We talked to Australian up-and-coming artist, Budjerah, all about his collaboration with Ed Sheeran on “2Step,” world tour and new single “Ready for the Sky.”
Can you tell us about your single “Get Down”? You’ve mentioned that the choices made while writing the song were different from what you normally do. Can you elaborate on that?
For “Get Down,” I just wanted to try something new. We used a lot more digital and synthetic sounds, it makes me feel like I’m in a spaceship. Normally, I like having a more natural and acoustic sound instead of using synth or samples. I enjoy experimenting and trying new things that push my creativity and allow me to grow as an artist.
How was it filming the music video for that single?
I loved making the video for “Get Down”! It was very chill and I pretty much got to run around the set all day and dance. My favorite bit was doing the projections of the butterflies and stars, I think it looks super pretty.
photo: Ricky DaviiYour EP Conversations shows a bit of a darker side to you. It’s reflective of your life this past year. Can you walk us through the process of how that EP came to be and in what ways you think it helped you grow as an artist?
Making the EP was pretty hectic for me, good and bad. I put out my first EP, and people liked it a lot more in Australia than we originally thought. Releasing that project changed everything for me. My relationships changed and I started to work more. It was tough sometimes. Luckily, I had friends I could talk about everything and the conversation we had about what was going on became my most recent EP, Conversations.
Is there a track in particular that you’d say is your favorite. If yes, which one and why?
My favorite track changes all the time. Right now it’s “This is the Interlude” and I don’t even know what about it makes it my favorite. I did a freestyle as a joke and I’m not even a rapper, so to me it feels a bit chaotic. But when I listen I feel really cool and like I have swag, and I think that’s why I like it.
What was it like jumping on Ed Sheeran’s “2step” with your remix? Are you a fan of his and would you want to collaborate with him again in the future?
I still can’t believe I’m on a song with Ed Sheeran. It doesn’t make sense to me why he chose me for the remix. It’s super humbling and a real honor that I got to be a part of it. He’s a massive inspiration to me and I dream of someday achieving what he has, he’s a legend. Hopefully we get to collaborate again in the future, that would be crazy.
Tell us about your first world tour. What was it like visiting all those cities and performing for your fans?
The world tour was awesome! It was my first time overseas… Ever! So everything was new and I felt like I was in a movie everywhere we went!
Vance Joy opened that door for me by bringing me on his tour to open, and it was amazing watching him each night and his connection with his fans. Being on tour with Vance Joy and having a couple of my own headlining shows gave me heaps of encouragement and I really can’t wait to visit all these places again and connect with my fans in person!
You’re set to go back on tour this fall with Vance Joy. How are you preparing for that?
I can’t wait to get back on tour with Vance Joy. I’m super excited to be able to have my band for the Australian run of shows. We are about to start rehearsals and we are adding some new tunes to the set that will be out by then, it’s going to be awesome.
What is your summer looking like? Are you going to be taking a bit of a break or working on more music?
Following my world tour, I’m having a little summer break at home, except it’s winter here in Australia right now and I wish I was back in LA to have summer. Even though I’m on break, I am working on new songs, because I can’t help myself. You can expect some new music really soon! I can’t wait for the world to hear it.
Tell us about your new single, “Ready For The Sky.”
“Ready For The Sky” is one of my most favorite songs that I’ve written over the last few years. I think it feels the most “me” out of everything I’ve put out so far. I wrote it with my friend Ainslie Wills over FaceTime in 2020, because we were in the middle of our first lockdown/quarantine here in Australia. It was the point when being in lockdown started to lose its gimmick and everyone wanted to get back out into the world. Everyone was “ready for the sky” in a way and that’s what inspired the song.
