With two nominations, Cub Sport and Busby Marou lead the way for the 2024 Queensland Music Awards (QMAs), set for Wednesday, April 17 at the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.
Homegrown electro-pop favourites Cub Sport are in the hunt for the electronic award (“Songs About It”) and pop award (“Keep Me Safe”), both lifted from the ARIA No. 1 album Jesus At The Gay Bar (via Believe).
Cub Sport are in rare form. After Jesus hit the top last April, their first leader, the group scooped best independent dance/electronica or club single (with “Always Got the Love”) at the 2023 AIR Awards in Adelaide and landed a hattrick of nominations at the 2023 ARIA Awards in Sydney.
Meanwhile, multiple APRA Music Award-winners Busby Marou are nominated for the QMAs’ blues and roots and indigenous categories, both for “Conversation.”
Jem Cassar-Daley will go head-to-head with Cub Sport in the pop category, with her 2023 single “King of Disappointment.”
“It is a true honour and privilege to be a finalist in the Queensland Music Awards for 2024,” Cassar-Daley comments in a statement.
“I look forward to this event every year, being able to celebrate the crazy amount of talent we have in our state and catch up with great friends while doing it! It makes me so incredibly proud to be a part of such an inclusive and supportive music community, one that is worth celebrating.”
Jem Cassar-Daley
This year, 25 categories will be presented, with more than 70 artists in the mix, including The Jungle Giants, Hatchie, Jaguar Jonze, Tia Gostelow, DZ Deathrays, Ziggy Alberts, Kevin Borich and Sahara Beck.
A 100-strong music industry panel voted for the 2024 QMA finalists, which includes categories for the contemporary classical & music for stage, children’s music, jazz, music for screen, rock, soul/funk/RnB, world, youth, and video.
Voting for the People’s Choice Awards is now open to the public.
The QMAs were launched in 2006 (then known as QSong) to celebrated the “brightest emerging artists and established legends” from the Sunshine State.
Tickets for the 2024 edition are on sale at qmusic.com.au, the official website for QMusic, producers of the annual ceremony with support from the Queensland Government.
QUEENSLAND MUSIC AWARDS
2024 FINALISTS
BLUES | ROOTS AWARD
Busby Marou – ‘Conversation’
Karl S. Williams – ‘Built This Way’
Kevin Borich – ‘Straight From My Heart’ (ft. Ian Moss)
Kurilpa Reach – ‘Chicken Rendang’
CHILDREN’S MUSIC AWARD
Joff Bush – ‘Dance Mode’ (Bluey)
Junior Burger – ‘Bin Night’
Sharron mirii Bell – ‘I Am Me’
Spotty Kites – ‘Banjo Bunny’
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL & MUSIC FOR STAGE
AVÉ – Australian Vocal Ensemble – ‘Typewriter & First Night’
Flightless Birds Take Wing x Benjamin Shannon – ‘Plains-Wanderer’
Karin Schaupp – ‘Cybernylon’
Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra – ‘Premonition’
COUNTRY AWARD
Hayley Marsten – ‘Getting Better’
JAMES JOHNSTON – ‘Got It Good’
Melody Moko – ‘Jesus Year’
Tori Forsyth – ‘Sometimes’
ELECTRONIC AWARD
1tbsp – ‘Sleeves Touch My Elbows’
Cub Sport – ‘Songs About It’
The Jungle Giants – ‘Trippin Up’
Young Franco – ‘Daydreaming’ (ft. Franc Moody)
FOLK AWARD
Karl S. Williams – ‘A Heart Is Not An Anvil’
Minor Gold – ‘Cannonball’
PAT TIERNEY – ‘Lost In The Haze’
Ziggy Alberts – ‘REWIND DOIS’
HEAVY AWARD
Caligula’s Horse – ‘Golem’
DZ Deathrays – ‘My Mind Is Eating Me Alive’
These Four Walls – ‘Carousel’
Wildheart – ‘Sacred Ground’
HIP HOP AWARD
Nebzy – ‘Thin Pockets’
Ozi Jarel – ‘Uptown’
PAULSN – ‘Coop In The Breeze’ (ft Khi’leb)
Sachem – ‘My City’ (ft Nerve)
INDIGENOUS AWARD
Busby Marou – ‘Conversation’
Djarraway – ‘Bundarra’
ELEEA – ‘Just Friends’
Tia Gostelow – ‘Spring To Life’
JAZZ AWARD
Andrew Butt Trio – ‘Le Baiser Salé’
Steve Newcomb – ‘Pluto And The Sun’
The Scornful Four – ‘A Rainy Morning’
Valtozash – ‘Oncology’
MUSIC FOR SCREEN
Aubrielle – ‘Paige’s Triumph (Cinema, Too Theme)’
Brooke Schubert – ‘Burn Like Summer’
Joff Bush – ‘Cricket’ (Bluey)
Tristan Barton – ‘The Grey Line’
POP AWARD
Cub Sport – ‘Keep Me Safe’
Hatchie – ‘Rooftops’ (ft. Liam Benzvi)
Jem Cassar-Daly – ‘King of Disappointment’
Jude York – ‘Mr Porcelain’
ROCK AWARD
Atticus Chimps – ‘High At The Sight Of You’
FELONY. – ‘Everyone I Like Wants To Kill Themselves’
Hallie – ‘Cut It Off’
Jaguar Jonze – ‘Don’t Call Me Queen’
SOUL | FUNK | RNB AWARD
Jordan Briton – ‘make it so easy’ (ft. JUNO)
Lemonade Baby – ‘Don’t Stop (Keep On Keepin’ On)’
Menajerie – ‘Holding Pattern’
Sahara Beck – ‘Compromise’
WORLD AWARD
Innessa – ‘Wave’
Sue Ferrers – ‘Vitterpolskan’
Taitu’uga – ‘Falealili Manusamoa’
Zenekar – ‘Lament For A Holiday Tango’
YOUTH (AGES 10 – 17) AWARD
ALLEGRA NEVE – ‘Rewind’
ixaras – ‘Sprouts’
L.i.E – ‘Ghost’
PARKER – ‘SOFA BED’
REGIONAL | REGIONAL AWARD
Emma Bosworth – ‘Eggs On Toast’
Greta Stanley – ‘Every Time I Think I’m Happy’
LT – ‘Act Your Age’
Tia Gostelow – ‘Spring To Life’
VIDEO AWARD
Jennifer Embleton, Jack Birtles & Clea Pratt – ‘I Wanna Be Alive’ by Clea
Leigh Agius, Joe Agius & Max Brading – ‘Trippin Up’ by The Jungle Giants
Levi Cranston – ‘Trial’ by Tessa Fleur
Luis Campbell, Adam Hasa & Julian Panetta – ‘make it so easy’ by Jordan Briton feat. JUNO
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD METRO VENUE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
Banshees Bar & Artspace
Brisbane Powerhouse
Eatons Hill Hotel
Greaser
Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct
Sandstone Point Hotel
Stranded Bar
The Cave Inn
The Fortitude Music Hall
The Junk Bar
The Princess Theatre
The Tivoli
The Triffid
The Zoo
Tomcat Bar
Warehouse 25
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD REGIONAL VENUE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
Kings Beach Tavern
Miami Marketta
Mo’s Desert Clubhouse
Oodies café
Solbar
Tanks Arts Centre
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
Gympie Music Muster
Sweet Relief!
Tablelands Folk Festival
The Battle of the ROCK Bands
ΩHM
