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King Stingray continued its golden run with a brace of wins at the 2023 National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs), held Saturday (Feb. 12) at Darwin Amphitheatre on Larrakia Country.
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Formed in Northeast Arnhem Land, the Stingers, as they’re lovingly known in these parts, snagged song of the year and film clip of the year both for “Let’s Go,” converting two-of-two nominations.
Earlier in the month, the Yolngu surf-rockers dominated the 2023 AIR Awards with three trophies, adding to a collection that includes the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist, best new artist at the 2022 Rolling Stone Australia Awards, first-prize in the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition, and the 2022 Australian Music Prize.
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Also at the 2023 NIMAs, Budjerah won the coveted artist of the year category, adding to his own impressive haul. The rising singer and songwriter from Fingal Head, New South Wales, was the inaugural winner of the Michael Gudinski prize at the 2021 ARIAs, he has also collected best new artist at the 2023 RS Awards and, in 2022, won his first APRA Award for most performed R&B/soul work of the year (“Higher” with Matt Corby).
Queensland singer and songwriter Thelma Plum scooped the album of the year NIMA for Meanjin, while the Indigenous language award was bestowed to traditional songman Ngulmiya for his self-titled debut album.
One of the night’s outstanding moments belonged to Yothu Yindi, as the “Treaty” singers were inducted into the NIMAs Hall of Fame for their “long and powerful contributions to Indigenous and Australian music across several decades,” reads a statement from organizers.
During the induction ceremony, the band’s original lineup, along with King Stingray vocalist Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu, nephew of the late Dr M Yunupiŋu, took to the stage for a rocking rendition of their signature song.
Performers on the evening included Kobie Dee, Dean Brady, Plum, Barkaa, Ngulmiya and Budjerah and the Red Flag Dancers.
“So proud of all the artists, performers, nominees and winners at this year’s NIMAs,” comments NIMA creative director Ben Graetz. “It was an exceptional night of Blak excellence.”
An initiative of trade body MusicNT, the NIMAs, now in its 19th year, are a celebration of the “finest celebration of First Nations music”.
Read more here.
2023 National Indigenous Music Awards WinnersArtist of the Year — BudjerahNew Talent of the Year — BumpyFilm Clip of the Year — King Stingray, “Let’s Go”Song of the Year — King Stingray, “Let’s Go”Album of the Year — Thelma Plum, MeanjinCommunity Clip of the Year — Wildfire Manwurrk, “Mararradj”Indigenous Language Award — Ngulmiya, Self-TitledHall of Fame — Yothu YindiArchie Roach Foundation Award — Wildfire Manwurrk
Ron S. Peno, frontman and co-founder of Died Pretty, which, thanks to combination of his stagecraft, a handful of evergreen singles, and a cult following, had a seat at the front of Australia’s alternative rock explosion in the 1990s, died Friday (Aug. 11) after a years-long battle with cancer. He was 68.
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News of his death was confirmed by the official Died Pretty social accounts.
“With great sadness we announce the passing of our singer Ron S Peno who left us peacefully on Friday evening in the presence of his loving wife Charity and his son Zebadiah, at his home in South Yarra, Melbourne,” the tribute reads.
For the last four and a half years as he battled cancer, “Ron displayed a resolute positivity and a profound depth of character that has proved inspirational to his fellow band members, manager and many friends,” the message continues. “In the face of adversity he was towering.”
Formed in Sydney in the 1980s, Peno and Died Pretty channeled the look and sound of their heroes from New York’s punk scene, including the Velvet Underground and Television, and injected it with psychedelic rock.
As the band built a buzz on the live circuit, their releases would follow the proper trajectory on the ARIA Charts. Early releases merely tickled the tally, though debut Free Dirt from 1986 continues to grow in stature, and cracked Rolling Stone Australia’s list of 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time, published December 2021 (placing at No. 153).
Died Pretty’s Lost from 1988 appeared at No. 99 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and 1990 followup Every Brilliant Eye peaked at No. 79, according to data supplied by the trade body to Billboard. Then, with 1991’s Doughboy Hollow, a first top 40 appearance. Peaking at No. 24 on the national albums survey, Doughboy Hollow was powered by two of the band’s evergreen songs, “D.C.” and “Sweetheart,” numbers that captured the spirit of the time. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s triple j station had embarked on its national rollout in 1989, and those two songs sounded sweet on its airwaves (a 2018 poll of the 50 Best Australian Albums of the 90s, published by triple j’s sister station, Double J, placed Doughboy Hollow at No. 22).
