''Gela'' is the debut studio album by

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

rapper

Baker Boy Danzal James Baker (born 10 October 1996), known professionally as Baker Boy, is a Yolngu rapper, dancer, artist, and actor. Baker Boy is known for performing original hip-hop songs incorporating both English and Yolŋu Matha and is one of ...

, released on 15 October 2021 through

Island Records Australia Island Records Australia is an Australian record label that was launched in 2007 by Michael Taylor (now serving as managing director, Universal Music Australia). It is part of the Universal Music Group and is the Australian variant of Island R ...

and

Universal Music Australia Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd. (UMA) is the largest Australian music corporation. It is a division of the Universal Music Group. Universal Music Australia's corporate headquarters are located in Sydney, Australia. Labels Universal Musi ...

. ''Gela'' features

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

s from

JessB Jess Bourke, better known as JessB, is a rapper and former professional netballer from Auckland, New Zealand. She has released two EPs (''Bloom'' and ''New Views'') and won Best New Zealand Act at the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards. Discograph ...

G Flip Georgia Claire Flipo, known professionally as G Flip, is an Australian singer, songwriter, producer, drummer, and musician from Melbourne, Victoria. They released their debut studio album, '' About Us'', on 30 August 2019. Early life and educ ...

, Jerome Farah, Thando, Yirrmal, Lara Andallo, and

Uncle Jack Charles Jack Charles (5 September 1943 – 13 September 2022), also known as Uncle Jack Charles, was an Australian stage and screen actor and activist, known for his advocacy for Aboriginal people. He was involved in establishing the first Indigenous t ...

, alongside production from former

TZU TZU (pronounced "Tee Zed Yoo") were an Australian hip hop group, formed in 1999 by Joelistics, Yeroc, Seed MC and Paso Bionic. They used instruments in live performances, giving their shows a rock-infused feeling. Duzy What joined in 2005. TZ ...

member

Pip Norman TZU (pronounced "Tee Zed Yoo") were an Australian hip hop group, formed in 1999 by Joelistics, Yeroc, Seed MC and Paso Bionic. They used instruments in live performances, giving their shows a rock-infused feeling. Duzy What joined in 2005. T ...

, Willie Tafa, Carl Dimataga, Morgan Jones and Farah. ''Gela'' was supported by seven singles—" Cool as Hell", " Meditjin", "Move", "Ride", "My Mind", "Butterflies", and "Survive". At the J Awards of 2021, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year. At the

National Indigenous Music Awards 2022 The National Indigenous Music Awards 2022 were the 19th annual National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs). The awards were announced on 12 May, nominations were revealed on 13 July and the winners presented on 6 August 2022. NIMAs creative direc ...

, the album won Album of the Year. At the

2022 ARIA Music Awards The 2022 ARIA Music Awards were the 36th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2022 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA ...

, the album won

Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...

, Best Solo Artist, Best Hip Hop Release/Rap Release and Best Cover Art. At the

2022 Music Victoria Awards The 2022 Music Victoria Awards are the 17th Annual Music Victoria Awards. The ceremony is scheduled to take place in December 2022. The list of industry-voted nominees was announced on 27 October 2022 and the public voted nominees announced on ...

, the album won Best Victorian Album.

Background

Baker's debut album follows several years of releasing stand-alone singles. On 18 January 2019,

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

published a piece detailing their most anticipated albums of the year, which featured Baker's forthcoming debut on the list. A representative for him detailed the album's musicality, revealing it would include "

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The R ...

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

G-Funk G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the late 1980s. The genre is heavily influenced by 1970s psychedelic funk (P-funk) sound of artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic. Charac ...

and your original Baker Boy styles." On 25 January 2020, in an interview with ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

''s

Craig Mathieson Craig Mathieson (born 1971) is an Australian music journalist and writer. His books include, '' Hi Fi Days'' (1996), ''The Sell-In'' in (2000) and the 100 Best Australian Albums in 2010, with Toby Creswell and John O'Donnell Biography Craig ...

, Baker discussed his intention to release an album before the end of the year, stating: "Finishing an album is one of my main priorities for this year. It's almost finished, so I want everyone to get ready for what's going to happen." On 27 March, Baker

premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

d the single "Move" on Triple J's '' Sally & Erica''. In an accompanying interview, he revealed details of the album, saying he was "super-pumped" about it, and was "three or two" songs away from completing it.

Recording

During recording for the album alongside various producers, Baker worked 14-hour days from 10am to midnight (

AEST Australia uses three main time zones: Australian Western Standard Time (AWST; UTC+08:00), Australian Central Standard Time (ACST; UTC+09:30), and Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST; UTC+10:00). Time is regulated by the individual state gov ...

