Budjerah Julum Slabb ( ; born 17 March 2002), known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

as Budjerah, is an Australian singer from Fingal Head, New South Wales. He is a Coodjinburra man from the Bundjalung nation. His debut single "Missing You" was released in October 2020. Budjerah performed the track live for Australian live music program '' The Sound'' on 6 December 2020. After winning the Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist award at the 2021 ARIA Awards, Budjerah went on to release his debut EP '' Conversations'' in April 2022 and launched his first-ever global tour. In 2023, Budjerah, won the Artist of the Year award at the

National Indigenous Music Awards The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA), also known as the NT Indigenous Music Awards from 2004 to 2008, are music awards presented to recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians in ...

Early life

Budjerah Julum Slabb was born on 17 March 2002 in Fingal Head, located 5 kilometres south of the

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

border in the Gold Coast-

Tweed Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...

region. His parents are licensed pastors and he subsequently grew up singing gospel music in churches throughout his upbringing. Budjerah said "I grew up singing

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

and listening to gospel singers like

The Clark Sisters The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group originally consisting of five sisters: Jacky Clark Chisholm (born 1948), Denise "Niecy" Clark-Bradford (born 1953), Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark (born 1954), Dorinda Clark-Cole (born 1957), ...

. That's the kind of music that has been around since I was little." Along with performing in churches, Budjerah would regularly perform in venues on the Gold Coast such as

Carrara Stadium Carrara Stadium (also known as People First Stadium under naming rights) is a stadium on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara, Queensland, Carrara. The stadium is primarily used for A ...

in front of more than 18,000 people during a

Gold Coast Suns The Gold Coast Suns, officially the Gold Coast Football Club, are a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast in the ...

' home game.

Career

2019–2021: Debut EP

In 2019, Budjerah auditioned for ''

The Voice (Australian season 8) The eighth season of '' The Voice'' began airing on 19 May 2019. Dubbed as the "All Stars" season, this season features a number of artists who had previously appeared on previous seasons of the show, as well as from '' The X Factor Australia'' ...

'', singing " Climb Every Mountain" but did not progress past the blind auditions. In September 2019, he uploaded the song "River Dry" onto Triple J Unearthed. In 2020, Budjerah found kinship with

Matt Corby Matthew John Corby (born ) is an Australian singer-songwriter. He achieved his commercial breakthrough with his fourth EP, ''Into the Flame'' (2011), which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Charts, ARIA Singles Chart, and by April 2012, was certi ...

, who produced his debut EP. In October 2020, Budjerah released his debut single, "Missing You" which topped the Triple J airplay chart. Hayden Davies from Pilerats said "Missing You is a spectacular introductory moment for Budjerah that combines pockets of his life with the music that defined it, bringing together a tapestry of long-time influences spread through soul, hip-hop, R&B, indie and pop only to distil it into a sound that seemingly moves between all of them, capturing the multi-faceted musical brain of someone whose moment has been a long time coming." In March 2021,

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

announced Budjerah as its latest local Up Next artist, an initiative to identify and showcase rising talent from across Australia and New Zealand. Budjerah said "I'm really excited to be included in Up Next Local on Apple Music for my brand new EP which I wrote with Matt Corby at his studio just down the road from my house. The songs are about different times in my life and all the different emotions that I feel." His self-titled debut EP was released on 26 March 2021. In May 2021, Budjerah released ''Budjerah (Live At Rainbow Valley)'' which was recorded at Matt Corby's titular studio and features a live rendition of each of the four tracks on Budjerah's self-titled debut EP. In addition to Corby, fellow artists

Ngaiire Ngaire Laun Joseph (born 1984, in Lae), known by her stage name Ngaiire (pronounced ''ny-ree'' or /naɪəriː/), is a Papua New Guinea-born Australian-based R&B and future soul singer-songwriter. Her musical career commenced in 2003 with an enrol ...

, Ainslie Wills,

JK-47 Jacob Paulson (born 15 January 1997), known professionally as JK-47, is an Indigenous Australian rapper, musician, and activist from Tweed Heads South, New South Wales. His debut album, ''Made for This'', was released independently on 4 Septe ...

and Stevan feature on the new EP. In August 2021, a limited edition CD of the self-titled EP was released. At the

2021 ARIA Music Awards The 2021 ARIA Music Awards are the 35th 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 2021 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Fin ...

, Budjerah won the

ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Release The ARIA Music Award for Breakthrough Artist – Release is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian ...

. On 26 November 2021, Budjerah released "Wash My Sorrows Away".

2022–present: ''Conversations''

On 25 February 2022, Budjerah announced the release of his forthcoming EP '' Conversations'', released on 8 April 2022 alongside his debut world tour. His single " Ready for the Sky" was released in July 2022 has been dubbed "irresistibly smooth" and "a warm slice of soul" that showcases "Budjerah's immersive vocal and lyrical skills." Budjerah supported

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

on his 2023 Australian tour. In February 2023, Budjerah released "

Therapy A therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, ''treatment'' and ''therapy'', are often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications a ...

". About the track, Budjerah said "Therapy can come in many forms, but taking a step back and getting an outside perspective is something that has helped me." Budjerah also released single "Video Game" with the lyrics co-written by

Meg Mac Megan McInerney, known by her stage name Meg Mac, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. She signed to littleBIGMAN Records in 2014, locally, and 300 Entertainment in the United States. Early life and education Megan McInerney was b ...

