Better in Blak (song)

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"Better in Blak"
Single by Thelma Plum
from the album Better in Blak
Released26 April 2019
Length3:12
LabelMosy Recordings, Sony Music Australia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Thelma Plum singles chronology
"Not Angry Anymore"
(2019)
"Better in Blak"
(2019)
"Homecoming Queen"
(2019)

"Better in Blak" is a song by Australian singer/songwriter Thelma Plum, released on 26 April 2019 as the third single from her debut studio album of the same name.

In July 2019, "Better in Blak" was nominated for Film Clip of the Year at the National Indigenous Music Awards.[1][2]

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, "Better in Blak" was nominated for Best Video.[3]

At the J Awards of 2019, the song was nominated for Australian Video of the Year.[4]

At the APRA Music Awards of 2020, "Better in Blak" was nominated for Song of the Year.[5][6]

The song won the 2020 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.[7]

Background[edit]

Upon release, Plum said: "I wrote 'Better in Blak' about my experiences with people trying to take the colour from the conversation. My colour is an important part of who I am, and over the last couple of years I've had people try and tell me 'it's not about colour' when obviously to me it is."[8]

Reception[edit]

Laura English from Music Feeds wrote: "The track is all about the frustrating experiences Plum faces as a Gamilaraay woman and musician", describing it as "an emotional, cathartic song that sees honest lyrics coupled with upbeat, danceable beats".[8]

Music video[edit]

The music video was directed by Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore and released on 28 May 2019.[9] It was nominated for Best Video at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019.[10]

Track listing[edit]

Digital download[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Better in Blak"3:12

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Better in Blak"
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 89

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[13] Platinum 70,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "National Indigenous Music Awards unveils 2019 nominations". NIMA. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Record breaking crowd for the 2019 National Indigenous Music Awards!". NIMA. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  3. ^ "ARIA Awards: 2019 ARIA Awards nominated artists revealed". ARIA Awards. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  4. ^ "The J Award 2019". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  5. ^ Cashmere, Paul (7 April 2020). "Tones and I leads nominations for 2020 virtual APRA Awards". Noise11. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  6. ^ "2020 Awards". APRA AMCOS. 7 April 2020. Archived from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Thelma Plum's "Better in Blak" Wins Vanda & Young Songwriting Comp". Billboard. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  8. ^ a b English, Laura (26 April 2019). "Thelma Plum returns with new single "Better in Blak"". Music Feeds. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  9. ^ "Thelma Plum - Better In Blak (Official Video)". YouTube. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  10. ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "Winners by Award – Artisan Awards – Best Video". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Better in Blak – Single by Thelma Plum on Apple Music". Apple Music AU. 26 April 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  12. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #562". auspOp. 1 February 2020. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  13. ^ "Thelma Plum Backseat Of My Mind". Female. 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2023.