She began recording in 1973 with "Last Train", dance remake of a Paul Kelly song. The follow-up, "Monkey and the Turtle", was based on a traditional story. After "My Island Home", she released her first album, Stylin' Up which garnered some mainstream success, especially the dance single "Party", and also gained her a position as a spokeswoman for Aborigines.
It took five years for a follow-up to Stylin' Up to be released; Come on Down made her a mainstream star. By this time, she had also starred in a performance of Rent and took a part in Moulin Rouge.