Amy Shark | |
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Born | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | 14 May 1986
Other names |
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Occupations |
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Years active | 2007–present |
Spouse | Shane Billings (m. 2013) |
Musical career | |
Genres | Indie pop |
Instruments |
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Labels |
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Website | amyshark |
Amy Louise Billings (born 14 May 1986), known professionally as Amy Shark, is an Australian indie pop singer-songwriter-guitarist and producer from the Gold Coast, Queensland. During 2008 to 2012, her early solo material was released and performed under the name Amy Cushway. Her 2016 single "Adore" peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was also listed at number 2 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2016. Her album Love Monster (July 2018) debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Shark has won 8 ARIA Music Awards from 29 nominations, including winning Best Pop Release three times: in 2017 for her extended play, Night Thinker , 2018 for Love Monster and 2020 for "Everybody Rise".
Amy Shark was born on the Gold Coast in Queensland on 14 May 1986. [1] Her mother, Robyn, remarried and raised Shark on the Gold Coast with her stepfather David Cushway and a younger half-sibling. [1] She is of Hungarian and English descent. [2] She attended Southport State High School, [3] [4] where she performed in theatre, studied film, and played guitar in an all-female punk-band. [1] Also attending that school, was singer-songwriter Ricki-Lee Coulter. [5] Cushway described her first group, Dorothy's Rainbow and Hansel Kissed Gretel, as "'quite thrashy', though it fell apart when its members splintered. 'I kept going, kept writing songs on my acoustic guitar'." [6] [7] [8] Her first job was selling T-shirts at a souvenir shop, Gone Troppo. [9] Shark entered a singing competition in 2007, singing “Baby Shark, doo doo doo” at the behest of her then-boyfriend Shane Billings. [2] [10] She subsequently performed under various names, including Amy Cushway, Amy Billings, and as Little Sleeper. [1] [11]
Amy Shark recorded and performed as Amy Cushway from 2008 to 2012. [12] Her first solo gig was at Burleigh Bears Rugby League Club, where she performed cover versions. [4] Initial solo performances had her singing to an acoustic guitar. [13] In June 2008 Cushway supported gigs by Brianna Carpenter at The Globe and at The Red Brick Hotel, Brisbane. [14] [15] She released her debut extended play, I Thought of You Out Loud, which included the track, "Take Time Take Me", in mid-2008 and performed the EP at solo gigs from July. [16] She later described this EP, "[it] was me not knowing any chords but so emotionally drained that I needed something to lift me up and get my blood flowing again." [17] The singer-songwriter made the finals for the 2008 Q Songs Awards in August with "Take Time Take Me" for the alternative category. [16] She reflected on her writing style, "It's so much easier and more enjoyable to start from scratch with a song and write it exactly how you want. It sounds selfish, but it's just reality [...] I definitely write songs that the typical ear hasn't heard before, the lyrics are honest and relate to all ages. I'm not trying to write songs solely for radio … I want hard hitting pop rock songs that can be played on radio, whilst having the potential to be blasted through stadiums." [18] She derived inspiration from Tegan and Sara, "they find different ways to deliver the meaning of a song with lyrics that don’t necessarily spell it out." [18] In November the artist backed Rhiannon Hart at Island Vibe Festival, South Brisbane. [19]
Cushway's second EP, Love's Not Anorexic, appeared in mid-2009, supported by a national tour from July. [20] The title attracted criticism from community groups, she explained "it was not a personal attack to people suffering from anorexia but a good catchy title." [21] Another EP track, "Cool Kids Die", relates to recent acquaintances of her age group who had died, "It's not fair that they were all decent, polite and cool kids. Life isn't fair sometimes." [18] Christie Eliezer of In Music & Media described the EP, "Her new tracks see her move from delicate acoustic ballads to thunderous beats, as 'Little Overweight for TV' and 'Breathing on Aeroplanes' streaming on [her website] show. Labels are sniffing..." [21] Whereas the artist felt, "[it's] a slightly grown up version of the one before with a splash of garage electric guitar." [17] She made the finals of the 2009 Q Songs with, "Stupid not To", vying for the Q Music Encouragement Award. [22] In November of that year the artist described her early material, "As much as I enjoy writing intricate acoustic ballads, there's nothing better than adding thunderous beats and raw energy to your set." [20] She was living in Varsity Lakes in April 2010 and explained how, "[record companies] did not ask for demos now, but just asked what her MySpace page was." [23] In late 2010 she formed the band, Fly Boy Fly, with collaborator and bassist, Ryan Nash, and drummer, Tom Moore. "A few people put it into my head, if I ever thought of fronting a band." The band's name "was kind of a mixture of things. I'm a little bit obsessed with Peter Pan and The Lost Boys, and my partner Shane is very much into war movies... one night we got out Flyboys... [and] threw around some [band] names and that was one of them. [24] "
