Australian rising stars to watch in 2022 in film, TV, music and fashion
These rising Aussie stars in music, TV, film and fashion are set to be the nation’s next household names. SEE THE LIST.
Entertainment
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The Kid Laroi was already on his way to a world takeover as the fresh pop prince when he dropped his Justin Bieber smash collaboration Stay last year.
Actor Angourie Rice owned an awe-inspiring list of performances when she won acclaim for her role alongside Kate Winslet in the riveting Mare of Easttown series and then in the latest instalment of Spider-Man this year.
And the rise and rise of Australian swimwear and resort brands from Commas to Bondi Born continued as our designers captured the devotion of celebrities and fashion-forward folk.
If 2021 was the year when our creatives defied the limitations of the pandemic to shine on the world stage, you can expect to witness a raft of talents in music, acting and fashion to soar to greater heights in 2022.
Here are Australia’s rising stars in music, acting and fashion to watch out for in 2022.
FILM
Jacob Junior Nayinggul
His debut film role in the acclaimed High Ground scored him a Best Actor AACTAs nomination and named as one of the Casting Guild of Australia’s Rising Stars for 2021. A ranger in the Gunbalanya Community in East Arnhem Land, Nayinggul was drafted as an extra but his talent shone through and he was cast in the lead role of Gutjuk the next day.
Bebe Bettencourt
Her breakout performance in The Dry and starring role as Hedwig in the Australian series Eden announced Bettencourt as a major talent. The daughter of rockers Suze DeMarchi and Nuno Bettencourt will be seen this year in the Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller thriller Escape From Spiderhead.
Kodi Smit-McPhee
From award-winning child actor to Golden Globes nominated scene-stealer of The Power Of A Dog, Smit-McPhee is tipped for Oscars glory in 2022. He will return to the big screen this year in the Baz Luhrmann Elvis musical biopic as the “father of country music” Jimmie Rodgers.
Elizabeth Cullen
Another 2021 CGA Rising Star, Cullen starred as Imogen the elf in the children’s comedy series The Bureau Of Magical Things. She will have the eyes of the cinematic world on her as one of the ensemble cast of Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic due this year.
Alyla Browne
The tween star has cornered the market of the young version roles, playing ‘Young Jessica Watson’ in the True Spirit biopic and ‘Young Alice’ in the upcoming series The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart. Browne featured as Nicole Kidman’s daughter in the Nine Perfect Strangers series and stars in George Miller’s fantasy flick Three Thousand Years of Longing.
MUSIC
Evie Irie
When the punkish pop performer opened for Amy Shark last year, everyone hit her socials begging she release a song in her set called Bleed. It’s now closing in on one million streams as she drops Hello World, the theme for new Netflix animated film Back To The Outback.
Sahxl
The Kid Laroi passed the torch to this 18-year-old R&B rapper from western Sydney with an Insta shout out spotlighting fellow Aussies on the rise when Stay hit No. 1 in the US. In development with hip hop hit maker Khaled Rohaim since he was 13, Sahxl is poised for a 2022 breakthrough.
King Stingray
Neither pandemic nor geographic isolation stopped Northern Territory surf rock newcomers King Stingray making an immediate impression with their debut single Hey Wanhaka last year. The band, which features sons of original Yothu Yindi members have a summer hit-in-waiting with Milkumana and will tour nationally from March.
George Alice
The teen indie pop sensation from Adelaide has a ridiculously impressive 20 million streams for her first clutch of singles, including the sophisticated bop Stuck In A Bubble. She signed a global deal last year and heads out on a national tour this month armed with her latest ear worm Mid Years.
Ula
What’s a busker to do when lockdown hits? Take it to TikTok and become one of Australia’s most popular “creators” on the platform in 2021 with 1.4 million followers. While they came for the covers, they’re staying for her original tracks, including Futon and Strawberry Cheeks which have racked up millions of streams.
TV
William Lodder
While he’s had smaller roles in Netflix series Go Karts and ABC’s Wakefield, his turn on Love Me as Aaron – the son of Hugo Weaving’s Glen and sister to Bojana Novakovic’s Clara – should see all the doors open for the 21-year-old. He’s completely compelling in the six-episode first Binge original which dropped on Boxing Day, holding his own against the other superstars on screen.
