Fresh off a monumental year that saw her become the first Indigenous woman to win an ARIA for Best Adult Contemporary Album, Emily Wurramara is back with her first new music since NARA.
The lutruwita/Tasmania-based artist, author, producer, and activist today releases “Adore Me”, a shimmering alt/indie/folk-pop track that glows with optimism on the surface, but carries a deeper emotional weight just beneath.
Written in the wake of her ARIA win and the whirlwind NARA tour, “Adore Me” pairs dreamy production with raw lyrical vulnerability. “You can look away / And tell me that you’re sorry / Fight for me to stay / Just tell me you adore me,” she sings, her voice floating over woozy synths and a buoyant groove. It’s a song for “anyone who has their shit together, but doesn’t at the same time,” Wurramara explains — an ode to love in all its messy, imperfect forms.
“There’s so much pain in the world,” she says. “So it’s important to reflect on all these different concepts of love we need to look at and embrace as a society — internal, external, universal.”
Co-produced by Wurramara and longtime collaborator James Mangohig (A.B. Original, Daniel Johns), “Adore Me” was recorded at Sands Studios on Larrakia Country/Darwin, and shaped by a community of creatives that also contributed to NARA. Caiti Baker took on vocal engineering duties, while Tony Buchen (G Flip, Mildlife) handled mixing and instrumentation alongside drummer Declan Kelly (Bernard Fanning). A chorus of friends added rich, layered vocals, a sonic continuation of the spirit of collaboration and community that underpinned her award-winning second album.
“I’m a chord girl — so after laying down the chords for ‘Adore Me’, I just sat there at two o’clock in the morning improvising,” Wurramara recalls. “I heard the hook first, recorded it, and then improvised the verse, which hasn’t changed since then.”
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“When it comes to songwriting, I feel like love songs are my superpower; I’m very well-versed and experienced in that. I’ve got a big heart, I’m a lover, and sometimes that can lead to challenges in the self and also within a relationship. But it’s all about growth.”
“You grasp onto this idea of what adoration means, in the hope you find that, only to realise that, hey, maybe you should love yourself first? Set that standard for how you want to be loved.”
True to form, Wurramara continues to use her music as a means of healing and questioning. “Relationships are a lot of work and I firmly believe that fostering these discussions, around love and vulnerability, can lead to greater understanding and connection between people who are longing for that profound experience. I think ‘Adore Me’ really captures that essence — and there’s this continuation of community with the way we recorded it, which I loved.”
Inspired by the likes of Florence + the Machine and James Blake, “Adore Me” reflects Wurramara’s deepening artistry, blending sonic warmth with lyrical complexity — a balance she’s become known for. “To me, songwriting is like a ceremony, it’s sacred,” she says. “It allows connection to happen; not to the physical, but to the soul, to the spirit.”
Since releasing NARA in 2024, Wurramara has notched 35+ million Spotify streams and sold out multiple national tour dates, including a headline show at the Sydney Opera House for VIVID and a performance at the City Recital Hall for Mardi Gras. She’s currently nominated for four awards at both the National Indigenous Music Awards and the AIR Awards, and has three songs eligible for triple j’s Hottest 100 of Australian Songs.
Up next, she’s headed to Turtle Island (so-called Canada) for sets at the Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg Folk Music Festivals, with additional shows on Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Land/Vancouver, before returning home for the Garma Festival on Yolŋu Country in August.
“Adore Me” by Emily Wurramara is out now via ABC Music.
