Nearly five years after taking home the best newcomer award at the 2021 ARIA Awards, Budjerah is preparing to step into a new chapter with the release of his first full studio album, Gentleman.
The project, which was produced by Om’Mas Keith (Frank Ocean), is scheduled for release on Friday, July 24 through Warner Music Australia and Warner Records in the United States. The American release follows the partnership agreement made in 2021 aimed at introducing the soul pop artist to a wider audience.
The album is introduced by the recently shared single “Want You Back” along with the title song, which is being released today.
According to the Australian artist, the record reflects the person he hoped to become while growing up. “This album was almost a four-year process for me,” he says. “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.”
Budjerah, whose full name is Budjerah Julum Slabb, is already well known across the Australian music scene. The Coodjinburra artist, celebrated for his distinctive voice, continues to establish himself as one of the country’s standout emerging talents with an impressive list of achievements already behind him.
Originally from Fingal Head in New South Wales, Budjerah released his self titled EP in 2021. That same year he became the first recipient of the Michael Gudinski Prize during a lockdown era ARIA Awards ceremony. In 2022 he earned his first APRA Music Award for most performed R&B soul work for “Higher” with Matt Corby and also won the ARIA Award for best soul R&B release.
As a performer, Budjerah joined Ed Sheeran as a support act during the British star’s 2023 stadium tour and also appeared on a remix of Sheeran’s track “2step.” His catalogue has now surpassed 60 million streams even before the arrival of his debut album. In 2023 he also secured representation in the Americas after signing with United Talent Agency. Since then he has continued building momentum through national headline tours.
Before formally revealing the album, Budjerah introduced the project on Wednesday afternoon (March 18), one day after celebrating his birthday, with a special showcase performance at Lazybones Lounge in Marrickville, located in Sydney’s inner west.
Dan Rosen, president of Warner Music Australasia and Southeast Asia, told attendees that this marks the beginning of what he called “the era of the Gentleman.” Speaking to industry guests, he described the album as “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.” He added that this is a “man who is finally stepping into his power and his full capacity as an artist.”
The 24 year old performer also gave a preview of several songs from the upcoming album, including the closing track “Even At My Worst,” written by Diane Warren, and his 2023 release “Therapy,” which has achieved platinum certification in Australia and has nearly 19 million Spotify streams.
The song “Gentleman” was created with writers Autumn Rowe (Alexis Jordan, Kylie Minogue), Kizzo Keaz (Jon Batiste, Ne Yo), and Philip Lawrence (Bruno Mars) and carries a classic inspired feel. Budjerah says that influence was intentional. “You have to be a gentleman and make sure your girl is treated right,” he explains. “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.”
Check out the Gentleman tracklist below and pre order here.
Gentleman
Want You Back
I Only Remember Your Name
Competition
Could I Be
Sinner
Pretty
Hard Time
Lonely
Let Me Know
Even At My Worst
NEWS
There is no question that Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out made a serious impact and continues to hold weight. The project showed that hip hop is not limited by age and proved that a long-awaited return can still land in a major way regardless of the time away.
If you need a reminder, the Virginia duo’s fourth studio album debuted comfortably within the top five of the Hot 200. It secured the number four position and moved an impressive 118,000 units in its first week.
On top of that, it picked up a win at this year’s Grammys, earning Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips.” The album also received four additional nominations, including Best Music Video, Rap Album, and Album of the Year.
It is hard to believe the project will officially hit its one year mark this summer on July 11. Even so, Pusha T is making it clear that both supporters and critics should not be overlooking it anytime soon.
While performing at Coachella yesterday, King Push told the crowd that LGSEO still sits at the top, regardless of genre.
He said, “‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is still the album of the motherfckin year. Whole new year, still album of the year,” per Kurrco. “Album of the motherfcking year until we drop again. We don't care who dropping. It don't matter.”
That is a strong statement for obvious reasons, especially considering the recent claims surrounding Push himself.
Over the same weekend, hip hop social media lit up after several alleged reference tracks connected to Quentin Miller and Push began circulating. Three tracks surfaced in total, but one that drew the most attention was an alleged record titled “Real Gon’ Come.” It is said to come from the DAYTONA era, around 2017 to 2018.
The situation gained traction because fans remember the past tension between Drake and Pusha T before Drake’s clash with Kendrick Lamar. During that feud, Pusha accused Drake of using ghostwriters on tracks like “Infrared,” which appears on DAYTONA. On that song, he raps, “The bigger question is how the Russians did it /
It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin.”
Reactions have been mixed. Some people argue it is not a major issue since Miller’s alleged contributions were limited to hooks. Others point out that the songs were never officially released, so they see no real problem. Meanwhile, critics view it as clear hypocrisy on Pusha T’s part, a perspective that DJ Akademiks has also supported.
