The Brisbane singer-songwriter Sycco has become the first person to win Song of the Year and the Pop Award back-to-back at the state’s revered Queensland Music Awards.
Disclaimer: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article may contain images of deceased persons.
Key points:
- The Queensland Music Awards celebrated the state’s best musicians last night
- Brisbane indie rock band The Jungle Giants won Album of the Year, Sycco won Pop and Song of the Year
- Dennis ‘Mop’ Conlan of Mop & The Dropouts Received QMusic Lifetime Achievement Award
Sycco, real name Sasha McLeod, picked up the accolades for her hit single My Ways at the awards show at Fortitude Music Hall last night, the same two awards she won in 2021.
After winning Song of the Year, Sycco said she couldn’t believe it saying she didn’t think it was a song people listened to.
The last artist to win the Pop Award and Song of the Year was Amy Shark in 2017, while Shark also won the Pop Award back to back in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
This year, local star Amy Shark released the best-selling album for Cry Forever.
Brisbane indie rock band The Jungle Giants have won the coveted Album of the Year for their new album Love Signs.
With the music industry still reeling from the grueling impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the best of the state’s music scene celebrated the best of the industry at the box office ceremony. closed.
The awards were held on the birthday of the late great Australian rock musician Billy Thorpe, with the $10,000 scholarship in his honor awarded to emerging talent Cloe Terare.
First Nations singer-songwriter Cloe Terare of Toowoomba, who also won last year’s regional award, said she wanted to use the scholarship to honor Billy Thorpe.
“In that spirit, I would also like to take a moment to pay tribute to my late grandfather who is an indigenous man and he taught me all about my culture and he also instilled in me this love of music,” said said Terare.
Lifetime contribution honored
To celebrate the legacy of Mop & the Dropouts, father-daughter duo Jem and Troy Cassar-Daley performed the song by the band Brisbane Blacks, which received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Dennis ‘Mop’ Conlon wrote Brisbane Blacks – an honest and moving depiction of Aboriginal life in Queensland 40 years ago, after watching Aboriginal rights protests across Brisbane as the city drew world’s attention in hosting the Commonwealth Games.
The once-unrecognized band from Cherbourg had cemented their place in Australian history and influenced the next generation of Indigenous musicians and songwriters. ‘Mop’ Conlon’s son, also named Dennis Conlon, accepted the QMusic Lifetime Achievement Award last night on behalf of the band.
Conlon said that for his father, “the original Mop”, it was never about money or fame, but about bringing the indigenous people together.
“They wanted to build the identity of indigenous people…so they went ahead and wrote these songs, they didn’t want to be political but that’s how it happened…they wrote about what they knew,” he said.
This year, the awards had the most Indigenous nominees of any field, with Jem Cassar-Daley winning the Indigenous Music Award for her hit Letting Go.
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Auslan performer Mikey Webb was a crowd favorite at the awards show, signing on for live performances.
Indigenous artist Miiesha has won the Soul/Funk/R&B Award for the second year in a row.
For his song God Take His Time on You, country rock singer-songwriter Casey Barnes won the country music award.
Keith Urban and P!nk’s hit One Too Many was the top-selling single.
Rapper-screamer Zheani was honored as Emerging Artist of the Year and won the Heavy Award.
Full list of winners
Pop: Sycco — My manners
Folk: Asha Jefferies — Crybaby
Hip Hop: iiiConic – OK
Music for Children: The Mini Moshers — New Shoes
Jazz: IMPULSE Orchestra — Sound figure
Soul/Funk/RNB: Miiesha — Designed for Silence
Rock: Waax — Most Hated Girl
Blues & Roots: Sue Ray — Take Me Away
Heavy: Zheani – F*** the Hollywood cult
Billy Thorpe Scholarship — Cloe Terare
Electronics: Natt Dunn, Hayden James, Gorgon City — Heavy Duty
World: Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra — Welcome to the Neighborhood: Taiwan (就當家裡)
Contemporary Classic: Corrina Bonshek — Dreams of the Earth
Youth: Paulina — Parasite
Emerging Artist of the Year: Zheani
Country: Casey Barnes – God took his time for you
Indigenous: Jem Cassar-Daley — Letting Go
Regional/Away: Nat Dunn, Hayden James, Gorgon City — Ironclad
Video: Marcario De Souza, Allan Hardy, Dayna Yates, Cam Pianta, Tyson Lloyd, Kelly Holden – Every Time – Example with What So Not & Lucy Lucy
Song of the Year: Sycco — My Ways
Album of the Year: The Jungle Giants — Love Signs
Best Selling Single: Keith Urban with P!nk — One Too Many
Best-Selling Album: Amy Shark—Cry Forever
QMusic Lifetime Achievement Award: Mop & The Dropouts
Innovation Award: 4ZZZ