''Better in Blak'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Australian singer-songwriter

Thelma Plum Thelma Amelina Plumbe (born 21 December 1994), known professionally as Thelma Plum, is an Aboriginal Australian ( Gamilaraay) singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician from Delungra, New South Wales. Her debut album, '' Better in Blak'', was ...

, released on 12 July 2019 through

Warner Music Australia Warner Music Australia (WMA) is an Australian division of the Warner Music Group. Warner Music Australia distributes in Australia, and also covers distribution in New Zealand. History In 1969, Warner Bros. Records split and WEA was formed. ...

. ''Better in Blak'' achieved commercial success, peaking at number 4 on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, and winning two awards: Best Cover Art at the

2019 ARIA Music Awards The ARIA Music Awards of 2019 are the 33rd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2019 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA ...

and Album of the Year at the 2020 Queensland Music Awards. An anniversary edition featuring previously unreleased tracks was released on 6 November 2020.

Critical reception

''Better in Blak'' received critical acclaim. Josh Leeson of ''

The Newcastle Herald The ''Newcastle Herald'' (formerly branded as ''The Herald'') is a local tabloid newspaper published daily, Monday to Saturday, in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is the only local newspaper that serves the greater Hunter Region and ...

'' wrote: "Emotional, and unapologetically honest, the Indigenous artist addresses racism, sexism and her broken heart", adding, "Plum's voice is placed at the forefront of the mix, allowing the sparse indie-folk instrumentation to provide casual direction." Al Newstead from

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

wrote that ''Better in Blak'' is "an album of healing, ndtransforming the pain and sadness of a dark few years into a courageous, self-assured debut album." Thomas Bleach described the album as "a collection of hard-hitting and thought invoking moments", and "one of the most impressive debuts of the year". He also wrote that ''Better in Blak'' "embodies the different sides of her artistry in an honest and endearing way."

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

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2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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Australian Music Prize

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J Awards

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National Indigenous Music Awards

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Queensland Music Awards

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2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

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Notes

References

{{Authority control 2019 debut albums Thelma Plum albums ARIA Award winners Warner Music Australasia albums