GOLD COAST MUSIC AWARDS ANNOUNCE THE 2024 WINNERS

WORDS: Peta-Jayne Habner PHOTOGRAPHY Brian Usher - www.usherusher.com

Gold Coast’s premier music industry event, the Gold Coast Music Awards (GCMAs), revealed their 2024 Winners crowned at a star-studded red-carpet gala event and live concert on Thursday August 29 at HOTA Home of the Arts.

Back for its tenth year in 2024, the depth of the GCMAs finalists showcases the incredible talent and success of the South East Queensland music industry.

The 2024 GCMAs recognises achievements across ten diverse categories, including Artist of the Year, Breakout Artist of the Year, Live Act of the Year, Studio Producer of the Year and many more.

To be eligible for consideration, musicians must have released, performed, or demonstrated activity in their respective categories between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

Each and every nomination was meticulously judged by a panel of experts from diverse fields including promoters, producers, songwriters, musicians, venue managers, booking agents along with Triple M’s national Music Director and a Record Company Executive.

Samantha Morris, Co-Founder of the Awards, and Chair of the Judging Panel said she was buoyed to see the strength of nominations grow year-on-year.

“For 10 years we’ve been shining a light on the depth and diversity of talent here and it only gets harder. The quality of nominations coming out of the Gold Coast this year, was incredible,” she said.

“This pool of finalists really encapsulates the best of the best in a city full of rising stars and exceptional talent.”

Co-founder Chloe Popa said the Awards celebrations would help amplify the reach of the city’s emerging artists.

“Every artist acknowledged as a finalist today could easily win their category,” she said, “that’s the standard we’re dealing with. For a regional city, we’ve always punched above our weight and it’s certainly no different when it comes to local, original music.”

“If people aren’t already paying attention to what’s happening in this city when it comes to music, they will be after this year’s Awards.”

Previous winners over the past ten years have included Amy Shark (Hall of Fame inductee), Casey Barnes (Hall of Fame inductee), Budjerah, Busby Marou, Tijuana Cartel and Hussy Hicks.

 

Winner Bios

Breakout Artist of the Year – Chloe Styler

Over the past 12 months, Chloe has expanded her reach from local and national stages to international events. Having performed at Nashville’s CMA and appearing at two Sounds Australia showcases, Chloe also sold out her local headline EP launch. She’s graced stages at Americana Fest in the USA as well as the Big Red Bash, Falls Festival, Deni Ute Muster and Groundwater Country Music Festival and has supported the likes of Shannon Noll, Troy Cassar-Daley, Gladys Night, Nik Kershaw and the Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey. Chloe Styler is a country music star to watch and the 2024 Gold Coast Music Awards Breakout Artist of the Year.

 

Artist of the Year – Hollow Coves`

Release of the Year – Hollow Coves

Matt Carins and Ryan Henderson are equal parts songwriters and vocalists, alternating lead roles to best serve their songs. 2017 saw the release of Hollow Coves’ debut EP Wanderlust which featured fan favourite ‘Coastline’. The track became one of the top 10 most-used songs on Instagram reels in 2021 and was certified Gold in both Canada and Australia. Developing a grassroots following across social platforms, Hollow Coves’ music has been used in more than a million TikTok videos and garnered more than 200 million views on YouTube. In the past year, the band played the main stage at Osheaga Festival as well as Cigale Festival in Canada and supported Fleet Foxes in Victoria. Their 2024 album, ‘Nothing to Lose’ already boasts more than 25 million streams and earned the #1 spot on Apple’s singer-songwriter album charts in Netherlands, Indonesia and Switzerland and a top 3 spot in Germany, Belgium, Brazil and Canada. 2024 sees the band embark on a world tour including a support show with Vance Joy at Wembley Arena in the UK. Tonight is their second show in Rubigen, Switzerland.

 

Live Act – Hussy Hicks

The duo of Leesa Gentz and Julz Parker, along with their band, deliver one of the best live shows in Australia. With their unique blend of folk, blues, country, and roots, Hussy Hicks have performed across Australia and internationally for more than 10 years, to rapturous acclaim. Splitting their time between the Australian and European festival circuits – where they are crowd favourites – and having just returned from Europe where they supported The Teskey Brothers – this dynamic duo have captivated audiences the world over. Their flawless live show is backed up by serious charting success – with their most recent release ‘Swimming in Uncertainty’ debuting at #1 on the AIR independent album charts and #1 in the ARIA blues charts as well as #16 in the ARIA all-genres album charts.

