Budjerah
Singer-Songwriter Talks Artistic Identity and New EP Conversations
By Brennan Greenwald
Artist Q&A
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Artist Q&A 〰️
20-year-old Australian singer-songwriter Budjerah embodies one of the most unique musical styles across the entire industry landscape. The young artist of Bundjalung descent draws elements from indie, pop, and r&b to complement his influence from soul music, and growing up in a church band. Budjerah’s infectious and unique sound is sparking the ears of listeners and propelling him into the spotlight. The singer was awarded at the 2021 ARIAs with the Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist award. Since then, several of his singles have streamed in the millions and he boasts a strong 270,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. The Australian native is set to infuse the ears of more listeners with the release of his second EP, Conversations. The project’s sound, lyrical content, and impressive vocals stokes interest and resonates with various age demographics. It comes as no surprise that the young singer-songwriter is frequently labeled an “old-soul.” We spoke to Budjerah about the new project, his artistic identity, and navigating his career as a singer-songwriter.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. We absolutely love your new EP Conversations! Can you walk us through your inspiration behind the project?
Thanks! I’m glad you guys like it! The inspiration for Conversations came from my past year. It was my first year releasing music and so much happened. A lot of things changed for me and to handle all of it, I talked through it - those conversations turned into music.
What do you want your listeners to take away from the project?
I just want them to hear my story. I hope that if listeners have been through or are going through a similar thing, they can relate and connect. I was lucky to have people there for me and I want my listeners to know I’m there for them.
The track “What Should I Do” on Conversations is an emotionally stirring track about growing apart in relationships. The song’s cinematic music video does a beautiful job accentuating the themes. The transition at the end of the video from the party scene to you sitting alone poolside, acoustically harmonizing the chorus is absolutely amazing! Can you walk us through what the process of creating the track and video was like and what the lyrics mean to you?
The track came from a very real thing that happened with some old friends. I went to dinner and was ignored and then they stopped texting and calling; it really sucked being pushed aside by people that were meant to be there for me. I literally asked myself “what should I do?” Or “how do I handle this?” The video was meant to feel like I was at a party I didn’t really want to be at. I’m not a party person in real life either so it felt quite easy to express the story in video form.
“This Is The Interlude” on the EP sees you rapping over an infectious beat bumping funky bass lines. You flowed extraordinarily smoothly! It was a pleasant surprise to hear rapping on the EP. Do you plan to incorporate more rapping into your music going forward?
I never intended that to be the actual interlude. It was written as a joke, and everyone really wanted it to be on the EP which made it even funnier to me. While rapping is fun, I don’t really see it as part of who I am, I am a singer and I think I’ll stick to my guns for now. Who knows though, I might get into it later down the line.
Matt Corby handled most of the production on Conversations. What is the chemistry like between you two and how has he impacted you as an artist?
Matt Corby is the best mentor. He’s taught me a whole lot about the industry and about music. I don’t think I would be here if he hadn’t taken me under his wing. I think we’re on a similar wavelength when we write as well, it’s really fun.
Overall, what role has music played in your life? And when did you realize it was a viable career path for you?
I’ve always loved to sing. I sing every day, I can’t help myself. I started to take music seriously when I was 15. I started playing in restaurants around my area and that’s when I started writing my first songs. My mum posted a video of me singing a song I wrote on her Facebook page and it got 2000 views in a week I think, so I just went with it. It just made sense.
Budjerah ‘Conversations’ Cover Artwork / Click to Listen
You are often associated with being an old-soul. What pioneering soul / r&b / gospel artists have influenced your sound the most, and how?
I really love Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, and The Clark Sisters. I would say they’ve had the most impact on the way I sing. I grew up in church and my family was in the church band, so a lot of the music I learned growing up was Gospel and Soul.
How does your Bundjalung descent influence you creatively or as an individual?
It’s who I am, that’s my culture. It doesn’t really influence my music since I make R&B and Pop kind of music but I think it’s been a bit of an advantage because storytelling is super important in my culture. I think it has helped with my songwriting in some aspects.
Similarly, how has growing up in the small, scenic coastal town of Fingal Head influenced you creatively or as an individual?
Yeah, I think it has. Because it’s a small town I feel like me and my cousins had to get a bit creative when we were little to keep ourselves entertained. So, we played a lot of music and surfed a lot. I think it helped me learn to think outside the box.
Who are three other up-and-coming artists that you are listening to right now?
May-a, she’s amazing, listen to her EP it’s awesome! Grentperez, he’s one of the best singers and he’s a really cool guy. And you should listen to Little Green, she can play literally everything and when she sings, she sounds like a flute which I think is awesome.
How would you describe your sound and artistic identity to someone who has never heard any of your music?
I’m not exactly sure how to describe it. It’s like a mix of Indie, Pop, and R&B. It’s very vocally driven so if you like vocal music, you might like it.
You’re only 20 years old and already making waves in the industry and racking up significant accolades! What are your goals for the future?
I feel like I haven’t fully tapped into my full potential yet, so I’m still exploring new things and trying different ways to arrange my songs when I perform live. My goal is really to find something to connect with people and be able to keep singing as my job.