Thelma Plum

Thelma Plum was only 17 when she began posting her songs online in 2012, winning Australia’s inaugural National Indigenous Unearthed Music Award two months later. But it was her 2019 debut album that really saw the Gamilaraay woman (born Thelma Plumbe in Brisbane in 1994) level up. Despite containing a song called “Not Angry Anymore,” Better in Blak showcased Plum’s exasperation with reply guys (“Woke Blokes”) and performative activism (“Don’t Let a Good Girl Down”) over robust alt-pop. The propulsive title track turned actual online hate messages into a resounding anthem of empowerment, while the layered ballad “Made for You” was co-written with Paul Kelly and features guitar licks from Paul McCartney, who heard the song in a studio and asked to contribute. Plum’s bold, adaptable vocals have also made her an in-demand feature artist in Aussie hip-hop, guesting on tracks by A.B. Original, Briggs, Spit Syndicate, and Horrorshow.