Gympie to Hollywood: Rising star Aidan Hogg wins ARIA Award

Former Gympie South and James Nash student Aidan Hogg is living the dream in Los Angeles after winning an ARIA for his work on Song of the Year, Worst Person Alive.

Gympie musician Aidan Hogg has made great waves in the music industry after winning the ARIA Award’s Song of The Year for co-writing and producing the song The Worst Person Alive, with famous Australian musician G-Flip.Songwriter and music producer Aidan Hogg.

Gympie musician Aidan Hogg has made great waves in the music industry after winning the ARIA Award’s Song of The Year for co-writing and producing the song The Worst Person Alive, with famous Australian musician G-Flip.

Some other notable artist Aidan has worked alongside is Aria Award winner Jaguar Jonze, Kate Miller-Heidke, who has 16 Aria Award nominations, and Sofia Isella, who was the opening act for Taylor Swift's highly coveted Eras World Tour.

The former Gympie South State Primary School and James Nash State High School student first started pursuing his musical talents when his primary school music teacher, Sarah Tollner, loaned him her bass guitar to practise when he was eight years old.

“We got this call from Sarah asking to loan him her bass guitar. We were shocked thinking it was a big responsibility, but she said ‘I think it would be perfect for Aidan’,” Aidan's aunty Cathie said.

Aidan's family quickly saw the potential he had, particularly in songwriting and his ability to play different instruments.

Aidan Hogg with Australian musician, G-Flip.

From then, Aidan attended piano lessons regularly with his teacher Wendy Blom, who helped him achieve a high distinction with honours at the highest level of the Australian Music Examinations Board test.

When Aidan was in his senior years of high school, he and friend Madelin Bisgrove formed a band called Tremors.

The pair were interviewed by ABC Unearthed and described as “a Brisbane-based two piece merging electronic influences with alternative music to create refreshing original music”.

After graduating high school, Aidan was accepted into the Queensland Conservatorium of Music where he completed a Bachelor of Music.

“Aidan came home from the Conservatorium one day and said a lecturer told the class ‘it’s very difficult to pursue music’ and to really think about whether they’d like to drop out and get a science degree in audiology instead,” Cathie said.

“We told him to keep going and to just do it.”

Aidan Hogg working on music in his studio.

Aidan soon completed his formal studies in music and then earned a Lord Mayor’s Creative Fellowship which granted him $10,000 to travel to France for an internship.

He relocated to Brisbane and joined the band Landings, while also working on the side as an interviewer and writer for musicians at festivals.

The biggest “stroke of luck” that Aidan had that catapulted his career was when COVID-19 struck and each state was experiencing lockdowns.

Aidan was working at a music studio in Brisbane called ‘the Plutonium’ when G-Flip’s manager contacted the studio to produce music because she couldn’t get back home to Melbourne.

The studio organised Aidan to work with G-Flip on her new music and the rest is history.

Aidan Hogg won the Aria Award for Song of the Year for his co-writing and production on G-Flip’s single The Worst Person Alive.

“He lives in Los Angeles now. He was in Brisbane for many years, but he found that his work was taking him to the states,” Cathie said.

“He would be over there for three months, then back in Brisbane for three months. He was flying back and forth constantly and finding it hard.
“Since he started working for an American company, he has so much work now.

“He’s got his American visa and can live and work there.

“Last time we spoke, he said there were a lot more Aussies making their way to Los Angeles as there’s a much bigger audience there - so he’s working with lots of Aussies and other international artists.”

Aidan didn’t expect to win the Aria Award, saying that each of the songs nominated in the category were “as good as each other”.

Aidan Hogg didn’t expect to win the Aria, saying each song was ‘as good as each other’.

“He was working in LA while watching the livestream in the background when his phone blew up with texts saying ‘congratulations’.”

Aidan then messaged the family saying “you won’t believe it”, and confessed he had trouble sleeping that night due to his excitement.

Since his Aria win, Aidan has been contacted by many artists across the world hoping to work with him soon.

“He is such a hard worker. He followed his passion and is very happy,” Cathie said.

“He gets to work with lots of interesting people, is honing his skills, and is finding everything great.”

Cathie said she was glad that paying for his piano and music theory lessons, and also driving him around while a university student had paid off remarkably.

“I think Aiden would say to anyone who wants to get into music is: just go for it.

“It will likely work out in the end, and if it doesn’t, at least you learned something.”