Four years ago, Budjerah thought he was making his debut album.
Fresh off the success of early singles like “Missing You”, “Ready for the Sky”, and “Higher”, the then 20-year-old retreated to Matt Corby’s Rainbow Valley studio, where the pair wrote an entire album. While one song, “Video Game”, was released, the rest were put back on the shelf.
When I ask him why, he smiles, telling me life simply got in the way.
“It never came out because we just didn’t get the time to develop it or grow because I was doing two, three shows a week,” he tells Rolling Stone AU/NZ. “I was in the studio and was showing up late or popping out because I had to do interviews. It felt like we were making the album here and there. I didn’t really get to sit in one place and develop it.”
It’s a fair explanation. Budjerah’s career accelerated at a pace few artists experience so early. He toured with Ed Sheeran, collected two ARIA Awards, collaborated with the likes of Kylie Minogue and Baz Luhrmann, and became one of Australia’s most exciting young voices.
He still seems slightly bewildered by just how quickly everything unfolded. “Every day is just like, ‘What the heck is going on?’ I honestly feel like I lie when I talk about the things that I’ve been blessed to do.”
Looking back, though, Budjerah believes the delay in releasing an album was exactly what he needed. Those four years gave him the time to develop as both an artist and a person, making his eventual debut a far more authentic reflection of who he is.
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That growth is impossible to miss on Gentleman, out today via Warner Music Australia. Produced by Grammy Award-winning Om’Mas Keith, the 11-track album embraces the polished pop and R&B that first inspired the proud Coodjinburra man from the Bundjalung nation, while drawing on the experiences that have shaped his rapid rise.
Gentleman also gave the 24-year-old opportunities that would have seemed unimaginable when he first stepped into Rainbow Valley. Alongside Keith, he found himself working with some of the songwriters responsible for the music that shaped him, including Diane Warren (Celine Dion, Beyoncé), Philip Lawrence (Bruno Mars), Poo Bear (Justin Bieber), and Rob Lewis (Christina Aguilera).
“I learned so much from so many different people that wrote a lot of the songs of my childhood, like working with Poo Bear and meeting Diane Warren,” he smiles. “A lot of the questions that I had when I was young about some songs, I got to learn from watching them and experiencing their gifts of songwriting in person.”
Some of the album’s most formative sessions, however, came with Keith. Known for his work with Frank Ocean, Jay-Z, and John Legend, the Grammy-winning producer stripped away perfectionism – literally. “There’s no pitch correction on a lot of those tracks. It was just straight me. And that was challenging. My skill was pushed even more than my creativity,” Budjerah says, adding that the sessions forced him to trust himself in a way he hadn’t before.
Across its 11 tracks, including recent singles “Even at My Worst”, “Could I Be”, “Want You Back”, and title track “Gentleman”, the album explores love, family, gratitude, heartbreak, and self-belief, allowing each emotion to coexist comfortably.
Budjerah even describes the songs in colours. “Could I Be” is bright blue, capturing the euphoric rush of falling in love. “Let Me Know” is purple, a shade of slow devotion that he can already imagine becoming someone’s wedding song. The title track glows deep red with romance, while “Sinner” explores, in his words, “the bad boy underneath the gentleman”. As the closing track, “Even At My Worst” shifts the focus back to family and unconditional love.
“Every song on this album holds a piece of me,” he says. “I always sing what I feel, and these songs, even though some I didn’t write the lyrics, they all relate to a particular part of my life and my story. I want people to see my whole career journey.”
While Gentleman draws from the polished pop and R&B Budjerah grew up on – particularly Michael Jackson and Usher – he says the album is equally shaped by Australian artists including Archie Roach, Yothu Yindi, No Fixed Address, and fittingly, Matt Corby.
“I think of Archie Roach and all these artists that came before. I wouldn’t be able to be on stage if they hadn’t done what they had done. Those are the real inspirations to me, because just think about what they had to go through back then. Some places, they weren’t even allowed to walk on stage. They would have been kicked out,” he says.
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“And now I get to walk on stage and sing whatever the heck I want,” he adds.
Despite everything he’s already achieved, Budjerah admits he still feels like there’s more to prove. Pausing before answering, he says: “I feel like every time I’m on stage or I’m writing a song, I have to continually show people. I don’t know if it’s maybe because I’m a young Aboriginal man that I feel like there’s a constant pressure of having to prove myself to certain people over and over again.
“I’m a singer, that’s who I am. And I’m going to continually give myself 100% of the time. And I feel free being able to express myself and being able to tell my story through these songs. As I said, I sing what I feel and I sing what’s true to me. I feel like I’ve done that with these songs.”
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Budjerah will be taking Gentleman on the road for a national tour this October and November, with dates in Melbourne, Anglesea, Sydney, the Gold Coast, and Brisbane. See here for details.
He’ll also head to several Australian record stores over the next week for exclusive stripped-back performances and album signings. All are free to attend. Catch him at Hum on King in Sydney on Sunday, July 26th (2pm), Badlands Vinyl in Tweed Heads on Tuesday, July 28th (3pm), and Sound Merch in Melbourne on Wednesday, July 29th (5pm).
Budjerah’s Gentleman is out now.
BUDJERAH AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2026
Saturday, October 31st (18+)
The Espy, Melbourne, VIC
Sunday, November 1st (All Ages)
The Sound Doctor, Anglesea, VIC
Saturday, November 7th (All Ages)
Metro Social, Sydney, NSW
Friday, November 20th (All Ages)
Miami Marketta, Gold Coast, QLD
Saturday, November 21st (All Ages)
Triffid Beer Garden, Brisbane, QLD