Cushway described her third EP, Broadway Gossip (October 2010), [25] "this was me returning home to Australia from the United States and thinking I need to experiment with beats." [17] [26] Cushway's first album, It's a Happy City appeared in March 2012. [17] [27] "It's extremely fun and I recommend it to you, your parents, grandparents or anyone with a pulse" she explained. [17] [27] In early 2012 Billings was her talent manager with Rooftop Artist Management. [17] By December 2016, Shark was no longer using the name Cushway, and material under that name had been deleted from her accounts. [27]
During 2013, the artist started using the stage name, Amy Shark, because Jaws was her favourite film. [6] In February 2014 she independently released a five-track extended play, Nelson. [28] [29] One of its tracks, "Weight of the World", was a finalist at the 2013 Queensland Music Awards in the regional category. [30] She activated a new YouTube account, as Amy Shark Music, in 2014 and issued a single, "Spits on Girls", in July. [31]
Shark released her next self-produced single, "Golden Fleece", in October 2015, originally under the name, Little Sleeper. [7] [11] [32] The singer later explained why she dropped the Little Sleeper name, "I've been in talks with these music supervisors in America ... And they said we'd prefer it if I was playing under the name Amy Shark again." [33] Chris Singh of The AU Review observed, "The song, powerful and penetrating in itself, is given visuals both understated and intense as Little Sleeper stands in darkness with her guitar and is progressively drenched in multi-coloured paint." [11] It won Pop Song of the Year at the Queensland Music Awards in 2016, and Shark embarked on a nationwide tour supporting Sydney band, Tigertown in December. [34] [35] She received a grant from the City of Gold Coast council, which allowed her to work with more popular producers. [9] She later recalled how music industry personnel had told her to quit, "Please stop sending unsolicited material to me, your music is no good and it's not something we would be interested in anyway." [36]
In July 2016, she released her next single, "Adore", with co-production by Shark, M-Phazes and Cam Bluff, [37] in addition to a cover version of Silverchair's "Miss You Love" for Triple J's show Like a Version . [38] "Adore" received significant airplay on Triple J, leading to a bidding war between major labels, which was won by Sony Music Australia. Shark signed with Wonderlick/Sony in November 2016. [39] Two of her earlier singles, "Spits on Girls" and "Golden Fleece", were re-released by Wonderlick/Sony in 2016. [40] [41] "Adore" was listed at number 2 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2016, behind Flume's "Never Be like You". [42] [43] [44]
In March 2017, Shark released "Weekends" followed by another EP, Night Thinker (April), which peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In April she won Artist of the Year and Song of the Year at the Gold Coast Music Awards. [45] In November she was named Apple Music's UpNext artist. [46] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2017 Shark was nominated for 6 awards and won both Best Pop Release and Breakthrough Artist for Night Thinker. [47] She performed "Adore" at the ceremony. [47] On 15 November 2017, she appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden singing "Adore", and performed it again on 13 March 2018 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon .
In March 2018, Shark provided, "Sink In", for the film soundtrack of Love, Simon . [48] The related album, by various artists, debuted at No. 37 on the Billboard 200. [49] The following month, she performed at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony on the Gold Coast, in a duet with Archie Roach and an Indigenous youth choir for a rendition of Roach's "Let Love Rule". [50] [51]
On 11 April 2018, Shark premiered a single, "I Said Hi", on Triple J before releasing it the following day. [52] It received unpaid promotion by comedians, and digital radio show hosts, Luke and Lewis using posters, megaphone and a large home-made sign hung up next to the Fox FM Melbourne station logo. [53] That promotion captured the attention of the singer-songwriter who displayed it on her own Instagram account. [54] [55] "I Said Hi" peaked at number 6 on the ARIA charts.
