Creating the Sound for the 2026 NAB AFLW Season

How Harry Sayers, Electric Sheep Music and vocalist Mari. created an original rap and soundtrack for the 2026 NAB AFLW campaign.

The launch of the 2026 NAB AFLW season called for a sound that carried the same confidence, movement and attitude as the players and supporters on screen.

Built around the campaign line, “Our Game, Our Rules,” the film celebrates a competition continuing to define itself on its own terms. The music could not simply sit behind the visuals. It needed to help establish the campaign’s voice.

Working in collaboration with Electric Sheep Music, Harry Sayers created an entirely original track through MOK MUSIC, writing the rap, composing the music and producing the final piece specifically for the campaign.

The finished track was performed by Sydney-based vocalist and independent artist Mari., whose alternative sound brings together R&B, soul and hip-hop. Her performance brought Harry’s original lyrics and musical direction to life with the confidence and energy the campaign required.

The result was a bespoke track shaped around the rhythm, identity and momentum of the AFLW.

Writing a Voice for the Campaign

The creative process began with the words.

Rather than selecting an existing track and attempting to make it fit the film, Harry wrote an original rap around the campaign’s central idea.

The lyrics needed to communicate confidence quickly while remaining direct enough to work within the pace of a national campaign. Every phrase needed to contribute to the energy of the film and reinforce the attitude behind “Our Game, Our Rules.”

Writing music for a short campaign format requires restraint. There is little space for anything that does not move the story forward.

The rap needed to sound bold without feeling forced. It needed to reflect momentum, individuality and the growing cultural presence of the AFLW while still feeling natural when performed.

This meant developing the lyrics and music as one connected idea from the beginning.

Composing Around Movement

Once the lyrical direction was established, Harry composed and produced the music around the movement of the campaign.

The beat needed to create an immediate sense of momentum while leaving enough space for the vocal to remain clear. The structure also needed to respond to the energy of the edit, giving each visual moment the pace and impact it required.

Percussion created forward motion. The production gave the campaign scale. The arrangement allowed the track to build quickly without feeling crowded.

Because the music was written specifically for the film, the visuals and sound could work together rather than compete for attention.

This is one of the greatest advantages of original composition and sonic branding. The music can be shaped around the message, movement and emotional intent of the campaign rather than adapted from something created for another purpose.

Bringing the Track to Life with Mari.

With the lyrics, composition and production established, Sydney-based vocalist and independent artist Mari. was brought into the studio to perform the final vocal.

Mari.’s sound combines R&B, soul and hip-hop through an alternative and distinctly personal style. As an independent artist, her work explores different perspectives across the Australian and American music scenes while remaining grounded in Sydney’s live music culture.

Her role within the campaign was not simply to deliver the lyrics correctly. The vocal needed to carry personality, confidence and physical energy while sitting naturally within the production.

Mari.’s performance gave the written track its final character. Her delivery matched the pace and attitude of the film, transforming Harry’s original lyrics and musical direction into something immediate, assured and alive.

The finished piece brought together Harry’s writing, composition and production, Mari.’s vocal performance and the wider collaboration with Electric Sheep Music.

Collaboration Through Electric Sheep Music

The project was developed in collaboration with Electric Sheep Music, a Sydney-based sound design and music production studio bringing together specialist creative talent for advertising, screen and branded content.

Electric Sheep Music has been an important creative collaborator across a number of projects involving Harry and MOK MUSIC, connecting the right composers, performers and production capabilities around each brief.

This shared approach allows every project to be treated individually. The team is shaped around the sound the campaign requires rather than applying the same musical formula each time.

For the 2026 NAB AFLW season, that meant creating a track with its own lyrics, rhythm, voice and identity from the beginning.

Why Original Music Changes a Campaign

Original music gives a campaign something licensed music often cannot: a sound created specifically for its message.

The lyrics can speak directly to the creative idea. The rhythm can follow the edit. The production can respond to the people, movement and emotion on screen.

Nothing needs to be forced into place.

For “Our Game, Our Rules,” the music became part of how the campaign expressed confidence. It gave the film a voice that belonged to the world being created rather than simply accompanying it.

This is when sound moves beyond background music.

It becomes part of the campaign identity.

Sound Built for the Story

Through MOK’MUSIC, MOK’HOUSE creates original compositions, campaign tracks and sonic identities for commercial, cultural and creative projects.

Led by Harry Sayers, the division brings together songwriting, composition, production and performance to create music that supports the wider story a campaign needs to tell.

It reflects the broader way MOK’HOUSE’s creative divisions work together, connecting specialist capability and trusted collaborators around the needs of each project.

For the 2026 NAB AFLW season, that meant creating more than a soundtrack.

It meant writing the words, composing and producing the music, and working with Mari. to create a performance that carried the confidence of the campaign.

A sound made entirely for their game, on their terms.

Engage The House.