The new Australian talent set to dominate the airwaves in 2023
From smooth soul grooves to cutting edge R&B, a raft of new Aussie artists are pricking the ears of global tastemakers in 2023. These are the names you need to remember.
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Yolngu surf rockers King Stingray were on our list for the Artists to Watch in 2022 and proved to be the biggest breakthrough act of the year.
Who will follow them to festival, ARIA awards and playlist glory in 2023? National Music Writer Kathy McCabe’s shares her top 10 Australian musicians you need to hear this year.
Teenage Dads
The indie rock quartet from the Mornington Peninsula were signed to legendary Australian music man Michael Chugg’s independent label after being championed by their labelmates Lime Cordiale.
The high school buddies Jordan Finlay, Connor McLaughlin, Vincent Kinna and Angus Christie reached critical fan mass last year with the release of three cracker, hook-laden rock singles, Exit Sign, Teddy and Hey Diego! and are closing in on 200,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Their incendiary live performances – reminiscent of “Phoenix and The Strokes with … the flamboyance of Talking Heads” – generated so much buzz last year the planned 13 shows on the Ready Teddy Go tour stretched out to 23 gigs to keep up with ticket demand.
Hope D
Hope D’s uncompromising lyrics and genre-bending rock songs spiced with irresistible hooks signal exactly where pop music is heading in 2023.
Ahead of her queer, coming-of-age debut album Clash of the Substance landing next month, the Brisbane singer-songwriter has struck a resounding chord with a succession of brutally honest alt-rock songs including her 2020 Hottest 100 entry Second and last year’s Senseless.
A voice of her generation, Hope D doesn’t sugar-coat the messy trials and tribulations of young adulthood from relationship drama to falling down the rabbit hole of self-medication.
Hope D’s reputation for intense live shows is doing the heavy lifting to build her fanbase.
Forest Claudette
The smooth soulful voice and grooves of Melbourne alternative R&B artist Forest Claudette are guaranteed goosebumps material.
He quickly won champions with his debut single Creaming Soda released in mid 2022, instantly drawing comparisons to American genre-blenders Frank Ocean and Steve Lacy.
Claudette blew minds at the annual industry showcase BigSound with his first-ever shows, armed with a captivating presence and a clutch of songs perfect for a chilled summer afternoon including Congratulations, Don’t Worry and Goodbye.
PANIA
Hailed as Australia’s R&B it-girl, PANIA’s dreamy Icyy was one of the standout songs in the Heartbreak High soundtrack which was stacked with the finest Australian new music crew.
The rising star released her debut EP called “burnt ur clothes & changed the addy” in late 2022 and landed the support spot on the upcoming shows by American R&B star Kehlani.
She has also landed on the fashion radar, recently featuring on an Adidas campaign and you can expect her popping up in style scenes throughout the year.
Oliver Cronin
This Byron-born pop prodigy should have global heart-throb stamped on his well-worn passport.
Cronin is clocking up millions of streams for the songs housed on his debut EP Beautiful Nightmares released late last year.
Millions of fangirls and fanboys have already joined the Cronin club courtesy of his viral hit Boys Don't Cry and TikTok presence.
And then LA hitmakers came calling with the Aussie songwriter heading to the US to work with big names on potentially big singles for 2023.
KYE
Australia’s alternative R&B scene is where the country’s next big musical exports are cooking up their future viral hits and leading the charge is KYE.
Once backing singer to the stars, KYE claimed the spotlight with a scene-stealing cameo singing Xanadu during the tribute to Olivia Newton-John at last year’s ARIA Awards.
Her club-friendly jam Bossin’ went nuts on TikTok last year, used to soundtrack thousands of viral videos including a very random Peppa Pig inspired clip.
Felivand
A new wave of Australian female producers and songwriters are shaping the sound of now and this Brisbane studio-meets-the-stage artist is among the innovators blending genres to pull heartstrings and get you grooving.
Her debut record Ties released last year was a rollercoaster ride of indie-pop future classics including Butterfly Wings and Where Were You.
She just scored a last-minute slot to open this year’s Laneway festival in Brisbane and will be exploring international opportunities throughout 2023.
WILSN
Another queen of the Melbourne new soul scene, WILSN releases her debut album Those Days Are Over in early February after teasing us with a raft of old school meets new attitude bluesy pop songs.
She turned a lot of ears with last year’s retro R&B duet Hurts So Bad with Josh Teskey which perfectly showcased the raw power of her soul voice.
She is heading to the US to showcase her talent in early 2023 and you can expect the Americans will quickly fall in love with the Aussie singer who has been favourably compared to Amy Winehouse.
Wildfire Manwurrk
The future of this First Nations band was 60,000 years in the making. Featuring frontman Victor Rostron and his family from Maningrida in Arnhem Land, the band quickly established their credentials as an important emerging rock band with the debut EP The Next Future released in November.
Songs including garage rock anthem Lonely Bangardi and the cautionary tale Don’t Smoke, sung in language and English, became Triple J staples and you can expect sold-out shows when they venture further down the east coast this year.
Royel Otis
The Sydney indie duo landed on a lot of hit prediction lists for 2023, feeling a lot of love from tastemakers who have fallen for their unique indie pop creations.
They’ve been whipping up the streams count with a dizzying collection of genre-benders from the Joy Division-adjacent Oysters In My Pocket to the cruisy MGMT-sounding gorgeousness of Motels.
Watch them explode worldwide with their third EP Sofa Kings, out on March 31.
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