One of the most significant new voices in Australian and First Nations music, Danzal Baker aka the Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land, aka Baker Boy will drop his debut album, 'Gela', this spring (15 October).
"Gela is who I am," Baker Boy says, "and it's my story."The news arrives a day after Baker Boy's newest single, a joint with G Flip, 'My Mind' was released. "Working with G Flip was a real privilege; we've known each other for a while through touring, but it was mad to see them in their element in the studio.
"G is a real talent, not only their voice, but their songwriting is like no other! 'My Mind' is a fun tribute to the incredible women in both of our lives; we're both really lucky to have incredible support networks, so really it's a song for those people too."
Adds G Flip: "I've always been a big fan of Danzal. We met on the festival circuit over the years and our time slots were always back to back, so we've had a lot of hang time and a lot of beer time together!
"I've even jumped up and played drums on a track with him before, so a song collab was always on the cards. We met up at the studio sometime in 2019 and 'My Mind' was written in a day – it's a song about appreciating the beautiful women in our lives."
'Gela' will feature 'My Mind' as well as previous singles 'Meditjin feat. JessB', 'Move', 'Cool As Hell' and 'Ride feat. Yirrmal'.
The album will also include collaborations with Lara Andallo, Jerome Farah, Thando, the revered Uncle Jack Charles and notable co-writers Dallas Woods and Rob Amoruso. While Jerome Farah, Pip Norman, and Willie Tafa have each produced tracks on the album.
"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," Danzal says.
"'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!"
Baker Boy is a finalist at this year's National Indigenous Music Awards and will be performing at the ceremony staged at Darwin Amphitheatre 7 August.
'Gela' is due for release 15 October, 2021. Pre-order it.
'Gela' Tracklisting
1. Announcing The Journey (performed by Glen Gurruwiwi)2. Survive feat. Uncle Jack Charles
3. My Mind feat. G Flip
4. Ride feat. Yirrmal
5. Butterflies
6. Cool As Hell
7. Move
8. Headphones feat. Lara Andallo
9. Somewhere Deep feat. Yirrmal
10. Funk Wit Us
11. Stupid Dumb
12. Meditjin feat. JessB
13. Ain't Nobody Like You feat. Jerome Farah
14. Make You Wanna Dance feat. Thando
