Busby Marou (pronounced buz-bee ma-roo) are an Australian musical duo consisting of Thomas Busby and Jeremy Marou, from Rockhampton, Queensland. At the APRA Music Awards of 2012, the duo won "Blues & Roots Work of the Year" category for their single "Biding My Time", and they have gone on to win several other awards.

In 2007, Thomas Busby and Jeremy Marou met in Rockhampton. Jeremy is of Torres Strait Islander heritage, and both performers come from musical families.^[1] With similar musical interests, the two combined to perform and write music under the name Busby Marou.

Busby Marou's debut EP, The Blue Road, was recorded at Pete Murray's personal studios in Byron Bay and produced by Anthony Lycenko who had worked with artists such as Murray, David Bowie and Shifter.^[2][3] The EP had a limited release. Busby Marou supported Pete Murray during the Toowoomba leg of his 2008 Australian Tour.^[4]

In 2009 saw the duo as one of five successful applicants for "Breakthrough" – A Federal Government initiative supporting emerging indigenous contemporary musicians. The award assisted in the production of the band's debut, self-titled album, which was released in August 2010.^[5][6][7]

In September 2010 at the Deadly Awards 2010 Busby Marou won the award for "Most Promising New Talent".^[8]

Late in 2010, Busby Marou featured on the He Will Have His Way – Finn Brothers Tribute Album.^[9] The album went Gold within a month of release. Their contribution was a cover of "Better Be Home Soon".^[10] On 12 February 2011, Busby Marou performed at the Rugby League All Stars match at the Gold Coast.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011, Busby Marou were signed to Warner Music Australia's indie imprint, Footstomp Records, and in June 2011, re-released their debut, self-titled album.^{[citation needed]}

In October 2013, Busby Marou released their second studio album, Farewell Fitzroy which debuted at number 5 on the ARIA charts. In May and June 2014, the duo supported James Blunt for the Australian leg of his Moon Landing World Tour. In October 2014, "Days of Gold" became their first charting single, debuting at 82.^{[citation needed]}

In February 2017, Busby Marou released their third studio album, Postcards from the Shell House, which debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.^{[citation needed]}

2019, saw Busby Marou release album The Great Divide. The album featured ambient sounds and traditional music recorded by the duo when they visited Mer Island in the Torres Strait Island region. While there they listed to stories from the community regarding the impacts of climate change on the area and how it's affecting Torres Strait Islanders.^[11]

In October 2020, the band performed at the 2020 AFL Grand Final.^[12]

In March 2023, Busby Marou announced the forthcoming release of Blood Red.^[13] The album was their fifth studio album, and was released in July 2023.^[14][15]

Their musical influences include elements of Crowded House, Elvis Presley, Pearl Jam and Willie Nelson.^[2] Busby has said that Paul Kelly and John Farnham provided him with inspiration, while Marou says that his love for music stems from his Torres Strait Islander culture, in which "everyone's self-taught and there's three, four, five-piece harmonies everywhere you go". The music of the islands has also played a big part in the development of Busby Marou's style.^[16]

The duo have never been overtly political, and do not talk about social issues in their concerts, but have spoken up in favour of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the run-up to the referendum on the Voice on 14 October 2023. They performed alongside Bernard Fanning at a Yes campaign rally in Brisbane.^[16]