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"Homecoming Queen"
Strings version
Single by Thelma Plum
from the album Better in Blak
Released	12 July 2019
Length	3:51
Label	Mosy Recordings, Sony Music Australia
Songwriter(s)	Thelma Plum Alexander Burnett Oli Horton
Producer(s)	Alexander Burnett
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.

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."

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.

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

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

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.

A strings version was released in October 2021.

Reception

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

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".

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."

Versions

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

Certifications

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.

• 2019 singles
• 2019 songs
• Thelma Plum songs
• Songs written by Alexander Burnett (musician)