Shark's album, Love Monster , was released on 13 July 2018 [56] and it debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Charts. The album provided four additional singles, including "Mess Her Up" (March 2019). At the ARIA Music Awards of 2018, the artist won four ARIA Music Awards, with Album of the Year, Best Pop Release and Best Female Artist for Love Monster, and Producer of the Year for Dann Hume and M-Phazes work on "I Said Hi". [47] She was the most nominated artist and equal highest winner in that year. [47]
At the ARIA ceremony, Shark's acceptance speech for Album of the Year included her thanks to "the people who helped make her album. Her producers, her management and the fans." Also attending was her label boss, Denis Handlin, however, "she didn’t thank Handlin, or the Sony label." [57] She had acknowledged them in earlier speeches. [57] According to The Sydney Morning Herald's Nathanael Cooper, "[Handlin] was furious she hadn’t thanked him or Sony in her speech for the major award." [57] Furthermore, Shark was "required to be in the office early the next morning to publicly apologise for failing to thank" him and the label. [57]
Shark promoted Love Monster during 2019 on her Regional Australia Tour. In December 2019, the Chainsmokers' single, "The Reaper", featured Shark on vocals. [58] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, she received four more nominations. [47]
For her latest album, Amy Shark worked with Ed Sheeran, [59] Diplo, [60] Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, [60] and the Chainsmokers. On 16 February 2020, Shark performed at the Fire Fight Australia fund-raising relief concert in Sydney for the effects of the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season. [61] Her live performance of "I Said Hi" appeared on the related album by various artists, Artists Unite for Fire Fight: Concert for National Bushfire Relief (12 March 2020). [62] Thomas Bleach observed that she was, "euphorically telling the world that Australia says hi and thank you for all the support that has been given." [62]
On 6 March 2020, Shark announced a management deal with Redlight's Will Botwin for international markets while husband, Shane Billings continued to manage her for the local market. [63] On 23 October 2020, Shark released a single "C'mon" featuring blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. [64] Alexander Pan of Tone Deaf observed, "[it's] a thumping power-pop ballad that's got a considerable amount of weight behind it." [64] Two days later she performed at the 2020 NRL Grand Final at Stadium Australia, Sydney. [65] At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards, she won Best Pop Release for her single, "Everybody Rise" (June 2020)—marking the third time she'd received the award. [66] Shark performed the track live at the ceremony. [67] She also performed as part of an all-female ensemble, singing "I Am Woman", in honour of Helen Reddy (1941–2020). [68] At the ceremony, she also won the public-voted category, Best Australian Live Act for her Regional Tour during 2019. [66]
On 4 December 2020, Shark announced her second studio album for Sony, Cry Forever , which was released on 30 April 2021. [69] Shark released the single "All the Lies About Me", alongside the album's announcement and additionally announced a national headline tour for mid-2021. [69] Shark revealed the album's track listing in an interview with Rolling Stone Australia ' Tyler Jenke on the same day. [70]
"Love Songs Ain't for Us", featuring Australian country musician Keith Urban, was released on 19 February 2021 as the album's fourth single. The song was co-written with English singer Ed Sheeran. [71] At the APRA Music Awards of 2022 it won Most Performed Country Work. [72] On 19 March 2021, Shark appeared on Triple J's Like a Version segment, performing a cover of Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down" alongside a performance of her original track "Baby Steps" (marking her debut live performance of the song). [73]
Shark appeared as a contestant on the sixth season of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia from May to June 2022, she finished in the top 4. [74] [75] The singer released "Sway My Way", a cover version of Bic Runga's "Sway", with R3HAB in July 2022. [76] [77] She released her solo single, "Only Wanna Be with You", in October 2022. [78] Shark was a judge for the 2023 reboot of Australian Idol on the Seven Network, [79] [80] and the 2024 season. [81] She supported Coldplay's gigs in Perth, Australia in mid-November 2023. [82] [83]
Shark's third studio album Sunday Sadness was released on 9 August 2024.
