release her album end of 2026.
With every song and performance,
Ymma אמא Tierra invites her audience into a shared space of reverence and resilience — a sonic ritual that replenishes the soul and calls us to reconnect with the sacred energies of the Earth.