Meanwhile, the late Ken West and Viv Lees were working on a game-changing festival, the Big Day Out, which would kick-off the following year in Sydney, and rapidly grew into a national production, selling 330,000 tickets at its peak. Died Pretty was on the inaugural BDO lineup.
After striking a deal with Sony Music’s Columbia division, Died Pretty enjoyed a career-best chart placing in 1993, hitting No. 11 with Trace, and 1996’s Sold would hit No. 29. While signed to Sony Music, Died Pretty were invited to Europe to showcase their talents for the music major’s international executives.
In 2008, induction into Hall of Fame at the The Age EG Awards, celebrating Victoria’s creative scene.
Peno joined his bandmates on the road for several major tours in the past decade, including the A Day on the Green outdoor concert series in 2016, with Hoodoo Gurus, Sunnyboys, Violent Femmes and Ratcat, and a joint national tour the following year with Radio Birdman.
The singer’s battle with cancer became a public one when, in February 2019, it was announced via the band’s social channels that Peno had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and that all upcoming shows were scrapped as he underwent treatment.
Support Act, the charity for Australia’s music community, rallied behind Peno with the “Help a Mate” appeal.
“For the 40 years Ron entertained us as Died Pretty’s frontman he was never less than always charismatic,” reads the tribute from his surviving bandmates. “He has provided warm and enduring memories for those who shared the stage with him and for his audience. For many he is the soundtrack of their lives. He leaves us a legacy of extraordinary recordings that will continue to be treasured into the future.“Our hearts go out to Charity, Zebadiah and all his family and friends at this time. Ron will be sorely missed. The world will be a smaller place without him.”
Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter” (via Live Yours/Neighbourhood) outraces the field in the U.K. for the 10th week, setting a new record in the process.
“Sprinter” becomes the first U.K. rap track to enter double figures at the summit of the Official U.K. Singles Chart, further proof of the global phenomenon that is hip-hop, a genre that’s currently celebrating its 50th anniversary as a genre.
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Meanwhile, Becky Hill and Chase & Status lift into the top 10 for the first time with “Disconnect” (Polydor), up 15-9. With that gain, Hill boasts her sixth U.K. top 10 hit, while Chase & Status land a fifth — and first in ten years. Chase & Status appear again further down the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Aug. 11, with Flowdan and Bou on “Baddadan” (EMI), up 31-21 for a new peak position.
It’s strength in numbers for Nathan Dawe, Joel Corry and Ella Henderson as “0800 Heaven” (Atlantic) improves 9-10, while Calvin Harris and Sam Smith’s latest collaboration, “Desire” (Columbia), gains 18-12, for a new chart best.
There’s a new peak position for Ryan Gosling’s Barbie number “I’m Just Ken” (Atlantic), up 14-13; D.O.D’s “So Much In Love” (Armada), up 23-16; and Anne-Marie and Shania Twain‘s duet, “Unhealthy” (Atlantic/Asylum/EMI) up 22-18, also a new high
Doja Cat has the highest new entry on the Official U.K. Chart with “Paint the Town Red” (Ministry of Sound). It’s new at No. 20 for the U.S. artist’s 15th top 40 single and first top 20 appearance in two years, since 2021’s “Woman” reached No. 13.
Finally, Travis Scott scores his 17th U.K. top 40 with “Telekinesis” (Epic) featuring SZA and Future. The track, lifted from the U.S. rapper’s No. 1 album Utopia, starts at No. 31 on the Official Chart.
It’s victory for Cian Ducrot, the Irish singer and songwriter who races to No. 1 in the U.K. with his debut LP.
Ducrot overcomes a deficit at the midweek stage to snag the chart crown with Victory (via Polydor), ahead of Skindred’s eighth studio album, Smile (Earache).
Few chart races will come any tighter than this. Ducrot’s winning margin over Skindred, the Welsh heavy metal outfit, is just 150 chart units, the Official Charts Company reports.
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Despite missing out on a debut crown, there’s no frowning for Skindred as Smile gives the Newport band its highest chart peak in the U.K., and first top 10 appearance.