Amy Shark's birth father separated from her mother, Robyn, when Shark was "just a baby, one or two". [1] Upon the success of "Adore", Shark replied to her birth father's attempt to re-establish contact, "Haven't heard from my father in 15 years until now. It must suck knowing ur daughter got all this way on her very own! Now beat it! I'm busy." [1] Of her stepfather, David Cushway, she recalled "I used to call him Dave and I remember the day I said to Mum, 'Do you think I could call Dave "Dad"?' She cried. She said, 'Why don't you go and ask him?' So I went and asked him, and he cried. I was only young but I remember it really well." [1] Early recordings were credited to Amy Cushway (2008–2012). [12] [20]
In 2007 Shark met Shane Billings (born ca. 1983or1984), [2] a New Zealand-born Gold Coast financial manager; they married on 11 May 2013. [1] Her written material is credited to Amy Louise Billings. [12] [84] The couple worked with the local National Rugby League football club, Gold Coast Titans: Shark as a video editor and Shane managing finances. [1] [2] She left that job in November 2016. [28] Shane was also Shark's talent manager until she signed with Jaddan Comerford of UNIFIED Music Group, [85] and continued as her manager for the local market. [63] The couple were residents of Broadbeach Waters. They relocated to Sydney by 2021. [86]
In September 2021 Shane founded Rage More Records as a talent management company and recording label. [87] The label's first release is a single "I'm not Giving Up" (September 2021) by IndyAnna Baby, [88] which is co-written by Shark with that artist. [87] Shark cancelled a proposed American tour set for September 2023 due to hospitalisation for an unspecified illness in early August. [89] The artist described having felt discomfort before seeking medical assistance and was due to undergo surgery with a month for recovery. [89] [90] By late September the singer performed at El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles. [91]
Studio albums
Headlining
Supporting
The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987. Amy Shark has won 8 awards from 32 nominations; [47] at the 2018 ceremony she received 9 nominations and won 4, heading up the leader board for the year. [47]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Night Thinker | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
Best Female Artist | Nominated | |||
Best Pop Release | Won | |||
Breakthrough Artist | Won | |||
"Drive You Mad" | Best Video | Nominated | ||
"Adore" | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
2018 | Love Monster | Album of the Year | Won | |
Best Female Artist | Won | |||
Best Pop Release | Won | |||
"I Said Hi" | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
Nicholas Waterman for "I Said Hi" | Best Video | Nominated | ||
Love Monster Tour | Best Australian Live Act | Nominated | ||
Steve Wyper for Love Monster | Best Cover Art | Nominated | ||
Dann Hume & M Phazes for "I Said Hi" | Engineer of the Year | Nominated | ||
Producer of the Year | Won | |||
2019 | "Mess Her Up" | Best Female Artist | Nominated | |
Best Pop Release | Nominated | |||
Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
Amy Shark Australian Tour | Best Australian Live Act | Nominated | ||
2020 | "Everybody Rise" | Best Female Artist | Nominated | [66] |
Best Pop Release | Won | |||
Amy Shark Regional Tour | Best Australian Live Act | Won | ||
2021 | Cry Forever | Album of the Year | Nominated | [92] |
Best Artist | Nominated | |||
Best Pop Release | Nominated | |||
Cry Forever Tour 2021 | Best Australian Live Act | Nominated | ||
"Love Songs Ain't for Us" (featuring Keith Urban) | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
James Chappell for Amy Shark – "Love Songs Ain't for Us" | Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
M-Phazes for Amy Shark – Cry Forever | Producer of the Year | Nominated | ||
2022 | See U Somewhere Australia Tour 2022 | Best Australian Live Act | Nominated | [93] |
2023 | "Can I Shower at Yours" | Best Pop Release | Nominated | [94] |
Mitch Green for Amy Shark – "Can I Shower at Yours" | Best Video | Nominated | ||
"Sway My Way" (with R3hab) | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
2024 | Sunday Sadness | Album of the Year | Nominated | [95] |
Best Pop Release | Nominated | |||
Best Solo Artist | Nominated | |||
"Beautiful Eyes" - Amy Shark, Marcario De Souza | Best Video | Nominated |
The APRA Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) to recognise composing and song writing skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Shark was nominated for three categories at the 2018 APRA Awards [96] and at the 2019 awards. [97]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | "Adore" (Amy Billings p.k.a. Amy Shark, Mark Landon p.k.a. M-Phazes) | Song of the Year | Nominated | [98] |
2018 | Pop Work of the Year | Won | [99] | |
Most Played Australian Work | Nominated | [100] | ||
"Weekends" (Amy Billings p.k.a. Amy Shark) | Song of the Year | Nominated | [101] | |
