The 20 best songs of Budjerah trace one of Australian R&B’s most remarkable rises, from a shy Bundjalung and Wiradjuri teenager posting covers online to an ARIA-winning voice headlining his own national tours. Budjerah Blakeney-Clarke, who performs under the mononym Budjerah, has built a catalog defined by warm, retro-leaning soul production, raw vocal honesty, and lyrics that never overreach for a hook when a genuine feeling will do. Whether spinning through a car stereo on a summer drive or filling out a pair of over-ear headphones on a late-night listen, his music rewards close attention to the small details in the mix.
This list moves chronologically through his breakout singles, the Budjerah EP, the Conversations EP, standalone releases, and tracks from his 2026 debut studio album Gentleman. For readers building out their own listening queue, GlobalMusicVibe’s is a solid next stop for more deep dives like this one.
Missing You
Released in October 2020, “Missing You” is the song that introduced Budjerah to Australian audiences, and it still holds up as a remarkably assured debut single. The production leans into sparse acoustic guitar and a warm low end, giving his voice room to breathe without ever feeling underdressed. Lyrically, it’s a straightforward ache of longing, but the vocal runs in the bridge hint at the gospel and soul influences that would come to define his sound. Hearing it now, after everything that followed, feels like listening to an artist’s entire trajectory compressed into three minutes.
Higher
“Higher” arrived in 2021 and quickly became a career-defining moment, earning Budjerah an APRA Award for Most Performed R&B/Soul Work. The arrangement builds from a restrained verse into a soaring, gospel-inflected chorus, with backing harmonies that stack like a choir behind him. It’s a song built for big rooms and festival crowds, and that live performance energy is baked right into the recording. On a strong pair of headphones, the way the mix widens during the final chorus is genuinely goosebump-inducing.
Stranger Love
A collaboration with electronic duo PNAU, “Stranger Love” (2021) shows Budjerah stretching outside his usual soul palette into shimmering, dance-adjacent territory. PNAU’s production instincts add a pulsing energy underneath his vocal that contrasts nicely with the more organic instrumentation elsewhere in his catalog. It’s proof that his voice can sit comfortably over synths and programmed drums just as easily as guitar and piano. The song works especially well in the car, where the low-end thump gets to do its job properly.
Talk
Featuring MAY-A, “Talk” (2021) later became the lead single from the Conversations EP and captures Budjerah at his most conversational and vulnerable. The interplay between his and MAY-A’s voices creates a genuine back-and-forth dynamic rather than a simple duet, mirroring the song’s theme of two people trying to communicate honestly. Matt Corby’s fingerprints are all over the production here, favoring warm, analog-leaning textures over anything glossy or overproduced. It’s a quietly confident song that trusts its melody to do the heavy lifting.
Wash My Sorrows Away
“Wash My Sorrows Away” (2021) leans further into classic soul phrasing, with a vocal performance that recalls the emotive restraint of 1970s soul singers he’s cited as influences. The arrangement is patient, letting a subtle horn-adjacent synth line and steady rhythm section carry the emotional weight. There’s a live, in-the-room quality to the recording that suggests minimal overdubbing, which suits the song’s stripped-back honesty. It’s one of the better tracks for evaluating vocal clarity on any decent set of earbuds.
My Name
“My Name” is a lesser-discussed cut from the Budjerah EP era, but it deserves more attention for the way it balances vulnerability with quiet assertion. The verses sit low and intimate in the mix, while the chorus opens up just enough to let the melody stretch without losing intimacy. Thematically, it reads as a young artist staking a claim to his own identity, which feels especially resonant given Budjerah’s Indigenous heritage and the visibility he’s brought to First Nations voices in Australian pop. It’s a song that rewards patient, attentive listening rather than casual background play.
Shoulda Coulda
“Shoulda Coulda” carries a breezier, more upbeat energy than much of Budjerah’s catalog, built around a bouncing rhythm and a chorus melody that lodges itself in your head fast. The production keeps things relatively minimal, which lets small vocal ad-libs and inflections stand out clearly. It’s a good reminder that Budjerah’s range extends beyond slow-burning ballads into more playful, mid-tempo territory. On shuffle, it works as a nice tonal palate cleanser between his heavier emotional material.
