Life has changed dramatically for Budjerah since the Bundjalung singer-songwriter released his self-titled debut EP in 2021. “I’ve been very busy, not able to hang out with friends, not making time for people,” he tells Apple Music. “There were a lot of changes in my relationships since coming into the industry, a lot of changes in my personal life.” Budjerah channels those experiences into the lyrical themes of his second EP, its nu-soul- and R&B-inspired pop creations serving as a diary of the preceding 12 months in his life. Working again with producer Matt Corby (Chris Collins co-produced “Talk”, Konstantin Kersting co-produced “What Should I Do?”), those themes also inform the EP’s title. “This last year really made me focus on talking out my problems or talking through what I was going through,” says Budjerah. “It really helped me get through the struggles that I was going through, what was going through my mind. So, that’s why I chose Conversations, because having conversations helped me get through my year.” Here, Budjerah talks through each of the EP’s tracks. “Intro” “‘Intro’ was originally part of ‘Get Down’, but we started to think of it as its own thing. It’s like a mysterious way to start without revealing a whole song straightaway.” “Get Down” “We had the hardest time writing ‘Get Down’, me and Matt Corby. It took us quite a while to figure out the verses and the right melodies. My life is what it is now and it’s a bit late for me to get down from where I’m at. I’ve come up here now. It’s talking about the tough things that happen in the industry, and this is the life I chose, and I have to stay up with what I chose, the life.” “What Should I Do?” “It’s a very honest song. I work so much, I wasn’t really hanging out with [my friends] as much, so I guess we all sort of moved on. I didn’t really move on—I thought we were going to be friends forever, but relationships change over time and that’s a lesson I’ve learned. It was very tough for me because I love people, but I’m doing all right now. Relationships change and that’s all right.” “Wash My Sorrows Away” “Matt played these chords, and I was like, ‘Let’s write a heartbreak song.’ I don’t normally write about love or things like that. I’ve never really been heartbroken by a girl before, so I really channelled my bad-teenager part of me. That was the inspiration for ‘Wash My Sorrows Away’. And I guess in life, how I relate to it is, I live quite close to the beach, and if I’m having a sad time, I like to go surfing or just dive into the ocean. That’s a stress relief for me.” “This Is the Interlude” “This wasn’t meant to be what it is. It was the last track we did, and I originally had an idea where I wanted to get a voice memo of my grandmother talking about love so we could go into ‘Talk’. I’m not a rapper, but I always make jokes like, ‘I’m going to stop singing. I’m just going to be a rapper.’ So, I started freestyling and it was so dumb, it was a joke. But everyone was like, ‘This is great! We’re putting this on the record!’ And I was like, ‘Are you serious?!’ But it is fun, I love it.” “Talk” (feat. MAY-A) “I’m not a big texter—I’d rather talk face-to-face or over the phone. When I read texts sometimes, I read it like they’re angry with me, because there isn’t really any reference for emotional context. [MAY-A and I] were talking about how it’s important to understand context in relationships. Communication is the most important thing—it’s important to be open and honest with your friend or girlfriend or boyfriend or your parents. It’s all about honesty and being open and talking.” “My Name” “Growing up wanting to be a singer, it’s always been a thing of mine to have people know how to say my name right, or I really want people to know my name. My name is quite hard [to pronounce] and I get a lot of variety of pronunciations and spellings. So, it’s sort of like a—this is who I am, and this is my dream and that’s what my name is. And to be proud of who I am, really, that’s what ‘My Name’ is about. It’s just me being proud of me.”