2019 | "I Said Hi" (Amy Billings p.k.a. Amy Shark) | Pop Work of the Year | Won | [102] |
Most Played Australian Work | Nominated | |||
Song of the Year | Won | |||
2020 | "All Loved Up" (Amy Billings p.k.a. Amy Shark, Jack Antonoff) | Most Performed Pop Work of the Year | Nominated | [103] [104] |
2021 | "Everybody Rise" (Amy Billings p.k.a. Amy Shark and Joel Little) | Song of the Year | Nominated | [105] |
Most Performed Pop Work | Nominated | |||
2022 | "C'Mon" (with Travis Barker) | Most Performed Alternative Work | Nominated | [106] [72] |
"Love Songs Ain't for Us" (with Keith Urban) | Most Performed Country Work | Won | ||
2024 | "Can I Shower At Yours" (Amy Billings p.k.a. Amy Shark) | Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [107] |
"Only Wanna Be With You" (Amy Billings p.k.a. Amy Shark), Grant Averill, Joseph Spargur) | Most Performed Australian Work | Nominated | [108] | |
Most Performed Pop Work | Nominated |
The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the Australian Music Industry who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Amy Shark | Breakthrough Artist Award | Won | [109] |
The Country Music Awards of Australia is an annual awards night typically held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They commenced in 1973.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | "Love Songs Ain't for Us" (feat. Keith Urban) | (unknown) | Nominated | [110] |
(unknown) | Nominated |
The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Love Monster | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated | [111] |
The Logie Awards is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine TV Week.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Amy Shark | Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent | Won | [112] |
The MTV Europe Music Awards is an award presented by Viacom International Media Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | herself | Best Australian Act | Nominated | [113] |
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Amy Shark | Live Act of the Year | Nominated | [114] [115] |
Best New Act of the Year | Won | |||
Live Pop Act of the Year | Nominated | |||
Best Live Voice of the Year - People's Choice | Nominated | |||
Queensland Live Voice of the Year | Won | |||
2018 | Amy Shark | Live Pop Act of the Year | Nominated | [116] [117] |
International Live Achievement (Solo) | Nominated | |||
Best Live Voice of the Year - People's Choice | Nominated | |||
Queensland Live Voice of the Year | Won | |||
2019 | Amy Shark | Live Pop Act of the Year | Nominated | [118] [119] |
2023 | Amy Shark | Best Pop Act | Nominated | [120] |
The Queensland Music Awards (known as Q Song Awards until 2010) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006. [121]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | "Take Time Take Me" (Amy Cushway) | Alternative Song of the Year | Nominated | [122] |
2009 | "Stupid not To" (Amy Cushway) | Q Music Encouragement | Nominated | [22] |
2013 | "Weight of the World" | Regional Song of the Year | Nominated | [30] |
2016 | "Golden Fleece" | Pop Song of the Year | Won | [34] |
2017 | "Adore" | Song of the Year | Won | [123] |
Pop Song of the Year | Won | |||
Regional Song of the Year | Won | |||
2018 | herself | Export Achievement Award | awarded | [124] |
Singer Songwriter | Won | |||
"Adore" | Highest Selling Single of the Year | Won | ||
"Weekends" | Pop Song of the Year | Won | ||
Regional Song of the Year | Won | |||
2019 | "I Said Hi" | Highest Selling Single | Won | [125] |
Love Monster | Highest Selling Album | Won | ||
Amy Shark | Singer Songwriter | Won | ||
2020 | "Mess Her Up" | Highest Selling Single | Won | [126] |
2021 | "Everybody Rise" | Highest Selling Single | Won | [127] [128] |
2022 | Cry Forever | Highest Selling Album | Won | [129] |
2023 | "Sway My Way" by Amy Shark & R3HAB | Highest Selling Single | Won | [130] |
The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. [131]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Cry Forever | Best Record | Nominated | [132] |
"Baby Steps" | Best Single | Won | ||
2023 | "Only Wanna Be with You" | Best Single | Nominated | [133] |
2024 | "Can I Shower At Yours?" | Best Single | Nominated | [134] |
The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by Albert Music and APRA AMCOS. It commenced in 2009. [135]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | "Adore" | Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition | 1st | [136] |
Matthew John Corby is an Australian singer-songwriter. He achieved his commercial breakthrough with his fourth EP, Into the Flame (2011), which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and by April 2012, was certified 6× Platinum by ARIA. His 2011 single "Brother" and his 2013 single "Resolution" both won ARIA Music Awards for Song of the Year. Corby has released three studio albums, Telluric (2016), Rainbow Valley (2018) and Everything's Fine(2023).
