Here are the top 10 Australian musicians to watch in 2024
Here are the top 10 Australian musicians you need to hear this year, including the artist who “hard-launched” her relationship with Tony Armstrong. See the full list.
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ARIA award winners Forest Claudette and Teenage Dads, alongside global buzz band Royel Otis, were on our list for the Ones To Watch in 2023, not only pricking the ears of industry gatekeepers worldwide but thrilling Aussie fans with their tunes and epic performances.
Who will follow them to festival, awards and playlist glory in 2024?
National Music Writer Kathy McCabe shares her top 10 Australian musicians you need to hear this year.
GO-JO
The WA-raised, Sydney-based alternative pop artist became a global sensation this year with his breakout single Mrs Hollywood.
The song’s cruisy summer vibes and Go-Jo’s excellent viral content got the party started on TikTok, where the song blew up as more than 15,000 videos featuring the track flooded the platform.
Go-Jo is generating big buzz overseas where most of his 200 million streams come from. New single Loverman is another instant earworm.
MISS KANINNA
Named by Triple J as the 2023 Unearthed Artist of the year, Tassie-born, Melbourne-based singer rapper Miss Kaninna exploded on the alternative airwaves in May with the hard-hitting, anti-Establishment anthem Blak Britney.
Proudly representing her Yorta Yorta, Djadja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali peoples, Miss Kaninna followed up that blast of world class hip hop with Pinnacle Bitch in October, and you can count on her owning the stage when she joins the Laneway festival in February.
GRENTPEREZ
Another homegrown artist who cracked the global streaming algorithm this year, his dreamy 50s-flavoured pop clocking up 300 million streams after building a fanbase on YouTube during his teen years with his brilliant covers.
The Filipino-Australian singer songwriter and guitarist from western Sydney has proven himself the real deal with his live performances provoking universal acclaim from critics both at home and in the US.
LOLA SCOTT
The Sydney grunge pop goddess is one of the exciting cohort of Australian female and non-binary artists armed with guitars who are bringing rock music back with their genre-bending, in-your-face fresh takes.
Scott was signed to indie label powerhouse and management team Chugg Music this year and released the power pop anthem High School Drama which scored four and five star reviews on Triple J’s Unearthed portal.
KOBIE DEE
Gomeroi rapper Kobie Dee is a compelling and masterful storyteller who has struck a resounding chord with his songs addressing the intergenerational trauma of First Nations people and his personal struggles as a young father trying to provide for his family and serve as a role model for his community.
The video for his latest single Father’s Eyes with Stan Walker is a powerful and emotional exploration of culture and celebration of the ties of family.
JACOTENE
Melbourne teen Jacotene is destined to become your new favourite singer.
Since winning Unearthed High in 2022, the singer and songwriter has been a big blip on the global music radar, thanks to her once-in-a-lifetime soul pop voice, old school lyrical wisdom and nostalgic nod to 60s girl group pop.
It is not even slightly exaggerating to declare her to be Australia’s answer to Amy Winehouse and Adele – her voice is THAT good and her songwriting is world class as demonstrated on her singles I Need Therapy and Don’t Let Him Say Goodbye.
3%
The Blak hip hop collective 3%, featuring top shelf First Nations talent Nooky, Dallas Woods and Angus Field, launched with a bang with their first ever live performance at the inaugural SXSW festival in October supported by the presence of superstar Chance The Rapper.
Their debut single Our People sampled the Presets’ hit song My People, taking inspiration for the electronic duo’s dance pop social commentary on the treatment of refugees to address the incarceration rates of Indigenous people in Australia.
LOTTE GALLAGHER
The 17-year-old Melbourne artist who was a finalist in this year’s Unearthed High competition has been scoring raves for her spectacular debut single Adam released in September after she signed to the Mushroom imprint Liberation records.
The electronic earworm recalls New Order fronted by the ethereal vocals of Florence Welch.
Gallagher had the entire country asking ‘who the hell is that?’ when she joined with Gordi to sing Message To My Girl at the recent Mushroom 50 Live concert.
RONA.
Kaytetye artist and DJ, RONA. has been on the radar of Aussie electronic music fans for the past 18 months with scene-stealing sets opening for Rufus Du Sol and at Splendour In The Grass.
Her latest single Aperleye is built around a soundscape recorded on Kaytetye Country (in Northern Territory) with her grandmother Freda and is an musical evocation of the spirit and energy of the matriarchs of her family.
She recently became Instafamous with the “hard launch” of her relationship with TV personality Tony Armstrong.
BECCA HATCH
It’s been a slow but steady build over the past three years for this Kamilaroi / Samoan artist but with the Australian music industry finally taking r&b and soul music seriously, you can expect to hear Hatch all over your fave social media and streaming platforms in 2024.
Her single Blessed set the benchmark for Aussie neo-soul and cracked more than one million Spotify streams, a big deal for a new artist.
She was one of the breakout stars at this year’s Vivid festival and wowed the crowd with her pre-game performance at the NRLW State of Origin.
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Originally published as Here are the top 10 Australian musicians to watch in 2024
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