Emily Wurramara, Photograph by Tony Mott
Emily Wurramara writes music from the heart. The Warnindhilyagwa woman’s latest single, “Adore Me,” is a case in point.
“Just tell me you adore me,” Wurramara sings on multiple occasions throughout the track, her voice betraying a mixture of sober expectation and creeping impatience.
“It’s so important to tell people how you feel,” Wurramara told Check Check recently, “because, either way, it’s doing damage, whether to yourself or to the other party.”
“Adore Me” is Wurramara’s first single since releasing her second album, NARA, in August 2024. NARA was named Best Adult Contemporary Album at last year’s ARIAs, and Wurramara won Artist of the Year at the 2025 National Indigenous Music Awards.
The lutruwita/Tasmania-based musician recently performed a bunch of shows in Canada, including at the Winnipeg Folk Festival where she was blessed on arrival by Grandmother Chickadee on the lands of the Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininiwak, Dakota and Dene peoples. She returned home for a performance at Garma Festival over the first weekend of August.
“There’s so much that’s been happening in my life, on stage and off,” Wurramara said. “I think those stories and experiences deserve to be shared and made into something beautiful and magic.”
I spoke to Wurramara about the themes of “Adore Me” and the success of NARA.
Check Check: “Adore Me” seems to be coming from the perspective of someone who is not having their needs met. It sounds like it’s referring to a situation where there’s a lack of stability. Is that accurate?
Emily Wurramara: I think everyone has had that experience of being with someone and wanting more but knowing they can’t give you that. It’s a scenario no one wants to be in. It’s so important to tell people how you feel because, either way, it’s doing damage, whether to yourself or to the other party.
“Adore Me” is just telling the listeners to understand their worth and what they deserve in a relationship, whether it be with a friend, a lover, a family member.
When you’re writing a song like “Adore Me,” are you generally looking inwards and working through things that have happened to you? Or do you try to weave in observations and lessons you’ve learned from other people?
Generally, everything I write, especially when it comes to love or relationships, comes from an experience. Sometimes I’ll write about my friend’s experience or brush over it in a verse or whatever, but my storytelling is to the core and it’s raw, real – and extremely vulnerable sometimes.
Have you been writing much since releasing NARA?
I’ve been writing a lot actually. There’s so much that’s been happening in my life, on stage and off. I think those stories and experiences deserve to be shared and made into something beautiful and magic. Creatively, I think I’m in this phase of just releasing and letting go.
NARA won the ARIA for Best Adult Contemporary Album, and you were nominated for a stack of NIMAs. What does that recognition mean to you?
To be recognised in this way is such an honour. I think stepping out of my comfort zone really allowed me to embrace myself in this space as the woman I am now. These recognitions are a testament to my growth. And it’s inspiring because at the end of the day this is all about music and community for me. I never am out here for the accolades, so it’s pretty cool to get a couple of nods.
Outside of industry awards, has it been fulfilling to see how audiences have connected with NARA?
It actually makes me emotional sometimes because I forget people hear my music, they listen to those lyrics, dissect it, and relate it to their own lives. I love meeting people after my shows and try to take time out to genuinely connect. Without my audience, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. My community is my backbone, so to be able to be that inspiration for them is an honour.
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