Daniel Leo Sultan is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, actor and author. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 he won Best Male Artist and Best Blues & Roots Album for his second album, Get Out While You Can. At the 2014 ceremony he won Best Rock Album for Blackbird, which had reached number four on the ARIA Albums Chart. In 2017, Sultan's record Killer was nominated for three ARIA awards: Best Male Artist, Best Rock Album, and Best Independent Release. Sultan's debut children's music album Nali & Friends was named Best Children's Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019.
Mark Landon, better known by his stage name M-Phazes, is an Australian-born producer based in LA. He has produced records for Logic, Demi Lovato, Madonna, Eminem, Kehlani, Zara Larsson, Remi Wolf, Kiiara, Noah Cyrus, and Cautious Clay. He produced and wrote Eminem’s “Bad Guy” off 2015's Grammy Winner for Best Rap Album of the Year The Marshall Mathers LP 2. He produced and wrote “Sober” by Demi Lovato, “playinwitme” by KYLE ft. Kehlani, “Adore” by Amy Shark, “I Got So High That I Saw Jesus” by Noah Cyrus, and “Painkiller” by Ruel ft Denzel Curry.
Courtney Melba Barnett is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for her deadpan singing style and witty, rambling lyrics, she attracted attention with the release of her debut EP I've Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris in 2012. International interest came with the release of her EP The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas in 2013.
Thelma Amelina Plumbe, known professionally as Thelma Plum, is an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician from Delungra, New South Wales. Her debut album, Better in Blak, was released on 30 July 2019 and peaked at number 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Ngaire Laun Joseph, known by her stage name Ngaiire, is a Papua New Guinea-born Australian-based R&B and future soul singer-songwriter. Her musical career commenced in 2003 with an enrollment in a bachelor of Jazz Studies at the Central Queensland University (CQU). In 2004, she competed in the second season of Australian Idol, where she competed as a semi-finalist but did not make it to the final 12 singers. She then worked with Blue King Brown and Paul Mac as a session vocalist before re-focusing on her solo career in 2008.
Gang of Youths are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 2012. Since 2020, the group consists of David Le'aupepe on lead vocals, rhythm guitar and piano, Max Dunn on bass guitar, Jung Kim on guitar and keyboards, Donnie Borzestowski on drums and Tom Hobden on violin, rhythm guitar and keyboards. They relocated to England in 2017. Founding member Joji Malani, on lead guitar and backing vocals, left them in 2019 to return to Australia. The band's debut studio album, The Positions (2015), received multiple ARIA Award nominations and peaked at number five on the Australian albums chart. It provided the single "Magnolia", which has been described as their breakthrough hit and was certified platinum in 2018.
Julia Jacklin is an Australian singer-songwriter from the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. Jacklin's musical style has been described as indie pop, indie folk, and alternative country. She has released three studio albums, Don't Let the Kids Win (2016), Crushing (2019) and Pre Pleasure (2022). Jacklin has also performed with the band Phantastic Ferniture, with whom she released the debut single "Fuckin 'n' Rollin" and a self-titled album in 2018, followed by subsequent singles.
