Yung Milla Wins Top Prize in Reality Music Competition

Local hip hop artist Yung Milla has taken home the top prize in a popular reality music competition, capping off an incredible journey that has seen him perform in front of millions of Australians.

The 23-year-old Marranunggu artist, also known as Levi Nichaloff, auditioned for the show with a song written by his brother and fellow artist J-Milla, showcasing his talent and sharing a slice of his own story as a young man who has overcome a difficult upbringing.

"DV [domestic violence], crime scenes, and drug dealingSeeing my eyes, I'm traumatised from blood spilling."

Yung Milla made it through to the grand final along with three other contestants, and after the tallying of audience votes from across Australia, he was crowned the winner, with loved ones cheering across the Top End, including at a community watch party attended by hundreds.

In a heartfelt interview, Yung Milla expressed his gratitude not just for the win, but for the community that had supported him along the way.

"If it wasn't for my people I wouldn't have won it, it was all their votes," he said."This is bigger than me. I haven't won, everybody where I'm from has won, all my mob has won."

The rapper's win sees him taking home an all-inclusive recording and development package and a $100,000 cash prize, which he plans to use in part to build a music studio in Darwin that local kids can access.

Yung Milla candidly spoke about growing up in what he described as a "rough household", marked by domestic violence, alcohol, and drugs.

"Domestic violence, alcohol and drugs, you know, they were all big factors in my household," Yung Milla said in the semifinal episode."My dad would hurt my mum and, you know, having to lie to my school, you know, about bruises on my mum's face, cuts, you know, that destroys a kid's world, especially when you're a young boy and it confuses you."

However, Yung Milla credits his mother, Kylie Miller, with teaching him "how to be a man" and inspiring him to be a "good role-model".

"My mother was the main rock of my family and showed me the right way, where to go, and because of her I've gone down the right path," he said.

Yung Milla's mother, Kylie Miller, reflected on her own experiences with domestic violence, saying it was an issue that impacted many people and was "harder to get out of than it really seems".

"The kids came first. It was about healing the children and, as a parent, that's what our lives are about," she said."As times come along, there's a light at the end of the tunnel for everybody."

Yung Milla's sense of service to the community has for years gone beyond his pursuits in music, with the artist also taking on work supporting young people at a Darwin community youth hub called Aunties Place.

Following his win, Yung Milla plans to not only put out some EPs, but also to use part of his $100,000 prize to establish a local studio that will "go to the mob" and help "give the kids a voice".