Achieving fame in '90s First Nations boy band that transformed the Australian music scene
Suncorp Group prides itself on empowering its people to bring their whole selves to work – celebrating what makes them, them. In this series, we meet some of the Group's inspiring people – highlighting their unique hobbies and pursuits outside of work, and how Suncorp supports a meaningful work/life balance. Welcome to the Sun Chasers series.
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Meet Rodney Stuurman: Senior Information Technology Services Management Specialist at Suncorp Group, and former member of ‘90s award-winning boy band, AIM 4 MORE
From growing up in Inala (south-west of central Brisbane), to spearheading First Nations representation in the Australian music scene, Rodney Stuurman reminisces on those ‘pinch me’ moments and formative years as part of R&B boy band, AIM 4 MORE.
“None of us had any aspirations of being singers, let alone ‘influencers’,” confessed Rodney, whose family originates from the islands of Erub (Darnley Island) and Daru in the Torres Strait.
“We were all just friends who played basketball at the local high school every afternoon.”
Recognised as one of the first boy bands to represent First Nations artists in the Australian music industry, AIM 4 MORE won a Deadly Award (an annual celebration of First Nations’ achievement in music, sport, entertainment, and community) for most promising new act in 1997, solidifying their influence in mainstream music circles.
Rodney remembered the song ‘In the still of the night’ by iconic American boy band Boyz II Men topping the charts right before AIM 4 MORE formed, and admitted it was, in fact, the song that he and his soon-to-be bandmates first sang together.
“In 1993 it was the biggest song at the time. One day following an afternoon of basketball, one of the guys just started singing it. Randomly, we all chimed in at the same time (because everyone knew the words) and, by some miracle, sang in harmony!” he said.
“From that moment on we kept practising and were soon offered our first gig. It was nerve-wracking, but the response was overwhelmingly positive.”
That first gig was performed at their local high school disco, in front of peers and family members. Soon though, the group’s undeniable talent gained a wider audience, and was booked for larger events, with exposure to bigger crowds.
Rodney Stuurman, ITSM Specialist, Suncorp Group
Things all started to ramp up from there. Our big break came when we were invited to sing in front of a packed house for an ‘Ausmusic’ concert at what was then the Suncorp Piazza at South Bank in Brisbane.
Early promo photo of the band.
Promotion for Australia Day Concert.
Pioneers in the ‘90s music industry, influencing a generation
Despite being young and fresh out of high school, Rodney and his band mates keenly understood the significance of their rising fame – both in representing their local community, as well as acting as positive role models for young First Nations Australians around the country.
“It was such an honour to represent the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community at every gig we did. We knew it was quite ground-breaking at the time,” said Rodney.
“We would often get mistaken for Americans,” he said. “One year there was a bit of a controversy after we performed the national anthem at a State of Origin game. A radio station had people calling in asking why the anthem was sung by Americans. People had just never seen an Indigenous singing group at the time.”
“Over the years, it has been gratifying to meet performers, both from indigenous and non-indigenous backgrounds, who tell us we inspired them to do what they do.”
Hitting the news after performing the national anthem at the State of Origin.
A new millennium, and a new career era for the band members
Just before the new millennium hit, AIM 4 MORE split. Between work commitments, growing families, and dabbling in solo music careers, the members went their separate ways.
Today, Rodney is a Senior ITSM Specialist within the Service Management Office at Suncorp Group, providing governance and strategy implementation to the Group’s IT ecosystem. A marked difference from his formative years, Rodney has found his ‘career calling’.
“I really enjoy working here,” Rodney said.
“My role specifically oversees the incident management process within Data and Enterprise Technology, and more broadly to improve the Domain’s incident management process through innovation and continual improvement.
“I joined after being ‘sold the dream’ by my wife, Marissa, who also works for Suncorp Group. She’s been here since 2007.”
Last year, Rodney and his former band mates came together for a ‘one night only’ 30th anniversary reunion. AIM 4 MORE’s music still attracted fans, both old and new.
The night of the reunion, AIM 4 MORE surprised the audience with two new original songs.
“One of the songs is very unique in that it is sung in multiple Indigenous languages – Meriam Mir from Torres Strait and Gugu-Yalanji from North Queensland – as well as English.”
Start of the A4M reunion tour at The Cutaway, Barangaroo.
Performing at City Hall, Brisbane.
The band has since recorded them with Aria award-winning producer Cody McWaters and plan to release them later this year.
Rodney reflects on the past 30 years with great fondness.
“Not only was it great representing our culture, but our local community of Inala was and still is very proud of what we have been able to achieve,” he said.
“Inala didn’t have a great reputation in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so to have something good come out of the area, it lifted the whole community.”
New Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)
Suncorp is continuing its reconciliation journey with the publication of our new Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
Supported by Reconciliation Australia, Suncorp's 2024-2026 RAP details the initiatives that will be implemented over the next two years to help increase economic equity and support First Nations self-determination.
NAIDOC Week 2024
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.
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