Jem Cassar-DaleyI still remember where I was when I heard Cool Girl from Jem Cassar-Daley for the first time.
Released only a month ago, the track has an indie, pacey bop reminiscent of Sabrina Carpenter's House Tour, rounded out by an acoustic touch that is truly Taylor Swift-coded. No, really.
The instant hit demonstrates Cassar-Daley’s ability to draw inspiration from a range of mediums, with her clever lyricism and storytelling taking you instantly to the scene she creates.
If the name and talent ring familiar, it is because she is the daughter of Indigenous Australian country music artist and songwriter Troy Cassar-Daley, and we can indeed confirm that the art of storytelling is woven well into this family fabric.
Today sees the Brisbane artist announcing the release of her debut record, tattoos used to come off in the pool, and it's a coming-of-age record that builds on the momentum of Cool Girl with an even deeper edge.
Arriving on August 28th, the name of the nine-track album is a nod to a younger Cassar-Daley who loved temporary tattoos but hated that they would wash off in the pool, and now that she is older, those tattoos don’t wash away. After all, with age comes bigger experiences, but perhaps more vulnerability.
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“A song can be like a tattoo,” Cassar-Daley explains. “It can represent a time in your life that should be looked on with fond eyes, even though it may be from a period you don’t resonate with any more. That’s what growth’s about.”
“With age comes responsibility and growing up. A lot of the album points to growing up and coming of age. It’s a bit of that project for me – I have written it over some pretty formative years of my life. It's all about new experiences, getting older and navigating through life.”
“[The takeaway message] is leading with your heart into new experiences and being open to challenges and new experiences in life,” she adds. “Wearing your heart on your sleeve and trying to face experiences with an open mind.
“It’s stories that my friends have experienced, it's stories from my family, personal experiences… a big tapestry of that, and I think there are a lot of lessons, particularly for those my age who feel alone in what they are going through. We all have so many common experiences in life.”
A proud Gumbaynggirr Bundjalung woman herself, her debut record is the product of five years of grafting, in which she produced a seven-track extended play, 2022’s I Don’t Know Who To Call, and a handful of standalone track, including King Of Disappointment.
Cassar-Daley won an AIR (Australian Independent Record) Award in the Independent Song of the Year for King Of Disappointment, a National Indigenous Music Award for New Talent of the Year (2022), and four Queensland Music Awards across 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026. All before even announcing her debut album and biggest project to date.
“It’s going to be a special couple of months to finally share my debut album that has been waiting in the wings for a really long time,” she explains. “It’s just now feeling right, and it's feeling like it's all falling into place in the right ways.
“It has been such a combination of many experiences over the last few years. I would love people to listen to it from that perspective and with an open mind and heart. I can’t wait for people to hear it.
“Every song is incredibly personal and a real extension of me as a person, and it was a very difficult decision choosing the songs because you are so connected with every song you write,” Cassar-Daley adds. “I know that each one of these has come from a place of a lot of emotion, heartbreak. I hope that people can feel that they are not alone and through these experiences.”
On social media, you will see Cassar-Daley’s Cool Girl as the backing track for posts about breaking free of the constraints of needing to fit in to a system, place or relationship that isn't serving.
The track expertly explores the final monologue from Gone Girl, and the internal struggle of a woman to be the cool girl at the expense of one's own feelings and pride.
Although, her recent Like A Version performance might also be hitting your feed, with Cassar-Daley taking on Men At Work’s Who Can It Be, which she performed with Dan Sultan.
In addition to Sultan, Cassar-Daley has had opportunities to work with many heavyweights on the record, including Robby De Sá (The Veronicas, MAY-A), MSquared (Newton Faulkner, Aloe Blacc), Ethan Reginato (Meg Mac, The Avalanches), and Garrett Kato (Budjerah, Tones And I).
“Working with artists that I have idolised since I was a young girl is never lost on me, and honestly, I have had a lot of crazy ‘pinch me’ moments that I still haven’t comprehended even happened,” she explains.
“I just know that the humility of artists who have done so much incredible work but still remain so supportive of young artists coming through and give them the space.”
“Even Dan [Sultan] who is a massive supporter of my music, and it's really, really special to know that someone I have looked up to as a musician and human being for such a long time supports people who are coming through,” she adds.
“Because it can feel like you are a little bit alone with the writing process and doing things like that. As a solo artist, you do a lot of things with a very limited number of people involved; it feels beautiful to feel that support from other musicians who I absolutely idolise,” she said.
While tattoos used to come off in the pool is set to arrive on August 28th, Cassar-Daley will truly be ensuring her banner year is penned in indelible ink, with a national run of tour dates launching in September, just after she makes an appearance at BIGSOUND in Brisbane that same month.
Pre-orders for her debut album are available now, with tickets to her forthcoming Australian tour also on sale now.
Jem Cassar-Daley – tattoos used to come off in the pool
Debut Album Tour
Thursday, September 17th – four5nine, Perth, WA
Friday, September 18th – Jive, Adelaide, SA
Saturday, September 19th – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, VIC
Friday, September 25th – The Lansdowne, Sydney, NSW
Saturday, September 26th – The Brightside, Brisbane, QLD
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