Pyro
“Pyro” is one of the more texturally interesting tracks from his early catalog, with production that layers subtle percussion and atmospheric pads beneath the vocal. The songwriting leans metaphorical, using fire imagery to talk about attraction and intensity without ever tipping into cliché. It’s a track that benefits enormously from a good pair of headphones, since a lot of the arrangement’s detail sits in the periphery of the mix rather than the obvious foreground. Readers curious about which gear best reveals that kind of production detail might find GlobalMusicVibe’s headphone comparison guide useful before their next listening session.
What Should I Do?
Released in early 2022 ahead of the Conversations EP, “What Should I Do?” finds Budjerah wrestling with indecision in a relationship, set against a moody, minor-key backdrop. The vocal performance is one of his most technically impressive, moving from a restrained lower register into an emotionally frayed upper range without ever sounding strained. Reviewers at the time singled out the EP’s darker, sleeker sound, and this track is arguably its clearest example. It’s a song that demands attention on first listen and only reveals more with repeat plays.
Get Down
“Get Down” closes out the Conversations EP with a rhythmically driven groove that stands in contrast to the EP’s more introspective moments. The production brings in a punchier drum pattern and a bassline that sits front and center, giving the track a physicality his ballads don’t always have. It’s the kind of song built for movement, whether that’s a live show or just a kitchen dance session. The contrast it provides against tracks like “What Should I Do?” shows real range within a single seven-song project.
This Is The Interlude
A brief, atmospheric palate-cleanser on the Conversations EP, “This Is The Interlude” functions less as a standalone single and more as a mood-setting bridge between the project’s heavier tracks. It’s built around minimal instrumentation, likely just voice, keys, and light ambient texture, giving listeners a moment to reset emotionally. Short interludes like this are easy to overlook, but they say a lot about an artist’s sequencing instincts and confidence in restraint. It’s worth revisiting on a full EP listen rather than in isolation.
Ready for the Sky
“Ready for the Sky” (2022) is a soaring, hopeful anthem that leans into some of the biggest production Budjerah had used to that point, with layered harmonies and a widescreen mix built for arenas. Lyrically, it captures a sense of ambition and forward motion, fitting for an artist whose career was accelerating rapidly at the time. The mastering here pushes the dynamics wider than his earlier, more intimate tracks, making it a strong reference point for testing how a sound system handles a big chorus. It’s aged into one of the more replayed deep cuts in his catalog.
Therapy
“Therapy” (2023), featuring Naë, became a platinum-selling breakthrough and arguably remains Budjerah’s signature song to date. The chorus melody is deceptively simple but endlessly hummable, built over a warm, mid-tempo groove that splits the difference between R&B and pop. Naë’s guest vocal adds a textural contrast that deepens the song’s emotional register without overshadowing Budjerah’s lead. Its commercial success at Australian radio and streaming platforms cemented him as one of the country’s most consistent hitmakers, and it remains a staple of his live sets.
Better Be Home Soon
A duet with WILSN, “Better Be Home Soon” (2023) is a cover of the classic Crowded House song, reimagined with a soulful, harmony-rich arrangement that honors the original while making it distinctly his own. The blend between Budjerah’s and WILSN’s voices is one of the most satisfying vocal pairings in his discography, trading lines and stacking harmonies with real chemistry. It’s a smart choice of cover, tapping into a beloved piece of Australian songwriting history while showcasing his interpretive range. Fans discovering Budjerah through more recent hits often find this one a rewarding rabbit hole.
Video Game
“Video Game” (2023) brings a slightly moodier, more contemporary R&B production style, with clipped drum programming and a melody that unfolds in short, memorable phrases. The lyrics use gaming as a loose metaphor for the push and pull of a modern relationship, which feels current without leaning too hard into gimmick territory. It’s a track that shows Budjerah continuing to evolve his sound past the more organic, soul-leaning production of his earliest singles. On headphones, the spacing between vocal takes and the subtle reverb tails are worth listening for.