Previously, Skindred impacted the U.K. top 40 with 2014’s Kill the Power (No. 28 peak), 2015’s Volume (No. 29) and 2018’s Big Tings (No. 26).
Also, Smile is the week’s most downloaded LP and the best seller on wax.
Completing the top 3 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Aug. 11, is Travis Scott’s previous leader Utopia (RCA), which dips 1-3.
South Yorkshire, England indie rock act the Sherlocks enjoy a career-best chart performance with People Like Me & You (Teddyboy), new at No. 4. The Sherlocks previously landed top 10 berths with 2017’s Live for the Moment (No. 6) and 2022’s World I Understand (No. 9).
Close behind is Miles Kane‘s One Man Band (Modern Sky), new at No. 5, the British artist’s highest-charting solo album. Kane has two No. 1 albums as part of the Last Shadow Puppets, his collaborative project with Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner, and boasts seven top 40 albums, five as a solo artist.
Finally, N-Dubz lands a fourth top 10 in the U.K. and equal career best with Timeless (EMI), the homegrown hip-hop act’s comeback album. It’s new at No. 6, matching their previous chart peak with 2009’s Against All Odds. Timeless is N-Dubz’s first studio album release in 13 years.
Disturbed notches its 12th ruler on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, as “Unstoppable” rises to No. 1 on the Aug. 19-dated tally.
It’s the David Draiman-fronted quartet’s first leader on the list since “Hey You,” which reigned for three weeks in September 2022.
In between “Hey You” and “Unstoppable,” the band reached No. 2 with “Bad Man” this March.
Disturbed first led Mainstream Rock Airplay in November 2006 with its cover of Genesis‘ 1980s classic “Land of Confusion.”
With 12 No. 1s, Disturbed moves into a four-way tie for the fifth-most toppers in the chart’s 42-year history, alongside Foo Fighters, Godsmack and Metallica. Shinedown leads all acts with 18 No. 1s.
Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay18, Shinedown17, Three Days Grace14, Five Finger Death Punch13, Van Halen12, Disturbed12, Foo Fighters12, Godsmack12, Metallica10, Tom Petty (solo and with the Heartbreakers)10, Volbeat
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Concurrently, “Unstoppable” bullets at its No. 9 best on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 2.9 million audience impressions, up 7%, Aug. 4-10, according to Luminate.
On the most recently published, multi-metric Hot Hard Rock Songs tally (dated Aug. 12), “Unstoppable” re-entered at No. 23. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 230,000 official U.S. streams in the July 28-Aug. 3 tracking week.
“Unstoppable” is the third single from Divisive, Disturbed’s eighth studio album. The LP debuted at No. 1 on the Top Hard Rock Albums list last December and has earned 115,000 equivalent album units to date.
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Post Malone’s alternative-leaning new album Austin becomes his first to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts, debuting atop both lists dated Aug. 12.
Austin bows with 113,000 equivalent album units earned July 28-Aug. 3, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 34,000 units are via album sales, with the bulk from streaming equivalent units (78,000).
That 113,000-unit count is the fourth-biggest on Top Rock & Alternative Albums in 2023 (and the most for a solo male), behind, among all acts, only Metallica’s 72 Seasons (146,000, April 29), Melanie Martinez’s Portals (142,000, April 15) and Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (115,000, April 8). It’s also the third-largest on Top Alternative Albums this year, trailing only the aforementioned Martinez and Del Rey LPs.
Post Malone makes his first appearance on both charts; although he has logged hits in a featured role on multiple rock- and alternative-focused song charts, none of his albums was classified fully as alternative before Austin.
Concurrently, Austin begins at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200. It’s his second straight title to debut at No. 2, following Twelve Carat Toothache in 2022, and his fourth total within the top two (following Beerbongs & Bentleys in 2018 and Hollywood’s Bleeding in 2019, both No. 1s).
Ten songs from Austin appear on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs survey, paced by “Enough Is Enough,” which debuts at No. 5 with 9.9 million official U.S. streams, 80,000 airplay audience impressions and 2,000 downloads sold. The song also leads a collection of Austin tracks on Alternative Streaming Songs, bounding in at No. 3.
The album’s lead single, “Chemical,” peaked at No. 13 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 dated April 29 (and concurrently ranks at No. 35 on the latest list). It reached Nos. 6 and 8 on Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay, respectively, in June, while also achieving highs of No. 16 on Adult Contemporary, No. 24 on Alternative Airplay and No. 25 on Rhythmic Airplay. Latest radio single “Mourning” this week places at No. 11 on Rhythmic Airplay, after hitting No. 8, and rises to No. 18 on Pop Airplay.
