Jem Cassar-Daley Announces Debut Album tattoos used to come off in the pool
After several years establishing herself as one of Australia’s most exciting emerging singer-songwriters, Jem Cassar-Daley is finally ready to unveil her debut album.
The Brisbane-born, Sydney-based artist has announced that tattoos used to come off in the pool will be released on August 28, marking the arrival of a record years in the making.
While the timing never quite felt right to release a full-length project, Cassar-Daley spent the intervening years steadily building her reputation through a string of acclaimed singles and award wins, cementing her place as one of the country’s most promising new voices.
Growth sits at the heart of the album, with the collection exploring adulthood, relationships and the way life’s experiences shape identity. Drawing from both personal experiences and the lives of those around her, Cassar-Daley wraps those stories in a distinctive brand of indie-pop that’s equally intimate, melodic and emotionally resonant.
“A song can be like a tattoo,” Cassar-Daley says. “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 anymore. That’s what growth’s about.
“I feel totally connected to this album. That was really important leading into a debut album, knowing that this is going to be a body of work that is me. If I reflect in 15 or 20 years’ time, I’ll know that it came from this period of my life, and that I had total control over it.”
The announcement arrives alongside new single ‘All I’m Thinking About’, following previous releases ‘Cliches’, ‘Speak Now’ and ‘Cool Girl’.
The track explores the uncomfortable curiosity that can arise when learning about a partner’s past.
“This song was inspired by finding out about your partner’s ex and wanting to know more about them,” she explains. “Wondering how and why they broke up, going for a little stalk of their Instagram and developing a bit of an obsession.
“I wrote this song with Shannen James and Michael De Lorenzis (Msquared), and we had so much fun in the session. I’ve always wanted to write a song with a monotonous and driving chorus melody, so it was awesome to finally make that happen.”
Following an appearance at BIGSOUND 2026, Cassar-Daley will embark on a national headline tour throughout September, beginning in Perth before travelling to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and finishing in her hometown of Brisbane.
Since making her recording debut in 2021, Cassar-Daley has emerged as one of Australia’s most decorated young artists. A proud Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung woman, she won NIMA New Talent of the Year and Queensland Music Awards Indigenous Artist of the Year in 2022 before collecting Best Pop and Song of the Year honours at the Queensland Music Awards in both 2024 and 2026. Her song ‘King of Disappointment’ also claimed Song of the Year at the AIR Music Awards.
Her growing profile has seen her share stages with Busby Marou, Kita Alexander, King Stingray, Thelma Plum, Peter Garrett, Tina Arena, Tim Finn and Dan Sultan. She has also delivered sold-out headline tours across the past three years, performed on the ABC’s nationally televised New Year’s Eve celebrations from the Sydney Opera House and most recently appeared at Vivid LIVE 2026 following a support slot with Jessica Mauboy.
Despite the accolades, Cassar-Daley says storytelling remains the foundation of everything she creates.
“Behind all of the production and at the end of the day, each song is just a story in different outfits,” she says. “Whether there’s an 808 or it’s totally stripped back, every song starts on either piano or guitar. The common thread through it all is stories I’ve connected to and then brought to life.”
With tattoos used to come off in the pool, Cassar-Daley delivers what she describes as her “most vulnerable, purest and proudest” work to date—a debut that arrives after years of careful preparation rather than rushing to meet expectations. For an artist whose career has steadily gathered momentum, the wait may prove to have been worthwhile.
JEM CASSAR-DALEY HEADLINE TOUR
TICKET INFORMATION HERE
THU 17 SEP – FOUR5NINE, PERTH, WA
FRI 18 SEP – JIVE, ADELAIDE, SA
SAT 19 SEP – NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB, MELBOURNE, VIC
SUN 20 SEP – ROMA ST PARKLANDS, BRISBANE, QLD *Missy Higgins Support
FRI 25 SEP – THE LANSDOWNE, SYDNEY, NSW
SAT 26 SEP – THE BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE, QLD