Homecoming Queen (Thelma Plum song)

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"Homecoming Queen"
Homecoming Queen by Thelma Plum.png
Strings version
Single by Thelma Plum
from the album Better in Blak
Released12 July 2019 [1]
Length3:51
Label Mosy Recordings, Sony Music Australia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Thelma Plum singles chronology
"Better in Blak"
(2019)		"Homecoming Queen"
(2019)		"These Days"
(2020)

"Homecoming Queen" is a song by Australian singer/songwriter Thelma Plum, and was sent to radio on 12 July 2019 as the fourth and final single from her debut studio album Better in Blak .

Contents

Plum told Triple J that the song "speaks to growing up as an Aboriginal girl in rural Australia", saying, "watching videos on the TV and looking through magazines, but I never saw anyone who looked like me. There was absolutely no representation in mainstream media. That really does something, really skews your idea of beauty. I had to teach myself how to love myself, that I was beautiful and good enough." [2]

There is a refence in the song to the 1967 Australian referendum, which asked Australians whether Indigenous Australians should be included in official population counts for constitutional purposes. [3]

The song polled at number 67 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2019. [4]

At the National Indigenous Music Awards 2020, the song was nominated for Song of the Year. [5]

An Alice Ivy remix was released on the Anniversary Edition of the album in 2020.

Plum performed the song on The Sound on 15 November 2020. [6] [7]

A strings version was released in October 2021. [8]

Reception

Cool Accidents said "'Homecoming Queen' is ultimately an anthem of self-love - one that embraces differences and celebrates individuality." [9]

Dani Maher from Harper's Bazaar said "'Homecoming Queen', like all of her releases, is a lyrical delight pinning her heart resolutely to her sleeve in its vulnerability". [10]

Nathan Jolly from The Guardian called it the "standout track" from the album said "Feeling unseen as a young Indigenous Australian must be a crushing and damaging experience, and Plum chronicles this experience and her own hard-fought rise to self-respect in a wonderfully moving way." [11]

Versions

  1. "Homecoming Queen" (album) – 3:51
  2. "Homecoming Queen" (Alice Ivy remix) – 4:28
  3. "Homecoming Queen" (strings) – 4:22

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [12] Platinum70,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ "Thelma Plum - Homecoming Queen (Official Audio)". PBS 106.7FM . July 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Better In Blak: Thelma Plum transforms trauma into triumph on her healing debut album". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 11 July 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Love & War: How Thelma Plum found therapy in Better In Blak". Pilerats. 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Here's The Winner Of Triple J's Hottest 100 Of 2019". Music Feeds . 25 January 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Announcement: National Indigenous Music Awards Finalists Unveiled". noise11. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Triscari, Caleb (10 November 2020). "The Avalanches and Leon Bridges to perform for 'The Sound' this weekend". NME Australia . Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "The Sound: Series Two, Episode 3 – Matt Okine". ABC iview. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "My live version of Homecoming Queen with Strings as broadcast last year on ABC TV's @thesoundau is now available on all platforms!!! It was such a treat to perform this with so many talented musicians". Instagram. October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "The Most Potent Lyrics From Thelma Plum's 'Better In Blak'". Cool Accidents. December 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Thelma Plum on full circle moments, rediscovering her love for her hometown, and her next album". 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  11. ↑ Nathan Jolly (3 November 2021). "Midnight Oil, Alex Lahey and Thelma Plum: Australia's best new music for November". The Guardian . Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  12. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 16 May 2024.
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