Jessica Mauboy Exits Warner Music to Launch Her Own Indie Label
Jessica Mauboy has taken a significant step in her career by going independent. She has launched her own label, Jamally, in collaboration with DistroDirect.
This marks a pivotal moment for the ARIA-winning artist, as she will be releasing music outside the major label framework for the first time. With Jamally, Mauboy gains complete control over her creative endeavors, allowing her to manage everything from recording to marketing on her own terms.
In her own words, she describes this as “the start of a new chapter for me – not just as a singer or performer, but as a storyteller and businesswoman too.”
To mark her transition into the independent music scene, Mauboy has released the single “While I Got Time,” a collaboration with her longtime partner PJ Harding.
The new track is featured on the Seven network’s Home and Away, accompanying the emotional farewell of Irene Roberts, portrayed by Lynne McGranger, who is a 2025 Gold Logie nominee.
In this song, she expresses: “It’s easy losing faith when you’re counting down the days. But I step into the great unknown with only love and grace.”
Mauboy is undergoing a transformative period in her life, following her split with WMA in 2024, welcoming her baby daughter Mia in January, and launching her beauty brand, Desert Rose, in March. She describes the creation of Jamally as a natural progression, emphasizing its importance in allowing her to collaborate with trusted partners and pursue her passions.
Just under five years have gone by since Mauboy joined Warner Music Australia, marking the end of her long-standing relationship with Sony Music.
During her time with WMA, she released her fifth studio album, Yours Forever, in February 2024. This album garnered multiple ARIA Award nominations, including Best Pop Release and Song of the Year for “Give You Love.”
Mauboy rose to fame after finishing second on the 2006 season of Australian Idol, where she competed against Damien Leith.
Since then, she has achieved seven top 10 albums on the ARIA charts and secured 16 top 20 singles, accumulating over 200 million streams worldwide and earning two ARIA Awards.
Notably, she made history in 2016 as the first Indigenous Australian solo artist to debut at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart with The Secret Daughter (Songs From The Original TV Series). She again topped the charts with her 2019 release, HILDA.
The Darwin-born musician represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018 with “We Got Love” and led the country’s efforts at the Paris Olympic Games with the team song “Higher,” performed in Paris.
She is set to perform “While I Got Time” at the 2025 National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) on Saturday, August 9th, presented by YouTube. That night, she will also be recognized for her significant contributions to music and culture with her induction into the NIMA Hall of Fame.
