Grown up is out, girlhood is in, Thelma Plum proclaims from a Sydney hotel suite.
“I’ve been doing this since I was quite young and I used to have this eagerness to seem a lot more grown up than I was,” explains Plum, who was discovered at 17 by Triple J’s National Indigenous Unearthed competition.
“Now I’m the opposite. I’m revisiting those girlhood years and doing indoor enrichment activities, like collaging.”
On the 29-year-old’s hotly anticipated new album, I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back, nostalgia and innocent wonder run throughout – from the vintage-tinted album artwork to the hand-drawn illustrations. “I did this big collage that looks almost a page from my diary,” says Plum, a Gamilaraay woman.
“We have all the pop girlies to thank for this celebration of girlhood. I love Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan.”
The topic of American alt pop singer Chappell Roan leads Plum to reflect on the less glittery aspects of being a girl in the spotlight.
In August, a “scared and tired” Roan took to social media to call out fans who touch and follow her, stating, “Women don’t owe you shit … Women do not owe you a reason why they don’t want to be touched or talked to.”
Of fan entitlement, Plum adds, “It is a job and at the end of the day I don’t think that anybody should be touched at their job without permission. I really resonated with Roan. You can give me a hug, but in a more chill way where you don’t immediately reach for my face.”
As she prepared to embark on a mammoth national headline tour and with the electric sound of a packed venue front of mind, the singer reflects on some of her proudest moments as an artist.
“Travelling to places like New York and London for my music has been pretty fun. But what I’m most proud of is selling out the Opera House.”
Thelma Plum’s new album I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back is out now. Visit thelmaplum.com for tour information.
