News March 26, 2025

Young Franco, Amy Shark, Troy Cassar-Daley Win Big at 2025 QMAs

Head of Content

Young Franco

Image: Zosia Francka

Electronic music star Young Franco doubled up at the 2025 Queensland Music Awards, presented Tuesday night (March 25th) in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.

The homegrown DJ and producer took out the export honour and “Wake Up” featuring Master Peace won for song of the year, a coveted award that includes piece of prime real estate – a plaque on Fortitude Valley’s Brunswick Street Mall.

QMAs glory caps a fine 12 months for Franco, who dropped a full length album, it’s Franky baby! in January, via Island Australia, and was inducted into Spotify’s RADAR program for emerging artists last November. Franco boasts more than 1.6 million followers on the streaming platform.

Amy Shark also snagged a brace of trophies, the Gold Coast pop star earning highest selling single and album honours, respectively, for “Beautiful Eyes” and Sunday Sadness, her ARIA Albums Chart No. 1.

Meanwhile, country legend and reigning ARIA Award champion Troy Cassar-Daley made history by scooping the album of the year category for Between The Fires, his emotional 12th LP that he recorded at the home of his late mother. The publicly-voted award made its debut this year, and featured a shortlist with Confidence Man, The Veronicas, Dune Rats, Amy Shark and Sheppard.

It was a winning night for the Cassar-Daley family, as Troy’s daughter Jem claimed the indigenous category, for Big Container.

Also on the evening, Full Flower Moon Band, performers at Rolling Stone House for SXSW Sydney 2024, won for blues/roots (“Illegal Things”); reigning J Award winner Sycco scooped the pop category (“Meant to Be”); and Denvah lassoed the country award for “Making Cups of Tea”, telling the audience “this is the one and only time I’ll beat Troy Cassar-Daley in anything.”

Randy Thrill$ bagged the Hip Hop Award for “Walked Away,” Beddy Rays rocked out with the rock award for “Stay the Same” and Lottie McLeod confirmed her up-and-comer status by winning 2025 emerging artist of the year.

The biggest cheers of the night were saved for Christine Anu, who collected the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award and was joined on stage by her daughter Zipporah Corser-Anu who, earlier, sang “My Island Home” in tribute to her mother.

“Growing up, music wasn’t just something we did. It was the very essence of who we are. From those precious moments performing Torres Strait Island dances as a little girl to standing on the Olympics stage in Sydney,” she recounted, “life has blessed me with moments that still feel like dreams today.”

When recording “My Island Home”, her signature song from 1994, Anu remarked, “it wasn’t just lyrics and music, it was our collective heartbeat, our connection to country. Our story.”

And to the young Indigenous artists watching tonight, she reflected, “your voices matter, your stories need to be heard. Your culture is your superpower. Let it guide you as it has guided me”.

For the third consecutive year, The Fortitude won the best venue category. John “JC” Collins, co-owner and venue director and former bass player with Powderfinger, used the platform of his victory speech to throw support behind the recently launched Australian Music Venue Foundation (AMVF), whose board members Harley Evans, Howard Adams and Tamara Boakes were in the room. The proposed model of taking a “small levy” on the price of tickets for stadium and arena shows to benefit the grassroots music industry was “a great start for what we need across Australia,” he remarked. “The future of music is safe if we do this stuff.”

Denvah and Beddy Rays were among the QMAs performers, with Full Flower Moon Band closing out the night.

Produced by QMusic, the QMAs were presented at The Fortitude Music Hall. All told, more than 30 categories were announced, celebrating the state’s best in blues, folk, pop, rock, jazz, hip-hop, country, electronic and more, judged by a panel of over 100 Australian and international music industry professionals.

“The QMAs recognise the passion, dedication and diversity of the people and places that make
music such an integral and invaluable part of our state’s cultural heritage,” comments Kris Stewart, CEO of QMusic. “Ours is an industry brimming with talent and camaraderie, no matter where you are in your career”.

2025 Queensland Music Awards – Winners

2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
Christine Anu

Album Of The Year | People’s Choice Awards
Troy Cassar-Daley – Between The Fires

Song Of The Year
Young Franco – ‘Wake Up Ft Master Peace’

Export Achievement Award
Young Franco

Highest Selling Album
Amy Shark – ‘Sunday Sadness’

Highest Selling Single
Amy Shark – ‘Beautiful Eyes’

Emerging Artist Of The Year
Lottie Mcleod

Blues | Roots Award
Full Flower Moon Band – ‘Illegal Things’

Children’s Music Award
The Wobble Bus – ‘Rubbish Bin Day’

Contemporary Classical & Music For Stage
Nicole Murphy – ‘Untangled’

Country Award
Denvah – ‘Making Cups Of Tea’

Electronic Award
Young Franco – ‘Wake Up Ft. Master Peace’

Folk Award
Asha Jefferies – ‘Spinning’