Thelma Amelina Plumbe (born 21 December 1994), known professionally as Thelma Plum, is an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...

( Gamilaraay) singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician from Delungra,

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 ...

. Her debut album, '' Better in Blak'', was released on 30 July 2019 and peaked 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 ...

. Plum has received various accolades, including for Best Cover Art at the 2019 ARIA Music Awards for Dennis Pfitzner's artwork.

Early life

Thelma Amelina Plumbe Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:' was born on 21 December 1994 in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. She is a Gamilaraay woman from Delungra, New South Wales. Plum graduated from the Music Industry College, Brisbane and spent most of her early life in that city.

Career

2012–2017: Triple J Unearthed and early EPs

In May 2012, Plum uploaded the tracks "Blackbird" and "Father Said" onto

Triple J Unearthed Triple J Unearthed is an Australian digital radio station and online music discovery platform. It is a sister station of Triple J, owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Unearthed began in 1995 as a regional talent competition open to ...

and in July 2012, won the inaugural Triple J's National Indigenous Unearthed Music competition and was nominated for a Deadly award for Most Promising New Talent. "Father Said" was released in November 2012 as her official debut single. Plum released her debut extended play, ''Rosie'', in March 2013 and followed with her second EP, ''Monsters'' (July 2014). By that time she had relocated to Melbourne. Plum appeared at

Womadelaide WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of music, arts and dance in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia. One of many WOMAD festivals held around the world, it is an event that presents a diverse selection of music from artists around th ...

in 2014 and 2019, has toured around Australia and has been on rotation nationally on

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 ...

2018–2021: ''Better in Blak''

Plum released her debut album, '' Better in Blak'', in July 2019. The

video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...

for the single, " Better in Blak", was nominated for Film Clip of the Year at the National Indigenous Music Awards. In October 2019 she came at No. 7 in ''Happy Mag'''s list of "The 15 Australian female artists changing the game right now." At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2019 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, ARI ...

she received six nominations and won Best Cover Art for Emilie Pfitzner's work on her album. The ''Better In Blak'' album became a collection of anthems for Blak women. In January 2020, Plum became the highest ranking Indigenous artist ever in the

Triple J Hottest 100 The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll presented by the publicly-funded Australian youth radio station Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Music of Australia, Australian and alternative music of th ...

, when "Better in Blak" charted at number 9. Two months later, she was diagnosed with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In May 2020, Plum released a cover of

Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins ...

's " These Days". In October, she performed at the

2020 AFL Grand Final The 2020 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between and at the Gabba in Brisbane, Queensland, on Saturday 24 October 2020. It was the 125th annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League (formerly the Vic ...

2022–2023: ''Meanjin'' and ''When Rosie Met Monsters''

In July 2022, Plum announced the forthcoming release of her third EP, ''

Meanjin ''Meanjin'' (), formerly ''Meanjin Papers'' and ''Meanjin Quarterly'', is one of Australia's longest-running literary magazines. Established in 1940 in Brisbane, it moved to Melbourne in 1945 and as of 2008 is an editorially independent impri ...

'', alongside its second single "When It Rains It Pours". ''Meanjin'', is Plum's "love letter" to Brisbane and was written on her balcony in lockdown due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Plum's ''Meanjin'' EP won Album Of The Year at the 2023 National Indigenous Music Awards. In November 2022, Plum announced the forthcoming release of ''When Rosie Met Monsters'', compiling the EPs ''Rosie'' and ''Monsters'' together on vinyl, CD and cassette.

2024: ''I'm Sorry, Now Say It Back''

In November 2023, Plum released "We Don't Talk About It", the first new music in over twelve months. Her second studio album '' I'm Sorry, Now Say It Back'' was released in October 2024.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other charted songs

Awards and nominations

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. Plum has been nominated for two awards. ! , - , rowspan="2",

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 ...

, "Better in Blak" , APRA Song of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , herself , Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year , , - ,

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 ...

, , herself , , Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year , , , , , - ,

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 ...

, , "Backseat of My Mind", , APRA Song of the Year , , , , , -

ARIA 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 awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music 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 ...

. Thelma Plum won an award from six nominations in

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 ...

. ! , - , rowspan="6",

, Emilie Pfitzner for Thelma Plum - '' Better in Blak'' , Best Cover Art , , rowspan="6", , - , Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore for Thelma Plum – " Better in Blak" , Best Video , , - , rowspan="4", ''Better in Blak'' , Album of the Year , , - , Best Female Artist , , - , Best Pop Release , , - , Breakthrough Artist , , - ,

, Thelma Plum – Homecoming Queen Tour , Best Australian Live Act , , , - , rowspan="3",

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 ...

, rowspan="2", ''Meanjin'' , Best Solo Artist , , rowspan="3", , - , Best Pop Release , , - , ''The Meanjin Tour'' , Best Australian Live Act , , -

Australian Music Prize

The

Australian Music Prize The Australian Music Prize (often shortened to the AMP) is an annual award of $50,000 ($30,000 from 2005 to 2023) given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award was ...

(the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. ! , - ,

, ''Better in Blak'' , Album of the Year , , , -

Australian Women in Music Awards

The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the

Australian Music Industry The Australian music industry refers to the collection of individuals, organisations, businesses and activities that are involved in the creation, production, distribution and promotion of music in Australia. The music industry encompasses a wide r ...

who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018. ! , - ,

, Thelma Plum , Songwriter Award , ,

J Awards

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J, and which also extend to sister stations, Triple J Unearthed and Double J. The awar ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

's youth-focused radio station

. They commenced in 2005. ! , - ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, herself , Unearthed Artist of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",

, ''Better in Blak'' , Australian Album of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , "Better in Blak" , Australian Video of the Year , , -

National Indigenous Music Awards

The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) is an annual awards ceremony that recognises the achievements of Indigenous Australians in music. Thelma Plum has won two awards. ! , - ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, Thelma Plum , Best New Talent , , , - ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, "How Much Does Your Love Cost?" , Song of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",

, '' Better in Blak'' , Album of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , " Better in Blak" , Song of the Year , , - , rowspan="2",

, Thelma Plum , Artist of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , "Homecoming Queen" , Song of the Year , , - , rowspan="2",

, Thelma Plum , Artist of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , "Backseat of My Mind" , Song of the Year , , - , rowspan="2",

, ''Meanjin (EP)'' , Album of the Year , , rowspan="3", , - , "The Brown Snake" , Film Clip of the Year , , -

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. ! , - , rowspan="2",

, rowspan="2", herself , Live Voice of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , Queensland Live Voice of the Year , , - ,

, Thelma Plum , Best Pop Act , ,

Queensland Music Awards

The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006. (wins only) ! , - ,

, "Rosie" , Indigenous Song of the Year , , , - ,

, ''Better in Blak'' , Album of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",

, rowspan="2", "Backseat of My Mind" , Pop Award , , rowspan="2", , - , Song of the Year , , -

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The Rolling Stone Australia Awards 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. ! , - , 2023 , ''Meanjin'' , Best Record , , , - , rowspan="2", 2025 , "Freckles" , Best Single , , rowspan="2", , - , Thelma Plum , Rolling Stone Readers Award , , -

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. It commenced in 2009. ! , - , 2013 , "Breathe in Breathe Out" , Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition , style="background:tan;", 3rd , , - , 2020 , "Better in Blak" , Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition , style="background:gold;", 1st ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plum, Thelma 1994 births Living people ARIA Award winners Australian women pop singers Australian women singer-songwriters Australian singer-songwriters Australian women guitarists Australian folk singers Gamilaraay Indigenous Australian musicians People from New England (New South Wales) Australian women folk singers