Coodjinburra artist Budjerah on his new single and performing one of his biggest shows yet

“It just came at the right time and hit exactly what I was feeling.”

After garnering worldwide praise for his self-titled debut EP in 2021, Coodjinburra artist Budjerah is now a multi-award-winning star, enchanting us all with his sweet R&B fusions. Over the last two years, he’s evolved into a more refined, gutsier sound while remaining true to his earlier, soulful roots.

Get better acquainted with our favourite artists at FJ’s Music section.

‘Therapy’ is Budjerah’s latest single, an impassioned, energetic track injected with pop sensibilities and intimate vocals. Lyrically, the song explores the tumultuous nature of young love and reflects back on a more difficult time in the artist’s life. Below, Budjerah dives into his new single, his musical influences and what it’s like to be a supporting act for Ed Sheeran.

You won an ARIA Award last year for the Best Soul/R&B release for your EP Conversations. Congratulations! How did it feel?

It feels amazing. I didn’t think I was going to win another ARIA. I was happy with just the first one. But yeah…I’m super happy to win this one for Conversations, as it’s my favourite stuff I had done to this point, and I am excited to win the next one [laughs]. 

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your new single ‘Therapy’?

After touring all year, I just wanted to sing songs that I thought would be super fun to do live and ‘Therapy’ is so punchy. There is lots of belting, and it’s very fun to just, you know, scream and jump around to and that’s why I love this song so much.

When I first heard it, I had a few things going on personally… it just came at the right time and hit exactly what I was feeling. It was exactly what I wanted to sing at the time, and now stuff is resolved, so yeah, it’s just a fun one. 

What artists influenced you growing up?

I listened to a lot of gospel music and jazz. Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Sarah Vaughan and Miles Davis are some of my favourite artists I grew up listening to. And Bob Marley too, we love him in our family. 

How does it feel to be supporting Ed Sheeran on his tour this February? What are you most looking forward to?

I’m mostly scared right now. It’s like one of the biggest tours ever in history in stadiums, like 100,000 people every night. That’s insane. You can’t even picture 100,000 people in your head, and then when I’m on stage I will need to spin around… to see all the people. That’s how many people it is. So I’m a bit more scared, but it’s a new experience and I’m excited for it.

We’re driving around the country for shows. Ed’s are very spaced out, so we can drive from one city to the other, something I’ve never done before. And my cousins are my band, so we’re just like road-tripping this tour, and I’m really excited for that because that means we can stop and go surfing if we want to try a new food place in-between.

What’s one thing you want people to take away from your music?

The good thing about music is that it’s subjective. If someone hears my song and they’re going through something, my hope is that they can take away something that’s useful for them and that helps them in any way, shape or form.

When I heard ‘Therapy’, I was going through something tough, and I heard the demo from Sarah Aarons, and hearing her sing those words helped me through my thing. I ended up going to a counsellor, and that song helped me get through what I was going through. So that’s what I hope my music does for…  listeners.

We heard you’re also performing at the For The Love Festival! What can people expect from the performance? Who are you excited to see perform?

I’m really excited to see Charli XCX! The first time I went to a festival was Laneway in Brisbane, and she was one of the performers. I got the train up and I was on her guest list and that [was] the first time I went to a festival. It said on the ticket that I was a guest of Charli XCX and I thought that was so cool. It was one of the best days ever. So I’m really excited to see her, and I’m going to say thank you for letting me come on [your] guest list, even though she probably had no clue that I was on that guest list. But I’m very grateful that I was.

After doing a lot of festivals last year, I think I’ve figured out how exactly I want to run the festival sets, as they are very up-tempo and super fun, and I’m jumping around the stage a lot. I’ve been dancing and doing dance lessons, so it’s all super fun stuff for me. 

Who’s someone you would love to collaborate with?

One of my friends, his name is Eddie Benjamin. We’re family friends. He’s over in LA. He’s a genius guy, and we happened to grow up together… He signed a record deal over in America and lived with Sia, and we’ve never done anything together… I think it’d be really cool if next time I go over there or the next time he’s over here, we can try to get together and write together. 

What can we expect next from you?

Lots of shows and a few new tracks this year. That’s pretty much it for the rest of the year for me.

To listen to Budjerah’s new single, head here.