Mashd N Kutcher founder Matt James has been diagnosed with cancer, an “unexpected” blow that will require extensive treatment in the months ahead.
The APRA Music Award-winning Australian dance music artist revealed his condition on Friday, Aug. 11, and has vowed to fight.
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“I have been diagnosed with cancer – specifically Multiple Myeloma, which forms in blood cells inside the bone marrow,” he writes in a social post, accompanying a picture of the artist horizontal on a hospital bed.
“This was unexpected as I was otherwise healthy, however it has spread throughout my body causing multiple breaks in my arms ribs and more. Over the immediate months we will hit this from every angle with chemotherapy and extensive treatment ahead.”
Based in Brisbane, James created the MNK project back in 2012 with “the goal of making exciting music and showcasing talented bandmates through the live shows,” he explains, “thankfully this can continue.”
For the time being, he’ll step aside from social media and touring, but will continue to reserve “energy and focus” for writing and producing recordings, and curating and programming the music and visuals for MNK live shows, which its members will “perform as they always have.”
Weaving styles and generations of dance music with its collective of DJs and multi-instrumentalists, MNK has notched over 1,500 performances around the globe, and collected three ARIA gold-certifications in Australia.
The act signed with Universal Music Group in 2017, and landed a global publishing deal with BMG in the same year.
James last year penned Get on the Beers: A Christmas Story, a book that continued the theme of the lockdown anthem “Get on the Beers,” a goodtime number filled with positivity and hope.
“Get On The Beers,” which featured vocals from Victorian premier Dan Andrews, won the 2022 APRA Award for most performed dance/electronic work and landed at No. 12 on triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown.
“In summary,” James continues in his latest post, “the road ahead is challenging but I’m very fortunate to have an amazing support network of family, close friends and colleagues, right now I’m physically weak but mentally strong, and I’ll be giving this everything I’ve got. Love you all”.
In James’ absence, MNK will perform headline shows in Asia in the weeks ahead, before returning to Australia for dates in September. “Music wise I’m returning to the roots of of the project,” he continues. “If you enjoyed ‘Sunshine’ or ‘On My Mind’ you’ll love the next releases.”
Doja Cat nabs another top 10 spot on Australia’s singles chart, while Billie Eilish enters a second week at No. 1 with “What Was I Made For?” (via Interscope/Universal), one of several major hits from the Barbie soundtrack.
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Eilish, the Californian pop phenomenon, has chalked up 15 ARIA top 10 singles across her young career, including a leader with 2019’s “Bad Guy.” Like her Barbie number, “Bad Guy” also reigned over the chart for two weeks.
A slew of tracks from the soundtrack, Barbie: The Album, make an impact on the latest ARIA Singles Chart, published Aug. 11. Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night” lifts 4-3, its peak position; “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and Aqua switches positions, dipping 3-4; and Charli XCX’s “Speed Drive” motors 24-22 (all via Atlantic/Warner).
Doja Cat is on the prowl. The U.S. rapper, singer and songwriter bows at No. 10 with “Paint The Town Red” (RCA/Sony), for the week’s highest debut and only new release in the top 40.
It’s her sixth top 10 hit in the land Down Under, a list that’s led by “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA, which hit No. 2 back in 2021.
Troye Sivan’s “Rush” is on the move, lifting 38-32 in its second week on the ARIA Chart. The Perth, Australia-raised pop artist is just one of two homegrown artists impacting this week’s tally. The other, Vance Joy, with his 16-times platinum certified hit from 2013 “Riptide,” up 43-30.
Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, Travis Scott’s Utopia (Epic/Sony) locks up top spot for a second successive week, ahead of the Barbie soundtrack (up 3-2 via Atlantic/Warner) and a trio of Taylor Swift titles, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Midnights and 1989 (all via Universal), respectively.
The top debut belongs to Fanny Lumsden, with Hey Dawn (Cooking Vinyl Australia/Orchard), her fourth studio album. The ARIA and AIR Award-winning Australian country artist, a performer at Glastonbury Festival in late June, drops in at No. 10 on the national tally. Hey Dawn is the followup to 2020’s Fallow, which also peaked at No. 10 on the ARIA Chart, and won the ARIA Award that year for best country album.
