Amy Shark

Amy Louise Billings (born 14 May 1986), known professionally as Amy Shark, is an Australian indie pop singer-songwriter, and television personality from the Gold Coast, Queensland. During 2008 to 2012, her early solo material was released and performed under the name Amy Cushway. Her 2016 single "Adore" peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was also listed at number 2 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2016. Her album Love Monster (July 2018) debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Shark has won 8 ARIA Music Awards from 29 nominations, including winning Best Pop Release three times: in 2017 for her extended play, Night Thinker, 2018 for Love Monster and 2020 for "Everybody Rise". In addition to her musical career, Shark has served as a judge on Australian Idol since 2023.

Early life

Amy Shark was born on the Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia on 14 May 1986. She attended Southport State High School, where she performed in theatre, studied film, and played guitar in an all-female punk-band. Cushway described her first group, Dorothy's Rainbow and Hansel Kissed Gretel, as "'quite thrashy', though it fell apart when its members splintered. 'I kept going, kept writing songs on my acoustic guitar'." Her first job was selling T-shirts at a souvenir shop, Gone Troppo. She subsequently performed under various names, including Amy Cushway, Amy Billings, and as Little Sleeper. In June 2008 Cushway supported gigs by Brianna Carpenter at The Globe and at The Red Brick Hotel, Brisbane. She released her debut extended play, I Thought of You Out Loud, which included the track, "Take Time Take Me", in mid-2008 and performed the EP at solo gigs from July. The singer-songwriter made the finals for the 2008 Q Songs Awards in August with "Take Time Take Me" for the alternative category. She reflected on her writing style, "It's so much easier and more enjoyable to start from scratch with a song and write it exactly how you want. It sounds selfish, but it's just reality [...] I definitely write songs that the typical ear hasn't heard before, the lyrics are honest and relate to all ages. I'm not trying to write songs solely for radio … I want hard hitting pop rock songs that can be played on radio, whilst having the potential to be blasted through stadiums." She derived inspiration from Tegan and Sara, "they find different ways to deliver the meaning of a song with lyrics that don’t necessarily spell it out."

Cushway's second EP, Love's Not Anorexic, appeared in mid-2009, supported by a national tour from July. Another EP track, "Cool Kids Die", relates to recent acquaintances of her age group who had died, "It's not fair that they were all decent, polite and cool kids. Life isn't fair sometimes." In November of that year the artist described her early material, "As much as I enjoy writing intricate acoustic ballads, there's nothing better than adding thunderous beats and raw energy to your set." She was living in Varsity Lakes in April 2010 and explained how, "[record companies] did not ask for demos now, but just asked what her MySpace page was." In late 2010 she formed the band, Fly Boy Fly, with collaborator and bassist, Ryan Nash, and drummer, Tom Moore. "A few people put it into my head, if I ever thought of fronting a band." The band's name "was kind of a mixture of things. I'm a little bit obsessed with Peter Pan and The Lost Boys, and my partner Shane is very much into war movies... one night we got out Flyboys... [and] threw around some [band] names and that was one of them. "

Cushway described her third EP, Broadway Gossip (October 2010), "this was me returning home to Australia from the United States and thinking I need to experiment with beats." Cushway's first album, It's a Happy City appeared in March 2012. In early 2012 Billings was her talent manager with Rooftop Artist Management. One of its tracks, "Weight of the World", was a finalist at the 2013 Queensland Music Awards in the regional category. She activated a new YouTube account, as Amy Shark Music, in 2014 and issued a single, "Spits on Girls", in July.

Shark released her next self-produced single, "Golden Fleece", in October 2015, originally under the name, Little Sleeper. The singer later explained why she dropped the Little Sleeper name, "I've been in talks with these music supervisors in America ... And they said we'd prefer it if I was playing under the name Amy Shark again." Chris Singh of The AU Review observed, "The song, powerful and penetrating in itself, is given visuals both understated and intense as Little Sleeper stands in darkness with her guitar and is progressively drenched in multi-coloured paint." She received a grant from the City of Gold Coast council, which allowed her to work with more popular producers.

In July 2016, she released her next single, "Adore", with co-production by Shark, M-Phazes and Cam Bluff, in addition to a cover version of Silverchair's "Miss You Love" for Triple J's show Like a Version. "Adore" received significant airplay on Triple J, leading to a bidding war between major labels, which was won by Sony Music Australia. Shark signed with Wonderlick/Sony in November 2016. Two of her earlier singles, "Spits on Girls" and "Golden Fleece", were re-released by Wonderlick/Sony in 2016. "Adore" was listed at number 2 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2016, behind Flume's "Never Be like You".

In March 2017, Shark released "Weekends" followed by another EP, Night Thinker (April), which peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In April she won Artist of the Year and Song of the Year at the Gold Coast Music Awards. In November she was named Apple Music's UpNext artist. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2017 Shark was nominated for 6 awards and won both Best Pop Release and Breakthrough Artist for Night Thinker. She performed "Adore" at the ceremony. The related album, by various artists, debuted at No. 37 on the Billboard 200. The following month, she performed at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony on the Gold Coast, in a duet with Archie Roach and an Indigenous youth choir for a rendition of Roach's "Let Love Rule".

On 11 April 2018, Shark premiered a single, "I Said Hi", on Triple J before releasing it the following day. It received unpaid promotion by comedians, and digital radio show hosts, Luke and Lewis using posters, megaphone and a large home-made sign hung up next to the Fox FM Melbourne station logo. That promotion captured the attention of the singer-songwriter who displayed it on her own Instagram account. "I Said Hi" peaked at number 6 on the ARIA charts.