 

Song of the Year – JK-47 ‘Lullaby’

Jacob Paulson, AKA JK-47 is a Minjungbal / Gunjinburra man of hte Bundajlung community who began rapping and writing music at the age of 14. Taking out the 2020 National Indigenous Music Awards Album of the Year as well as the J Awards Unearthed Artist of the Year for his debut, 2023 saw the artist release his second studio album ‘Revision for Growth’. JK-47 is seen as one of the most prominent Indigenous voices of his generation, and has graced stages at Sydney Opera House, Dildlands, Field Day, Splendour int he Grass, Beyond the Valley, Laneway and St Kilda Festival as well as performing Triple J’s Like a Version. The Gold Coast Music Awards Song of the Year is JK-47’s track ‘Lullaby’ – a collaboration with Jay Orient and Gold Coast outfit ECB.

 

Musician of the Year – Julz Parker (guitar)

Known as one of Australia’s most creative guitar players, Julz has spent the past 12 years touring the world with her unique indie-folk-blues outfit, Hussy Hicks. Julz started playing violin at 3 and moved to guitar at 8. She’s performed with John Williamson, Beccy Cole, Brooke McClymont and The Wolfe Brothers and has been a feature artist at Melbourne Guitar Festival and Port Fairy Folk Festival Guitarists Concert. Julz is highly respected by other guitarists being touted by Phil Emmanuel as ‘Australia’s top female guitar player’ and voted fifth in Blufestest’s Guitar Hero fan poll, among Santana and BB King.

 

Studio Producer of the Year – Mattymadeit

Producer, multi-instrumentalist, writer and DJ Mattymadeit has built a strong reputation on the Gold Coast over the past 8 years. Whether you know it, or not, you’ve heard the music he’s worked on: including ads for brands such as Nike, Toyota, Apple, Ebay, Meta and Nascar as well as the work of Logan, Brain Electric, JK-47, ECB, Tanisha, Buttered and Elska. He’s written parts for and played instruments as diverse as the saxophone, marimba, grand piano and talk box.

 

He also has 100’s of millions of streams and Youtube plays worldwide for records he has produced, notably for Dhanda Nyoliwala, a Hindi Hip Hop artist. Not only did Matty need to navigate a foreign language in all of Dhanda’s production but Matty had to learn different Indian scale systems and language inflections and the track ‘Up To You’ has gained nearly 100 million plays in the last year alone.

 

Mattymadeit’s skills and resume are world-class, and we’re lucky to have him as part of our Gold Coast music family.

 

Venue of the Year – Mo’s Desert Clubhouse

Just as likely to be hosting death metal as a community climate night, Mo’s Desert Clubhouse is a space by creatives, for creatives with rehearsal, recording and performance spaces as well as a philosophy of radical expression alongside radical inclusion. Having hosted more than 3000 live sets in its 5-year history – 95% of those original acts, – with everything from underground punk to kids rock and Turkish drumming to Queer dance parties, Mo’s is a favourite of punters and of performers. Always experimenting, always evolving and always up for a good time, congratulations Mo’s Desert Clubhouse on being the 2024 Gold Coast Music Awards Venue of the Year.

 

Gold Coast Music Prize – Parker

Awarded to one Gold Coast artist under the age of 25, the Gold Coast Music Prize is a curated package of intensive and tailored industry support and advice. Catching the eye of Joel and Benji Maddens MDDN records, Sam Lethbridge, AKA Parker is on a cranking seaside ride – and winning the Gold Coast Music Prize will only fast-track that journey.  His single ‘Local Paradise’ won the International Songwriting Competition teen category and the music video won the Creative Generation Visual Art Award and was exhibited at GOMA in April. In 2024 he took home a Queensland Music Award for his track ‘Sofa Bed’. He’s gained an international label and management team and has only just finished high school with his eyes now set firmly on LA and beyond.

 

Visual Creative – Simone Gorman-Clark

(For Missy Higgins tour imagery, Red Hot Summer Tour, 2023)

 

Simone Gorman-Clark has transformed Missy Higgin’s live performance into an immersive 2D visceral experience for viewers – transporting them to the heart of Missy’s tour, as if they were there. Shotting in full manual mode and experimenting with long exposures, double exposures, intentional camera movements and the use of filters, Simone infuses her shots with a sense of artistry, while considering lenses, angles and compositions. The response to Simone’s Missy Higgins tour photography has been overwhelmingly positive, including feedback from the artist herself. The full suite of images, which Simone presented for judges in an innovative virtual gallery, showcase her signature style and commitment to excellence in photography as a visual art that enhances the music experience.

 

Video of the Year – Tijuana Cartel ‘Believe in Nothing’

Tijuana Cartel has well and truly established itself as a distinctive musical entity through their innovative fusion of diverse genres. Combining electronic music production with a rich tapestry of world sounds and captivating visuals, they have crafted a unique sonic landscape that captures a broad spectrum of global influences. Their video for ‘Believe in Nothing’ is the 2024 Gold Coast Music Awards Video of the Year.