V brings a little sunshine to ARMY with his “Rainy Days.”
The BTS superstar turns on the waterworks with this latest single, a ballad, arriving at the stroke of midnight.
“Rainy Days” will splash on the K-pop singer’s debut solo album, Layover, a six-pack set to drop on Sept. 8, and includes the first release “Love Me Again,” which appeared Wednesday with an official music video.
It’s a stripped back number, framed around V’s vocals, a snapping snare and an eccentric piano refrain. Big Hit Entertainment describes the fresh cut as an “alternative pop R&B track,” a statement reads, a “perfect mix of vintage percussion and modern drum sounds gives off a unique vibe.”
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The music video for “Rainy Days” follows V as he gets about an ordinary day, waking up, prepping food, working, resting.
On it, he sings: “Rainy Days, I’m thinking ‘bout you/What to say/Wish I knew how to/Find the way/Right back to you.”
As previously reported, V worked with NewJeans creative director/ADOR president Hee Jin Min on the forthcoming LP, with BigHit revealing that Min oversaw the entire production of the collection, including music, choreography, design and promotion.
For “Rainy Days,” she says, “I wanted to focus on V’s inner self instead of his outwardly glamor. I had specific styles of music that I wanted to suggest to V, considering his vocal tone and style. As soon as he heard the tracklist I made for him, we instantly agreed on the direction.”
The new tune, she continues, “acts as an intro for the album, and V’s serene vocals and visuals stand out.”
Big Hit announced Tuesday that Layover will include a total of six tracks: “Rainy Days,” “Blue,” “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing,” “For Us” and a bonus track piano version of “Slow Dancing.”
And the tracklist comes with a suggestion, that ARMY listen to the album’s tracks in order, from 1-5, noting that “Slow Dancing” is the focus track of the collection, describing it as a “1970s romantic soul style track [that] exudes a laid-back and free-spirited feeling.”
V’s solo efforts come after releases from his fellow BTS members: Jung Kook released “Seven” featuring Latto — which crowned the Billboard Hot 100 — last month, while Suga’s D-Day arrived in April and Jimin’s FACE (including the Hot 100 No. 1 “Like Crazy”) in March.
His earlier releases include “Stigma,” “Singularity,” “Winter Bear” and “Inner Child”; more recent original solo songs are 2021’s “Christmas Tree,” which was on the soundtrack of the Netflix K-drama Our Beloved Summer and last year’s version of the holiday classic “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”
Watch “Rainy Days” below.
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With the launch of a music publishing venture, Simon Cowell returns to the business where he honed his own talents in pop.
Unveiled this week, SYCO Publishing, a collaboration between Syco Entertainment and Universal Music Publishing Group, will sign and develop songwriters and catalogs that will be administered and supported exclusively through UMPG globally, reps say.
At launch, SYCO Publishing is home to Lucy Spraggan and John Samuel Gerhart, as well as song catalog from Camila Cabello, James Arthur, Grace VanderWaal, Fifth Harmony and others.
The record executive, TV personality and current judge on America’s Got Talent got his break in publishing.
“There is nothing more important than a great song. I started my career in music publishing,” comments Cowell on the unveiling of his new venture. Paying tribute to Mike McCormack, managing director of UMPG U.K., and the music publishing giant, Cowell says he’s been given “the chance to build a music publishing company. They are a brilliant company and share my wish to work with amazing songwriters.”
SYCO Publishing will also create new opportunities for its writers to work across Cowell’s network of media formats and projects, reads a statement.
“Simon has been a good friend for decades and I’m thrilled he has finally decided to launch a publishing business with UMPG,” adds McCormack. “His track record is incredible – he’s always had great instincts and passion for outstanding songs, and brings incredible value to every songwriter, producer and catalog he works with.”
It’s the second songwriting-focused project in the past year that has brought together Cowell’s entertainment venture and Universal Music Group. In 2022, both companies got behind StemDrop, a creative platform for musical collaboration, curation and artist discovery, which launched exclusively with TikTok and Samsung, by providing users with access to music “stems,” the isolated components of a song, from an exclusive track, which creators could then use to record and share their own versions.
Syco Entertainment is the independent company which created and owns TV formats such as “Got Talent” and “The X Factor”.