Tash Sultana is an Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music producer, described as a "one-person band". Sultana rose to international prominence with their 2016 single "Jungle", which was voted into third place in Triple J's Hottest 100 countdown of 2016. The following year, Sultana had three songs voted into Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2017; "Mystik" placing at number 28, "Murder to the Mind" at number 43, and their Like a Version cover of MGMT's "Electric Feel" at number 78.
Alexandra Lahey is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has released three full length albums: I Love You Like a Brother (2017), The Best of Luck Club (2019) and The Answer Is Always Yes (2023).
"Adore" is a song written and recorded by Australian singer-songwriter Amy Shark. It was released independently and digitally on 26 July 2016 and re-released in November 2016 after signing with Sony Music Australia. It received heavy airplay on Triple J and quickly gained traction with other more mainstream radio stations in early 2017.
All Our Exes Live in Texas is an Australian folk group, consisting of Hannah Crofts, Georgia Mooney, Elana Stone and Katie Wighton . The four artists combined at an O Brother Where Art Thou show in 2014. The group name was chosen from a George Strait song to be funny and ironic.
Night Thinker is the fifth extended play (EP) by Australian alternative pop singer-songwriter Amy Shark. It was released on 21 April 2017 and peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2017, Night Thinker was nominated in four categories, winning Best Pop Release and Breakthrough Artist – Release.
Dean Lewis Grant Loaney is an Australian pop singer and songwriter, known professionally as Dean Lewis. Lewis is best known for his 2016 single "Waves", which has been certified 7× platinum in Australia, his 2022 single "How Do I Say Goodbye", which achieved worldwide popularity on social media and has been certified gold or platinum in over ten countries, and his 2018 single "Be Alright", which reached number one in Australia and was certified platinum within four weeks of release, eventually reaching 11× platinum in Australia and multi-platinum worldwide, including double platinum in the United States.
Grace Kathleen Elizabeth Shaw, known professionally as Mallrat, is an Australian musician, singer, and rapper from Brisbane. Mallrat has released three EPs: Uninvited (2016), In the Sky (2018) and Driving Music (2019). She also released her full-length debut studio album titled Butterfly Blue (2022) in May 2022 to critical acclaim. In 2019, her tracks "Groceries" and "UFO" placed at number 7 and 70, respectively, in the 2018 Triple J Hottest 100, in 2020, "Charlie" and "Nobody's Home" placed at number 3 and 59, respectively, in the 2019 Triple J Hottest 100 and in 2021, "Rockstar" placed 13 in the 2020 Triple J Hottest 100.
Sampa Tembo, known professionally as Sampa the Great, is a Zambian singer, rapper and songwriter. Between 2014 and 2020, she was based in Australia. Her debut solo album, The Return, peaked at No. 12 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019 she won Best Hip Hop Release for her second single, "Final Form". In the following year she won the same category for The Return, as well as Best Female Artist and Best Independent Release. In March 2020 Sampa became the first artist to win the Australian Music Prize twice: for Birds and the Bee9 and The Return. The artist was based back in Zambia from late 2020, where she issued her second studio album, As Above, So Below.
Toni Watson, known professionally as Tones and I, is an Australian singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is best known for her breakout single "Dance Monkey", which reached number one in over 30 countries including her home country Australia. In 2019–20, "Dance Monkey" completed 24 weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart, beating Bing Crosby's all-time Australian record for his version of "White Christmas", which spent an equivalent of 22 weeks at the top in 1943. "Dance Monkey" was certified 19× platinum by ARIA for shipments of over 1,330,000 units by June 2023.
"Everybody Rise" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Amy Shark. The song was released digitally on 18 June 2020 as the lead single from Shark's forthcoming second studio album, Cry Forever. An acoustic version was released on 7 August 2020.
Miiesha Elizabeth Rose Young, known mononymously as Miiesha, is an Australian singer-songwriter from the Aboriginal community of Woorabinda, Queensland. She was the recipient of New Talent of the Year at the 2020 National Indigenous Music Awards and won the ARIA Award for Best Soul/R&B Release at the 2020 ARIA Music Awards.
She's been recording music with the likes of Diplo and Billy Corgan."