Here are the tunes that inspired one of the strongest debut tracks of 2020.

Safe to say it’s been a pretty big couple of weeks for 18-year-old singer-songwriter Budjerah. Since the release of his debut track ‘Missing You’, the Fingal Head local (it’s on the border on NSW and QLD) has amassed thousands of streams, received triple j airplay and been touted by many as a promising up and comer in the R&B world. Of course, none of this is possible without an absolute banger of a track to back up the hype…

‘Missing You’ is built around a neatly strummed guitar and steady groove that give Budjerah’s vocals room to really flex and enchant. Within the track you can hear the influence of the gospel and soul music that he grew up on, along with the pop sensibility which is enhanced by producer Matt Corby who has been mentoring the young talent.

“In my music, I think of how I’m going to use my voice as an instrument before the melody and anything else. Matt is classically trained, so he pushed me vocally. We both really like the real, organic sounds of instruments,” Budjerah says of their collaboration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFq9h4GYAd8

So how does a teenager from a small coastal town come to produce the kind of eclectic track that most of his peers spend years trying to perfect? We caught up with Budjerah to find out about the artists and tunes that inspired ‘Missing You’. Check it out below and head here to buy/stream ‘Missing You’ now!

‘I Wish I Missed My Ex’ – Mahalia

We used this song as a big reference when we were working on Missing You. ‘I Wish I Missed My Ex’ has this massive chorus with group vocals, very fun and singable, and also has a really nice bounce that you can sit in and we felt the chorus could pull off those kind of vibes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7kT52xL-7g

‘You Brought The Sunshine’ – Clark Sisters

The rhythm opens this song and sets a really nice energy in the song, there’s so much fun and bounce in the music. The Clark Sisters are a big reference for a lot of my writing. Their melodies are really high up in the range and that’s a habit I got into listening to them. The harmonies are very tight and complex, which is something we also brought into the music and vocals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv51UJM8TU4

‘Soon As I Get Home’ – Faith Evans

I was listening to this song on the way to Matt’s studio the day we did the vocals for Missing You. I love the way Faith Evans sings, very classic. Her ad-libs are really amazing, she doesn’t over sing, but still puts everything into them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-_GyHhsg30

‘Better’ – Matt Corby

We wanted to be deep in the lyrics, but also simple. Better comes to mind because it’s easy to understand the main points but when you listen closer you can learn a lot more about what’s going on. Matt also has a way that he plays, which I think is really noticeable, he has so much soul and bounce.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaS3KqRta9A

‘Every Woman’ – Az Yet

When Matt showed me the chords for Missing You, when we were writing, I thought of ‘Every Woman’ by Az Yet straight away. I love the Classic R&B feels and I really wanted to bring in that kinda romantic sound with the guitar.