The Way (Faraway Downs Theme)
Written for Baz Luhrmann’s 2023 miniseries Faraway Downs, “The Way” showcases Budjerah’s ability to write and perform for a cinematic context without losing his own vocal identity. The arrangement is sweeping and orchestral-leaning compared to his usual R&B palette, reflecting the scale of the project it was written for. It’s a genuine showcase of range, both stylistically and technically, and a reminder that his voice translates well beyond the confines of a typical pop single. The placement also introduced his music to an entirely new international audience.
Is It Ever Gonna Make Sense
Released in 2024 following the platinum success of “Therapy,” “Is It Ever Gonna Make Sense” pushed Budjerah’s vocal delivery into its most soaring, technically demanding territory yet. The production is bigger and more layered, with dynamic builds that mirror the song’s central theme of emotional confusion and searching for clarity. It arrived alongside his biggest headline tour to date, and the recording carries some of that live, arena-ready energy in its bones. It’s a strong example of an artist scaling up production without losing the emotional core that made his earlier work connect.
Want You Back
“Want You Back” (2025) marked Budjerah’s return after a comparatively quiet period and served as the lead single from his long-awaited debut album. The track balances a nostalgic, retro-soul groove with a modern mixing sensibility, giving it crossover appeal to both longtime fans and newer listeners. Lyrically, it’s a direct, unguarded plea, delivered with a vocal performance that sounds more confident and settled than his earliest singles. As a reintroduction, it did exactly what it needed to, building real anticipation for the album that followed.
Gentleman
The title track from Budjerah’s 2026 debut studio album, “Gentleman,” produced by Om’Mas Keith, is a confident, groove-forward statement of arrival. Warner Music Australia positioned the album’s release as a defining moment for the artist, and this title track carries that weight without buckling under it. The production is noticeably more polished and internationally minded than his earlier EP work, reflecting years of growth between his first single and this debut full-length. It’s a strong entry point for new listeners exploring GlobalMusicVibe’s broader of 2026’s standout Australian releases.
Even At My Worst
Closing out the Gentleman album, “Even At My Worst” is one of the most emotionally direct tracks Budjerah has released, stripping back some of the album’s bigger production choices in favor of vulnerability. The vocal performance carries real weariness and honesty, closing the record on a note of reflection rather than triumph. It’s the kind of closing track that rewards a quiet, focused listen rather than casual background play, ideally through earbuds that can handle the low, intimate dynamics of the mix. For listeners chasing that level of detail, GlobalMusicVibe’s is a useful resource before committing to a new pair.
Taken together, these twenty songs map an artist who has never chased a single sound for too long, moving fluidly between intimate acoustic soul, arena-sized R&B, dance collaborations, and orchestral film work without ever losing the emotional directness that made “Missing You” resonate back in 2020. Few Australian artists of his generation have built a catalog this consistent this quickly, and with a debut album now out in the world, Budjerah’s best work may still be ahead of him.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Budjerah’s most popular song?
“Therapy,” featuring Naë, is widely regarded as Budjerah’s signature hit, having achieved platinum sales status and remaining a staple of his live performances.
What genre is Budjerah’s music?
Budjerah’s music sits primarily within R&B and soul, with influences from gospel, pop, and occasional forays into electronic and orchestral territory depending on the collaboration.
Is Budjerah an Indigenous Australian artist?
Yes, Budjerah is a Bundjalung and Wiradjuri man from the Gold Coast, and his Indigenous heritage has been a meaningful part of his public identity and award recognition, including the 2023 National Indigenous Music Awards Artist of the Year honor.
When did Budjerah release his debut album?
His debut studio album, “Gentleman,” was released on 24 July 2026 through Warner Music Australia, following years of singles and two earlier EPs.
Who has Budjerah collaborated with?
Notable collaborators include Matt Corby as a mentor and producer, PNAU on “Stranger Love,” MAY-A on “Talk,” Naë on “Therapy,” WILSN on “Better Be Home Soon,” and Om’Mas Keith, who produced the “Gentleman” album.