Budjerah is the debut extended play (EP) by Australian singer-songwriter Budjerah. It was released for digital download and streaming on 26 March 2021 by Warner Music Australia. On 27 August 2021, a special edition of the EP was released on CD, which included the four tracks from Budjerah and four new tracks.[4] Follow its physical release, the EP debuted at number 72 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
In September 2019, Budjerah uploaded the song "River Dry" onto Triple J Unearthed.[6]
Throughout 2020, Budjerah was mentored by Matt Corby and together, worked on the forthcoming EP[7] Its debut single, "Missing You", was released on 28 October 2020 which Budjerah said "...is really about my love for people. I recently left school to work on music, and I found myself really missing my friends and being around people so much. I don't think this year has really helped these feelings much and I think everyone is really wanting to go out with their friends and see their families as well."[1]
On 19 February 2021, Budjerah released "Higher", which he said "... is about having fun and when you're so happy you don't have any stress or worries, you're just having a good time, kinda like when you go to a party or when you go to see someone special. That's what it feels like."[8]
On 26 March 2021, Budjerah was released. At the same time, Apple Music picked Budjerah as it local "Up Next" artist.[7]
On 14 May 2021, a second EP, Budjerah (Live at Rainbow Valley) was released, containing a live rendition of each of the previous EPs' four tracks, with guest vocalists.[4] The EP was recorded at mentor Matt Corby's titular studio.[9] In a statement, Budjerah said "The original idea for this project was just do a live version of 'Missing You' and have Matt Corby be a feature. But I started to think more on it and I thought 'Why don't we do the whole EP and get a different person to feature on each song?'."[9]
In August 2021, Budjerah was released on CD, featuring four additional tracks not on the original EP. The physical artwork cover was painted by Budjerah's uncle.[4] The EP debuted at number 72 on the ARIA Albums Chart for the week commencing 6 September 2021.[10]
Critical reception
Manning Patston from Happy Mag said: "Surrounded by music and gospel singing from a young age, Budjerah's ear for melody is so accomplished that you'll be left awed and helplessly humbled. The four-tracks from Budjerah showcase his impossibly angelic timbre and vocal dexterity, as well as tasteful piano, spirited percussion and guitar-chops."[11]
Junkee called the EP an "astonishingly good debut" saying "(Matt Corby and Budjerah together have) sculpted an EP that takes influences from gospel, future soul and R&B and pop. Corby's production is light, making room for Budjerah's formidable pipes to come soaring through the instrumentation."[12]
