Despite having an Order Of Australia, being named Young Australian of the Year in 2019, taking home 16 gongs across multiple awards, and a back pocket overflowing with upbeat, energetic bangers, Baker Boy has only just announced his debut album.
It’s almost hard to believe that the proud Yolngu man hasn’t already blessed us with a full LP of tracks, but here we are. To say it’s “long-awaited” almost feels like an understatement, considering he’s been in the game for four years now, but it’s happening – his very first album is on the way.
The Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land confirmed that Gela – his skin name and one of the most genuine markers of his identity – is landing on October 15. In revealing his biggest project to date, Baker Boy said it’s an introduction to the duality of his life; both as a boisterous, infectiously positive artist and inspiration, and a First Nations man with deep ties to his family and community on Arnhem Land.
“I want people to see what my life is like, and where I come from,” he said.
“The journey from a remote community to living in the city and trying to adapt, and have that balance, is a lot of hard work, [but] it’s an amazing journey.”
Opening with an introduction to the journey (performed by Elder Glen Gurruwiwi), Gela will feature a few familiar tracks like ‘Cool As Hell‘, ‘Meditjin‘ with JessB, ‘Move‘, ‘Ride‘ with Yirrmal, and his latest single, ‘My Mind‘ featuring G Flip, alongside some big features like Jerome Farah, Thando and Uncle Jack Charles.
“It feels like it has been a really long time in the making, but I’m glad I took my time because it is a much better body of work for it,” Baker Boy said.
“‘My Mind’ featuring G Flip, is a sign of the fun, party vibes that people expect from Baker Boy, but there are definitely some surprises on the album that I am most excited about people hearing!”
Gela is slated to drop on October 16 through Island Records, and you can pre-order or pre-save the album over here.
