King Stingray Win 2022 Soundmerch Australian Music Prize

King Stingray have won the 2022 Soundmerch Australian Music Prize.

The Northern Territory rockers earned the prestigious prize for their acclaimed self-titled debut album, King Stingray, which debuted at number six on the ARIA Albums Chart. At last year’s 2022 ARIA Music Awards, the album won the Breakthrough Artist Award, as well as garnering a further four nominations for King Stingray.

The band won the 18th Soundmerch AMP after seeing off strong competition from eight other nominees, including Sampa the Great’s As Above, So Below and Julia Jacklin’s Pre Pleasure.

King Stingray’s Roy Kellaway and Dimathaya Burarrwanga flew into Sydney to attend Wednesday’s ceremony at the Oxford Art Factory and accept the prize. “We’re so unbelievably stoked to have won the 18th AMP,” they said. “We had so much fun making this record and we just hope that listeners can hear the joy that we had making it, as well as feel the joy for themselves.

“It really means the world to us to hear people enjoying the album and we have so many people to thank: our manager Stu; our family who support us all the way; the Yirrkala and Nhulunbuy community; Kris Keough; Casey from Select Music; our publicist Bec from Deathproof; Dan, Craig and Damo from Sony Music Publishing; Jack, Leigh and Stu from Cooking Vinyl Australia. And of course, a massive thanks to all the judges of The AMP. The list goes on! Thanks everyone! Rock on!”

King Stingray now take home a $30,000 cash prize thanks to Soundmerch, and follow previous winners like Genesis Owusu (Smiling With No Teeth) and The Avalanches (We Will Always Love You).

18th Soundmerch AMP

In partnership with EMI, Virgin and Island Records

1300 – Foreign Language
Body Type – Everything Is Dangerous but Nothing’s Surprising
Camp Cope – Running with the Hurricane
Julia Jacklin – Pre Pleasure
King Stingray – King Stingray
Laura Jean – Amateurs
Party Dozen – The Real Work
Sampa the Great – As Above, So Below
Tasman Keith – A Colour Undone