Karina Banno
Her twin Raechelle, who was on Home And Away, is probably better-known than her sister. But Karina is eking out her own profile, joining her sister in the VC Andrews Ruby series on Foxtel last year. She’s just wrapped production on Barons and Channel 7’s short comedy Fam Time which will air next year.
Josh McKenzie
You might recognise him as Harry’s (Roy Joseph) love interest Xavier in the most recent season of Paramount+ Five Bedrooms. But he’s also been making his name overseas with a major role in NBC’s LaBrea, a sci-fi series chronicling the story of a massive sinkhole under the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. Fingers crossed the series hits ours screen next year.
Shantae Barnes-Cowan
The 18-year-old Adnyamathanha woman from South Australia has juggled filming two movies and miniseries while finishing Year 12. She had a stunning debut in the first season of Total Control with beloved actor Deborah Mailman praising her abilities. She’ll soon be seen in the eight-part fantasy TV series Firebite in the lead role of Shanika, an Aboriginal Australian hunter battling a colony of vampires in the middle of the South Australian desert. With film Wyrmwood Apocalypse and miniseries Sweet As this year due for release in 2022.
Phoebe Roberts
The 27-year-old burst on to our screens this year with her first major TV role in Channel 10’s domestic thriller Lie With Me. It was an acting masterclass alongside Aussie ex-pat Brett Tucker and it helped snag her a role as regular character Freya Wozniak on Neighbours, who will soon land in Erinsborough with an air of mystery around her.
FASHION
Billie Jean Hamlet
Signed to Priscillas and Storm Models, Billie Jean Hamlet is coming off a busy and in demand year. She strutted the runway for David Jones, appeared in campaigns for Bec & Bridge, Country Road, Estee Lauder, and was the face of Vogue Australia’s Fashion’s Night Out. The indigenous Australian model and activist grew up in Ngurturwarta, an Aboriginal community in the Kimberley region. Billiejean now has her sights set on the runways of Paris and New York.
Richard Jarman
The founder and creative director of Commas won the Emerging Designer prize at the Australian Fashion Laureate, in the wake of the Sydney-based brand’s much-Instagrammed resort runway show during Fashion Week. Known for his minimalist, pared back designs and sustainable values, Richard Jarman, who runs the label with his wife, Emma Jarman, is a designer earmarked to take Commas to the next level in 2022. With international retailers including MATCHESFASHION. COM, Harvey Nichols and My Theresa, Commas, known for its silk shirts, swimwear made of recycled polyamide, and loose-fitting trousers, is one of the buzziest labels on the Australian fashion scene.
Jordan Dalah
The Australian designer, who presented his anti-silhouette and pillow-like collection at Fashion Week, was among the rising stars nominated for Emerging Designer of the Year at the Australian Fashion Laureate. Jordan Dalah, a graduate of London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins, was branded a visionary after his debut show at Fashion Week. Such was the fanfare around his creations, a then-pregnant supermodel Georgia Fowler closed the show.
The Sydney-based creative, who manufactures in Australia, described his designs as “kind of out there”.
Nylow Ajing
Discovered on Instagram, Nylow Ajing, who is signed to mega modelling agency IMG, is one model being billed as the next big thing in 2022.
She modelled at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week in June, as well as for Aje, Zimmermann, Sass & Bide and Oroton, and in the pages of Vogue Australia and Russh magazines.
“Nylow will be someone we sign globally, so in LA, New York, London, Milan and Paris, she is what we would call a worldwide signing,” Danielle Ragenard, IMG Models’ Australian vice- president and managing director, previously said.
Nabila Leunig
Perth-raised model Nabila Leunig is signed by IMG and after a standout Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, is tipped for future runway success. The brunette beauty was scouted at a local Royal Show in Western Australia, which has seen her walk the runways for Michael Lo Sordo, Christopher Esber, and Jordan Dalah.
She has appeared in the pages of Harper’s Bazaar and is already planning a career after the catwalk, telling GRAZIA: “I love musical theatre and acting – stepping out of my comfort zone by performing is something I love to challenge myself on.”
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