Release

On 13 April 2018, Baker first teased a debut album alongside the premiere of "Mr. La Di Da Di" in a Triple J interview, stating that he hoped to release an album or EP "by July or even two months after that", adding "if I can't do it this year, I'll have two albums next year." On 4 May 2018, he further teased his debut album, stating he was "currently working on finishing up isalbum. Baker initially intended to release his debut album in mid-2019 and then August, and again in 2020. On 24 March 2021, in an interview with Triple J's '' Bryce & Ebony'', Baker reaffirmed his intention to release a debut album. On 16 July, a day after the release of "My Mind", Baker announced that the album would be titled ''Gela'' and revealed its release date of 15 October. ''Gela'' has been described as highly anticipated.

Promotion

Singles

''Gela'' was supported by seven singles. " Cool as Hell" was released on 25 January 2019 as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

. " Meditjin", featuring

, was released as the second single on 21 November 2019. "Move" was released as the third single on 27 March 2020. "Ride", featuring Yirrmal, was released as the fourth single on 25 March 2021. "My Mind", featuring

, was released on 15 July 2021 as the album's fifth single. "Butterflies" was released on 17 September 2021 as the album's sixth single. "Survive", featuring

, was released alongside the album on 15 October 2021 as the seventh and final single.

Marketing

On 19 July 2021, Baker made an appearance as a guest host on eighth episode of the ninth series of ''

Have You Been Paying Attention? ''Have You Been Paying Attention?'' (abbreviated on social media as HYBPA? and stylised on-screen as Have you been paying attention? in sentence case) is an Australian panel game television quiz show on Network 10. The series, which is produced ...

'', during which he discussed his forthcoming album and the release of his single "My Mind".

Artwork

According to ''

Rolling Stone Australia ''Rolling Stone'' Australia is the Australian edition of the United States' ''Rolling Stone'' magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture, published monthly. The Australian version of ''Rolling Stone'' was initially published in 197 ...

'', ''Gela''s front cover features "striking artwork by iconic

street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...

ist

Adnate Adnate may refer to: * Adnation, in botany, the fusion of two or more whorls of a flower * Adnate, in mycology, a classification of lamellae (gills) * Conjoined twins Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are ...

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

perfectly encapsulates the concept behind the record, which sees Baker Boy coming to terms with the sudden fame he's experienced in the past few years, while still maintaining close ties to his family and community in

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

Critical reception

Andrew McMillen Andrew McMillen is an Australian music journalist and national music writer for ''The Australian''. Early life and education McMillen grew up in the southern Queensland, Australia city of Bundaberg, the son of two teachers. He relocated to ...

of ''

the Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' praised the album as "impressive and versatile", writing that Baker "balance poppy accessibility with battle-ready fierceness and deeper messages."

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

* Danzal Baker – main artist, associated performer, vocals, writing Other musicians * Georgia Filpo – vocals, writing * Yirrmal Marika – vocals, writing *

Dallas Woods Dallas Woods, is an Indigenous Australian rapper and musician. Woods is known for his role on ABC Kids' ''Move It Mob Style'' and in 2018 as Baker Boy's support act on his national tour. Woods gained attention by winning the New Talent Song ...

– writing *

– writing, production * Justin Marshall – performing, percussion * Lachlan Mclean – performing, baritone saxophone, tenor * Luke Dubber – performing, synthesiser * Tristan Ludowyk – performing, trumpet * Brendan Tuckerman – lyricist * Carl Dimataga – lyricist * Jesse Ferris – lyricist * Morgan Jones – lyricist * James Iheakanwa – lyricist * Willie Tafa – lyricist * Jessica Bourke – vocals, writing * Jerome Farah – vocals , writing

Technical

Matt Colton Matt Colton (born 30 March 1975) is an English mastering engineer and member of the mastering group of the Music Producers Guild. He has mastered recordings for artists such as Muse, Coldplay, James Blake, George Michael, Hot Chip, Gary Num ...

– mastering, studio personnel * Andrei Eremin – mixing, studio personnel * Carl Dimataga – production * Morgan Jones – production, studio personnel * Neville Clark – mastering engineer, studio personnel * Dave Hammer – mixing, studio personnel * Willie Tafa – production, engineering, studio personnel * Jerome Farah – production, engineering, studio personnel

Charts

Release history

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2021 debut albums Albums produced by Jerome Farah Albums produced by Pip Norman ARIA Award-winning albums Baker Boy albums Island Records Australia albums Universal Music Australia albums