He's shared stages with Ed Sheeran, performed with Kylie Minogue and had Dianne Warren write the closing track, "Even At My Worst," on his debut album. Now Budjerah is adding another iconic Australian name to his story, and this one comes with a wide brim.

The Bundjalung singer and proud Coodjinburra man has fronted a campaign for Akubra, the 150-year-old Australian hat maker, wearing the Slim Dusty model from the brand's Heritage collection.

Named after one of Australia's most beloved country music legends, the hat has found a new custodian in a young man who understands what it represents.

"To me, Akubra definitely represents the strength of Australians," Budjerah said.

"Hard workers, drovers. That's what I saw my uncles doing when I was younger. It represents that strength and resilience that Australia embodies."

That connection to country runs deep. Budjerah grew up in the NSW North Coast town of Fingal Head and spent stretches of his childhood visiting his mother's family in Brewarrina, western New South Wales, where his uncles worked the land in Akubras and, as he puts it, "got to be a cowboy for a couple of weeks of the year".

When those same uncles visited recently and saw the hat, the reaction said everything.

"They all thought it was cool. I felt so cool with my Akubra on," the 24-year-old said.

Akubra CEO Natalie Culina says the partnership was a natural one.

"Budjerah is the perfect representative of the Slim Dusty hat," she said. "Grounded, authentic and connected to place, just as Slim was in his time."

It's a significant year for Akubra, its 150th anniversary.

In the past 12 months, Akubra has released more new hat styles than it has in the past two decade, including the brand's first straw hat range. The expansion extends to coastal stores with openings in Bondi, Byron Bay and Noosa.

At Akubra, making hats is not rushed. Each hat takes six weeks, passing through 60 pairs of hands across 162 steps at its Kempsey factory in regional NSW. Budjerah operates the same way.

Budjerah's debut album Gentleman, out 24 July, was four years in the making, built around the idea of a young man stepping into who he always knew he could be.

The centrepiece is a suit, custom made, the kind of clothes he used to save for special occasions. Now, the moment he puts it on, the suit transforms a shy kid from Fingal Head into a performer.

"It's like putting on a costume and putting on a character," he said.

"I have a guy in my head that I want to be. I want to be the gentleman, he's so cool and confident. When I put on that outfit and go on stage, that's who I am."

Come July, that gentleman might be wearing something extra.

"I'll probably wear this hat on stage with my suit too, I think," Budjerah said, referring to the black Akubra Big Sky hat wore during an interview with this masthead.

"It's like Garth Brooks, you know? He wore a hat this style, a black hat. So, I feel like Garth Brooks."

Budjerah is already planning the outfit.

"I've got a nice black suit, I think it'll go well with it," he said.

A suit for a gentleman, a stage, and an Akubra. Something tells us Slim Dusty would approve.