Budjerah Releases His First Album, Gentlemen
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Nearly five years after earning the Best New Artist award at the 2021 ARIA Awards, Budjerah is poised to further establish his musical prowess with the release of his debut full-length album, Gentleman.
The album, produced by Om’Mas Keith, known for his work with Frank Ocean, is set to be released on Friday, July 24, through Warner Music Australia and Warner Records in the United States. This collaboration aims to broaden the reach of the rising soul-pop artist within the U.S. market.
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The album will feature the single “Want You Back,” recently released alongside the title track.
Budjerah, who describes the album as reflecting his aspirations during his youth, states, “This album was almost a four-year process for me. Between my life at home and life on the road, I experienced so much change and growth. Chasing my dreams, I faced new challenges which helped me understand who I wanted to be. Every song on this album holds a piece of me. I hope little Budjerah is proud.”
Born Budjerah Julum Slabb, the artist is a prominent figure in the Australian music scene. Hailing from Fingal Head, New South Wales, he released his self-titled EP in 2021 and won the inaugural Michael Gudinski prize during the ARIA lockdown event. In 2022, he was awarded an APRA Music Award for the most performed R&B/soul work with his song “Higher,” alongside Matt Corby, and also won the ARIA Award for Best Soul/R&B Release.
On the live front, Budjerah supported Ed Sheeran during the English singer’s 2023 stadium tour and participated in a remix of Sheeran’s single “2step.” His career streams have exceeded 60 million, all prior to the debut album’s release. Earlier this year, Budjerah signed with United Talent Agency (UTA) for representation in the Americas, followed by national headline tours.
Before announcing his album, Budjerah showcased his upcoming project on March 18, a day after his birthday, at Lazybones Lounge in Marrickville, Sydney.
Dan Rosen, president of Warner Music Australasia & Southeast Asia, heralded the album as “the era of the Gentleman.” He remarked, “This is going to be a defining moment in Australian music. We first met Budjerah six years ago with a voice that stopped the nation, a once-in-a-generation talent. This is a man who is finally stepping into his power and his full capacity as an artist.”
Budjerah also performed several tracks from the new album, including “Even At My Worst,” written by Diane Warren, and “Therapy,” a platinum-certified single in Australia that has garnered nearly 19 million streams on Spotify.
The title track, “Gentleman,” was co-written by Autumn Rowe (Alexis Jordan, Kylie Minogue), Kizzo Keaz (Jon Batiste, Ne-Yo), and Philip Lawrence (Bruno Mars). Budjerah explains, “You have to be a gentleman and make sure your girl is treated right. I grew up around a lot of old people, so I was influenced by the music they played as well as watching how they treated each other, and that is what this song is about.”
The Gentleman tracklist is as follows:
1. Gentleman
2. Want You Back
3. I Only Remember Your Name
4. Competition
5. Could I Be
6. Sinner
7. Pretty
8. Hard Time
9. Lonely
10. Let Me Know
11. Even At My Worst