, and Chris Collins. In June 2023, Budjerah released a cover of

Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...

's "

Better Be Home Soon "Better Be Home Soon" is a song written by Neil Finn and performed by rock band Crowded House. It appears on their second studio album, ''Temple of Low Men'', which was later released in July 1988. The song was issued as a single in June 1988 by ...

" with WILSN, as part of

Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival ...

' 50th anniversary celebration. On 9 January 2025, Budjerah played his first show for the year at AJ2025 ( Australian Scout Jamborees) which he played many songs like 'Stranger Love' and '2 Step' as well as some covers such as 'Valarie' and 'Proud Mary'. The performance ended with Budjerah's original song, 'Therapy'. During his show he was scarfed up with an AJ2025 scarf leading the crowd to cheer and chant 'one of us, one of us'.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other appearances

Music videos

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at Blacket Hot ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. ! , - ,

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, "Stranger Love" (with

PNAU Pnau, stylised as PNAU, is an Australian Electronic dance music, dance music trio originating from Sydney, Australia, Sydney. The trio, a duo before 2016, consists of the musicians Nick Littlemore (vocals, production), Peter Mayes (guitar, produ ...

) , Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single , ,

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. ! , - , rowspan="3",

, Budjerah Slabb , Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , rowspan="2", "Higher" (Budjerah Slabb, Matt Corby) , Most Performed R&B/Soul Work of the Year , , - , Song of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, "Ready for the Sky" (Budjerah, Ainslie Wills) , Song of the Year , , , - , Budjerah Slabb , Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year , , , - , rowspan="5",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, rowspan="2", "Therapy" (Sarah Aarons, Ajay Bhattacharyya) , Song of the Year , , rowspan="5", , - , rowspan="2", Most Performed Australian Work , , - , rowspan="2", "Ready for the Sky" (Budjerah, Ainslie Wills) , , - , rowspan="2", Most Performed Pop Work , , - , "Therapy" (Sarah Aarons, Ajay Bhattacharyya) , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual ceremony presented by

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the

music of Australia The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - , rowspan="8",

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, , rowspan="3", ''Budjerah'' , , Best Artist , , , rowspan="8", , - , Breakthrough Artist , , , - , Best Soul/R&B Release , , , - , Mike Soiza for Budjerah – "Higher" , , Best Video , , , - , Budjerah 2021 Aus Tour , , Best Australian Live Act , , , - , rowspan="2",

for Budjerah – ''Budjerah'' (EP) , ,

Producer of the Year The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...

, , , - , rowspan="2", Engineer of the Year , , , - , Chris Collins for Budjerah – ''Budjerah'' (EP) , , , - , rowspan="4",

, rowspan="2", ''Conversations'' , Best Solo Artist , , rowspan="4", , - , Best Soul/R&B Release , , - , ''The Conversations Australian Tour'' , Best Australian Live Act , , - , Dann Hume & Eric J Dubowsky for Budjerah – ''Conversations'' , Mix Engineer – Best Mixed Album , , - , rowspan="5",

, "2step" by

(featuring Budjerah) , Best Solo Artist , , rowspan="5", , - , rowspan="2", "Therapy" , Best Pop Release , , - , Song of the Year , , - , Murli Dhir and Made In Katana Studios for Budjerah – "Therapy" , Best Video , , - , Budjerah Australian Tour , Best Australian Live Act , , - ,

, "Is It Ever Gonna Make Sense" , Best Video , , , -

National Indigenous Music Awards

The

recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. They commenced in 2004. ! , - ! scope="row" rowspan="1",

, Himself , New Artist of the Year , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="3",

, Himself , Artist of the Year , , rowspan="3", , - , "Therapy" , Song of the Year , , - , "Therapy" , Film Clip of the Year , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2",

, Himself , Artist of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , "Video Game" , Song of the Year , , -

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are annual Australian music awards, established by Heath Media in 2016. They were preceded by the AU Live Music Awards in the previous two years. The awards are given in categories that recognise the best ...

(NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia. ! , - , rowspan="2" ,

, Budjerah , Best R&B or Soul Act , , rowspan="2" , , - , Budjerah , Best Live Voice in NSW ,

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The

Rolling Stone Australia Awards The ''Rolling Stone Australia'' Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. The awards initially commenced i ...

are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. ! , - , rowspan="2", 2023 , "Ready for the Sky" , Best Single , , rowspan="2", , - , Budjerah , Best New Artist , , - , 2024 , "Therapy" , Best Single , ,

Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition

The

Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by Albert Music and APRA AMCOS. The competition awards a ...

is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by

Albert Music Albert Group Services Pty Ltd, known as Alberts, formerly Albert Music and J Albert and Son, is an Australian music company. The company has major interests in music publishing and production and it earns significant royalties through its subsi ...

and

APRA AMCOS APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

. It commenced in 2009. ! , - , 2022 , "Ready for the Sky" , Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition , style="background:silver;", 2nd , , -

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Budjerah 2002 births Musicians from the Gold Coast, Queensland 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian male singers APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Indigenous Australian musicians Living people