Meet our new favourite artist, Budjerah. The 20-year-old Coodjinburra musician is set to release his second studio EP, Conversations, tomorrow. His voice is strong, his melodies are sweet and his lyrics and thoughtful. The ARIA Breakthrough Artist award nominee has worked with MAY-A, Matt Corby, Konstantin Kersting and Chris Collins to create six rich, refined tracks. Navigating adulthood is the theme of Conversations, and, as Budjerah says, "...is about realising that the stuff that’s happening is good for me — I’ve learned and I actually have grown up a little bit since the first EP. It’s a lot of feeling — so much has happened and it’s been a lot to process at the same time, good stuff and bad stuff. Conversations is a way to understand those feelings. ” We spoke to the rising star about the exciting release and his influences (who we strongly appreciate):

How has the world of Budjerah evolved since the debut EP, both sonically and lyrically? 

"I think my world has changed a lot, mostly personally, things are a bit different to how they were. I think I’ve become more adventurous when I write. I normally am drawn to more organic sounding instruments, but this new EP is very synthetic and feels kinda like I’m in outer-space. Lyrically I don’t think my process has changed, I just think I have new stories to tell from this last year."

When did you begin creating Conversations? What was your intention with it? 

The beginning was definitely when we (myself, May-a and Chris Collins) wrote Talk. It was just after I put Missing You out and things started to change around me. The people and my surroundings started to change and the way I handled that change was talking with people. The conversations I had turned into music.

You have collaborated with some cool people on this album like Matt, MAY-A, Konstantin etc. What do they each bring to the world of Budjerah? 

I love collaborating, everyone is unique, and I love that. I would say it’s not just my world, it belongs to everyone, and we all bring our own personalities and quirks.

What did you learn about yourself while making this body of work?‍

I learned a whole lot. The main thing I learned is to be open and trust. When you’re open and trust the people around you, you can do things that you didn’t know you could do and surprise yourself.

What do you hope people take from this new EP? 

I hope people connect to my stories. That’s always my hope with anything I put out. These songs are a look into my life and experiences, and I hope they can be comfort to people.

We love your stylistic choices in the music. Who are some of the ultimate Budjerah musical influences? 

My biggest influence vocally is Beyoncé. The way she arranges vocals and they way she sings in general is where I set the bar for myself to reach one day. She is, in my opinion, one of the greatest vocalist in history.

Who would you love to collaborate with? 

I really wanna collaborate with Hiatus Kaiyote. I am obsessed with them, they’re the coolest band and their music sounds like it would be really fun to make.

What is something you’re passionate about in 2022 aside from music? 

I’m very passionate about taking pictures at the moment. I got a new film camera and I’m making photo albums. I take pictures everywhere I go and I’m having a lot of fun and making memories and learning about photography at the same time.

There’s a lot of upheaval in the world right now. How are you navigating this? What are you hopeful for? 

It’s really hard to watch what’s happening in the news. People are being cast aside and hurt, and my hope is for people to find love in their hearts, and as cheesy as it sounds, we need to have compassion for others in need and help in any way we can. 

You’re about to embark on an epic global tour. How are you feeling? What can we expect from the live shows? 

I’m really excited and nervous at the same time. It’s always been a dream of mine to travel the world playing music, and it’s not just a dream anymore. I’ve never been to Europe or America so everything is new, and that can be a bit nerve racking I think, like, what if I get lost in Paris or something? Since I’m new to everyone overseas I’m gonna do an intimate show, just me and my guitar so they can get to know me as me, without anything super fancy.

Conversations is out tomorrow. Listen here.

@budjerah