Budjerah Julum Slabb ( ; born 17 March 2002), known mononymously as Budjerah, is an Australian singer from Fingal Head, New South Wales. He is an Indigenous Australian 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. His debut studio album Gentleman was released on 24 July 2026.
Early life Budjerah Julum Slabb was born on 17 March 2002 in Fingal Head, located 5 kilometres south of the Queensland–New South Wales border in the Gold Coast–Tweed 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 and listening to gospel singers like The Clark Sisters. 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 in front of more than 18,000 people during a Gold Coast Suns' home game.
Career 2019–2021: Debut EP
In 2019, Budjerah auditioned for The Voice (Australian season 8), singing "Climb Every Mountain" but did not progress past the blind auditions. He uploaded the song "River Dry" onto Triple J Unearthed later that year. In 2020, Budjerah found kinship with fellow Australian singer-songwriter Matt Corby, who produced his debut EP.
Budjerah released his debut single "Missing You" in October 2020, which topped the Triple J airplay chart. Hayden Davies from Pilerats described the single as "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 announced Budjerah as its latest local Up Next artist, an initiative to identify and showcase rising talent from across Australia and New Zealand.
His self-titled debut EP was released on 26 March 2021, with a Live version titled Budjerah (Live At Rainbow Valley) following up two months later. In addition to Corby, fellow artists Ngaiire, Ainslie Wills, JK-47 and Stevan featured on the new EP. In August 2021, a limited edition CD of the self-titled EP was released. At the 2021 ARIA Music Awards, Budjerah won the Award for Breakthrough Artist – Release.
On 26 November Budjerah released the single "Wash My Sorrows Away".
2022–2025: Conversations
On 25 February 2022, Budjerah announced the release date of his forthcoming EP Conversations as 8 April 2022 alongside his debut world tour. His single "Ready for the Sky" was released in July and has been dubbed "irresistibly smooth" and "a warm slice of soul" that showcases "Budjerah's immersive vocal and lyrical skills." He was invited to perform at the AFL Grand Final in September 2022.
Budjerah supported Ed Sheeran on his 2023 Australian tour. In February of that year, he released "Therapy", a track born out of his experiences with therapy and "Video Game", a song co-written by Meg Mac, Matt Corby and Chris Collins.
Many songs that Budjerah co-wrote with Corby for his debut album were later scrapped. In 2026, Budjerah explained that "It never came out because we just didn't get the time to develop it... I was in the studio and was showing up late or popping out because I had to do interviews. I didn't really get to sit in one place and develop it."
In June 2023, Budjerah released a cover of Crowded House's "Better Be Home Soon" with WILSN, as part of Mushroom Records' 50th anniversary celebration.
On 9 January 2025, Budjerah played his first show for the year at AJ2025 (Australian Scout Jamborees) featuring songs like "Stranger Love" and "2 Step" as well as covers such as "Valarie" and "Proud Mary", closing the performance with "Therapy".
2026: Gentleman In March 2026, Budjerah announced his next studio album, Gentleman, which was released on 24 July 2026.
Personal life Slabb began a relationship with Sophie in high school. On 22 April 2026, he proposed to Moore in Sydney following a Chaka Khan concert at the Sydney Opera House. The pair married on 4 June at Pioneer Country, Tweed Heads South.
Discography Studio albums +List of studio albums, with release date and label shown Title Album details Peak chart positions AUS Gentleman Released: 24 July 2026 Label: Warner Music Australia Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 14
Extended plays +List of EPs, with release date and label shown Title EP details Peak chart positions AUSPeaks in Australia: Budjerah: Conversations: Budjerah Released: 26 March 2021 Label: Warner Music Australia Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 72 Budjerah (Live at Rainbow Valley) Released: 14 May 2021 Label: Warner Music Australia Formats: Digital download, streaming Conversations Released: 8 April 2022 Label: Warner Music Australia Formats: Digital download, streaming 97
Singles As lead artist +List of singles, with year released, selected chart positions, and album name shown Year Title Peak chart positions Certification Album NZHot "Missing You" 2020 — Budjerah "Higher" 2021 — "Stranger Love" 34 "Talk" — Conversations "Wash My Sorrows Away" — "What Should I Do?" 2022 — "Get Down" — "Ready for the Sky" — rowspan="6" "Sweet Disposition" — "Who Would Imagine a King" — "Therapy" 2023 — ARIA: Platinum "Video Game" — "Is It Ever Gonna Make Sense" 2024 — "Want You Back" 2025 — Gentleman "Gentleman" 2026 — "Could I Be" — "Even At My Worst" — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.
As featured artist +List of singles, with year released and album name shown Year Title Album 2023 "Heavy Love" Ribena
Other appearances + List of other non-single song appearances Title Year Album "The Way" 2023 Faraway Downs (Soundtrack) "Better Be Home Soon" Mushroom: Fifty Years of Making Noise (Reimagined)
Music videos +List of music videos, with title, year released, and director(s) shown Year Title Director(s) 2020 "Missing You" Mos & Co 2021 "Higher" Mick Soiza "Stranger Love" (with PNAU) Tyler Hinde "Talk" (with May-a) Bourtney Crookes 2022 "What Should I Do?" Mick Soiza "Get Down" Tatjana Hamilton "Ready for the Sky" (Live at Bakehouse Studios) Michael Ridley 2023 "Therapy" Murli Dhir "Video Game" "Heavy Love" (KYE featuring Budjerah) "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"(featuring Amazon Playmakers) 2024 "Is It Ever Gonna Make Sense" 2025 "Want You Back" 2026 "Gentleman"
Awards and nominations AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
! |- | 2022 | "Stranger Love" (with PNAU) | 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 to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
! |- | rowspan="3"| 2022 | 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 | "Ready for the Sky" (Budjerah, Ainslie Wills) | Song of the Year
| Budjerah Slabb | Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year
| rowspan="5"| 2024 | 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 is an annual ceremony presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.
! |- | rowspan="8"| 2021||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"| Matt Corby for Budjerah – Budjerah (EP) || Producer of the Year || |- |rowspan="2"| Engineer of the Year || |- | Chris Collins for Budjerah – Budjerah (EP) || |- | rowspan="4"| 2022 | 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"| 2023 | "2step" by Ed Sheeran (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
| 2024 | "Is It Ever Gonna Make Sense" | Best Video
National Indigenous Music Awards The National Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. They commenced in 2004.
! |- ! scope="row" rowspan="1"| 2021 | Himself | New Artist of the Year
! scope="row" rowspan="3"| 2023 | Himself | Artist of the Year | |rowspan="3"| |- | "Therapy" | Song of the Year
| "Therapy" | Film Clip of the Year
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| 2024 | Himself | Artist of the Year | | rowspan="2"| |- | "Video Game" | Song of the Year
National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.
! |- | rowspan="2" | 2023 | Budjerah | Best R&B or Soul Act | | rowspan="2" | |- | Budjerah | Best Live Voice in NSW
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.
! |- |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 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.
! |- | 2022 | "Ready for the Sky" | Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition | style="background:silver;"| 2nd
References
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