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2017 QLD Music Awards Winners Announced

A music-loving public joined forces with the Queensland music industry to celebrate the state’s finest artists at the annual Queensland Music Awards, presented by BOQ and Hutchinson Builders.

Held at Brisbane Powerhouse, the night belonged to Gold Coast rising star, Amy Shark who picked up three awards including Song of the Year for her stunning single Adore and a clean sweep of the Pop and Regional awards. Amy has had an exceptional year since winning the Pop award at the 2016 QMAs.

Good Boy’s infectious bass line set the driving tone for the night with a live performance of their hit single Poverty Line, the Brisbane via-Bundaberg trio later returning to the stage to receive the Rock award. Previous Rock award winners Violent Soho were back in 2017, this time to pick up the prestigious Album of the Year for their acclaimed LP WACO.

The BOQ People’s Choice Awards found Dami Im, Jarryd James and Cub Sport taking home the publicly voted awards (for Most Popular Female, Most Popular Male and Most Popular Group respectively). Cub Sports’ win was a particular high following a stellar live performance of their Song Of The Year-nominated single Come On Mess Me Up. Earlier in the night local rockers Halfway collected the Country award from event sponsors APRA AMCOS.

Iconic Brisbane band george offered a special performance to pay tribute to dear friends Ritchie Yorke and Carol Lloyd who sadly passed away in the opening months of 2017. Ritchie Yorke was posthumously honoured with the Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented by Leanne de Souza (Rock & Roll Writers Festival) and Sally McLennan (sister of The Go-Betweens legend). Carol Lloyd is a previous winner of the award.

Employment Minister and Member for Brisbane Central Grace Grace with Lynn Thorpe, presented the celebrated $10,000 Billy Thorpe Scholarship, supported by the Queensland Government, to Ash Kerley of Brisbane two-piece band Marville.

Ms Grace congratulated Ash Kerley on taking out the award acknowledging she was a rising star who was already making her mark through her incredible music and support for young women in the music industry.

“Supporting Ash, and Queensland’s emerging talent, is critical to nurturing Queensland’s local contemporary music scene, and I delighted that the Billy Thorpe Scholarship will enable Ash and her band Marville to take their music and energy to the corners of the state with a planned a regional tour,” she said.

“It was a really difficult task to have to decide our top picks out of the pool of amazing entries. [There’s] so much great talent here in our Sunshine State.” Ben Ely (Regurgitator, Billy Thorpe Scholarship judge)

Kellie Lloyd, founding member of Screamfeeder and Scholarship judge, offered of the recipient, “I believe for Ash Kerley this will be a life and career changing moment. Ash is already the main driver behind the Girls Rock Australia program in Queensland, and this scholarship gives her an opportunity to take her loud guitars and the punk rock attitude of her band Marville to regional Queensland playing shows and doing workshops with young people as she goes. I do think Billy Thorpe would be very proud to know his legacy is being honoured in such a way with such a person.”

As in 2016, the night was dominated by a diversity of female talent, spearheaded by Gold Coast/LA-based rising R&B superstar ROMY who won the Urban category for Wild Heart. Other awards went to Emily Wurramara (for best Indigenous song) and Mackay’s Tia Gostelow who took home twoawards, the Folk/Singer Songwriter Award and Schools award.

Leanne Tennant – the lauded songstress from Far North Queensland – received the Blues and Roots award for her break through single Gentle Annie, while intriguing three-piece Confidence Man were awarded the Electronic/Dance song award for their earworm Boyfriend (Repeat). An all-star film clip for their track Boredom found Hey Geronimo taking home the Video Award and celebrated pianist/composer Sean Foran of contemporary jazz trio Trichotomy won the Jazz category for Une Fille. Elsewhere 4ZZZ favourites Lagerstein won the Heavy award and Sunshine Coast six-piece High Life received the World music award.

Celebrating the commercial success of Queensland artists, at home and abroad, The Amity Affliction received the Export Achievement Award, presented by SOUNDS AUSTRALIA’s Esti Zilber and returned to the stage to collect the Highest Selling Album for their LP This Could Be Heartbreak. The Veronicas’ In My Blood was the Highest Selling Single by a Queenslander in 2016.

All the winning songs are featured on the Queensland Music Awards website.

www.queenslandmusicawards.com.au

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