‘I Wanted This To Be A Celebration Of Our Love’: Malejen On Her Debut Album

After amassing a social media following to be envied, Malejen is finally releasing her long-awaited debut album, Stuck With You. Twelve tracks of comfort food wrapped in an acoustic Americana coating, the Brisbane musician has outdone herself.

So, to celebrate Stuck With You’s release, Malejen is sitting down with The Music for an unfiltered interview about the album, touring, guitars, and everything in between.

Tell us about the album!

The album was written over a period of years whilst backpacking around the world and working as a horseback trail guide in places like Africa, the UK and parts of Australia. And then it also features songs written about meeting my wife Courtney and building our home on wheels, a Toyota Coaster bus named Nioka, in which we now travel around Australia. 

It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London in Studio 3 - the same studio that Amy Winehouse recorded her last tracks in, Pink Floyd recorded Dark Side of the Moon and soooooo many other incredible names, and then mixed and mastered by myself in the bus back home in Aus. 

And what about the title single, 'Stuck With You'? What inspired that?

Stuck With You was originally written as a song that was going to be part of my marriage proposal to my wife Courtney, but she beat me to it and proposed first. So now it has kinda become a song to celebrate our love and our life together, as well as the people around us who we have the privilege to call friends and family. 

Also it’s out on Friday March 14 - which coincidentally is 5 years and 1 day from when we met. So that’s pretty cool. 

Was the music video filmed at your wedding? How did that idea happen?

Yes! The music video is made up of real footage from our wedding, mixed with little performance pieces that were filmed later on an island that some of my family lives on off the coast, east of Brisbane. 

I wanted this song, out of all the songs I’ve written so far, to be a celebration of our love and I couldn’t think of a more honest and authentic way to do that. 

You have a signature guitar coming out, is that right? Why is it different/special?

Yes I do! It’s a Cole Clark ‘Majelen’ Signature Series - it features the usual acoustic pickup system that Cole Clark Guitars are famous for, as well as a humbucker mounted into the face of the guitar with it’s own output and tone and volume pots. My guitar also has the option of adding a third pickup that I use for a stomp sound - I don’t have a stomp box that I play with my feet, I use the palm of my hand to keep the stomp going and so my guitar has ended out with three separate outputs: Acoustic, electric and stomp. 

Also Cole Clark Guitars are like 97% sustainably created, which is awesome. Mine is made from Blackwood - a super strong, great sounding and also very sustainable Australian timber.  

You're currently on tour! What's your favourite part of touring?

My favourite part of touring is having an excuse to travel to new places I’ve not been to before! I love seeing something new and learning more about our little country and planet. 

I also get to meet people who come to my shows from all over the place, which is really cool. We also meet people in the most random of places who stop us on the street to say hi because they’ve been following along on our journey - it’s a very humbling experience and it’s so so nice to know that my music is actually resonating with people. I’m very grateful for everyone’s support, from the tiny towns to the big cities. 

What else can we expect from you this year?

I have a bunch more music in the works, and this time it’s going to sound a little different. I’m also an audio engineer and I’ve decided to record, mix and master it all on the road in the bus. I like the idea of creating something unique and I want to tell my story as authentically as possible - so I figure that’s the best way to do it! 

I’m pretty excited by how it’s all coming together so far and the first music video has already been filmed… it turned into a very funny and pretty illegally ridiculous family situation. But more on that later. 

I’ve also got another month of shows here in Australia in August, and I’ve got shows planned for the UK and Europe throughout the rest of the year too!

Malejen’s debut album, ‘Stuck With You’, is out now on all streaming services. To celebrate its release, she’s going on tour. Find details below.

Malejen Australian Tour

16th March - Sydney, NSW | Lazybones - Tickets

21st March - Canberra, ACT | Smith’s Alternative - Tickets.

29th March - Nowra, NSW | House Concert - Tickets

1st May 2025 - Avoca Beach, NSW | Avoca Beach Theatre - Tickets

15th - 18th May - Broadbeach, QLD | Blues On Broadbeach - Tickets

23rd May - Brisbane, QLD | The Cave Inn - Tickets