Shark's album, Love Monster, was released on 13 July 2018 and it debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Charts. The album provided four additional singles, including "Mess Her Up" (March 2019). At the ARIA Music Awards of 2018, the artist won four ARIA Music Awards, with Album of the Year, Best Pop Release and Best Female Artist for Love Monster, and Producer of the Year for Dann Hume and M-Phazes work on "I Said Hi". According to The Sydney Morning Heralds Nathanael Cooper, "[Handlin] was furious she hadn’t thanked him or Sony in her speech for the major award." At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, she received four more nominations. Diplo, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Her live performance of "I Said Hi" appeared on the related album by various artists, Artists Unite for Fire Fight: Concert for National Bushfire Relief (12 March 2020). Thomas Bleach observed that she was, "euphorically telling the world that Australia says hi and thank you for all the support that has been given." On 23 October 2020, Shark released a single "C'mon" featuring blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. Alexander Pan of Tone Deaf observed, "[it's] a thumping power-pop ballad that's got a considerable amount of weight behind it." At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards, she won Best Pop Release for her single, "Everybody Rise" (June 2020)—marking the third time she'd received the award. She also performed as part of an all-female ensemble, singing "I Am Woman", in honour of Helen Reddy (1941–2020). At the ceremony, she also won the public-voted category, Best Australian Live Act for her Regional Tour during 2019. Shark released the single "All the Lies About Me", alongside the album's announcement and additionally announced a national headline tour for mid-2021.

"Love Songs Ain't for Us", featuring Australian country musician Keith Urban, was released on 19 February 2021 as the album's fourth single. The song was co-written with English singer Ed Sheeran. At the APRA Music Awards of 2022 it won Most Performed Country Work. On 19 March 2021, Shark appeared on Triple J's Like a Version segment, performing a cover of Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down" alongside a performance of her original track "Baby Steps" (marking her debut live performance of the song).

Shark appeared as a contestant on the sixth season of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia from May to June 2022, she finished in the top 4. The singer released "Sway My Way", a cover version of Bic Runga's "Sway", with R3HAB in July 2022. She released her solo single, "Only Wanna Be with You", in October 2022. Shark was a judge for the 2023 reboot of Australian Idol on the Seven Network, and the 2024 season. She supported Coldplay's gigs in Perth, Australia in mid-November 2023.

Shark's third studio album Sunday Sadness was released on 9 August 2024.

2026: Soft Pop In March 2026, Shark announced her fourth studio album Soft Pop would be released on 24 July 2026.

Personal life

Amy Shark's birth father separated from her mother, Robyn, when Shark was "just a baby, one or two". Her written material is credited to Amy Louise Billings. The couple worked with the local National Rugby League football club, Gold Coast Titans: Shark as a video editor and Shane managing finances. Shane was also Shark's talent manager until she signed with Jaddan Comerford of UNIFIED Music Group, and continued as her manager for the local market.

In September 2021 Shane founded Rage More Records as a talent management company and recording label. The label's first release is a single "I'm not Giving Up" (September 2021) by IndyAnna Baby, which is co-written by Shark with that artist. The artist described having felt discomfort before seeking medical assistance and was due to undergo surgery with a month for recovery. By late September the singer performed at El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles.

Discography

Studio albums It's a Happy City (2012, as Amy Cushway) Love Monster (2018) Cry Forever (2021) Sunday Sadness (2024) Soft Pop (2026)

Concert tours

Headlining Love Monster Tour (2018) Australian Tour (2019) Regional Australia Tour (2019) Cry Forever Tour (2021–2022) See U Somewhere Tour (2022) Sunday Sadness Tour (2024) AJ2025 (2025)

Supporting Nostalgic for the Present Tour (Sia, 2017) Music of the Spheres World Tour (Coldplay, 2023)

Awards and nominations ARIA Music Awards The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987. Amy Shark has won 8 awards from 37 nominations;

"Can I Shower at Yours" Best Pop Release

Mitch Green for Amy Shark – "Can I Shower at Yours" Best Video "Sway My Way" (with R3hab) Song of the Year

Album of the Year

Best Pop Release Best Solo Artist "Beautiful Eyes" - Amy Shark, Marcario De Souza Best Video APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) to recognise composing and song writing skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Shark was nominated for three categories at the 2018 APRA Awards and at the 2019 awards.

Most Performed Australian Work

Most Performed Pop Work 2025 "Beautiful Eyes" (Amy Billings Amy Shark) Song of the Year

Australian Women in Music Awards The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the Australian Music Industry who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018. 2018 Amy Shark Breakthrough Artist Award Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia is an annual awards night typically held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They commenced in 1973.

(unknown)

(unknown) J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005. 2018 Love Monster Australian Album of the Year Logie Awards The Logie Awards is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine TV Week. 2023 Amy Shark Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards is an award presented by Viacom International Media Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. 2018 herself Best Australian Act

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.

Live Act of the Year

Best New Act of the Year Live Pop Act of the Year Best Live Voice of the Year - People's Choice Queensland Live Voice of the Year

Live Pop Act of the Year

International Live Achievement (Solo) Best Live Voice of the Year - People's Choice Queensland Live Voice of the Year 2019 Amy Shark Live Pop Act of the Year

Amy Shark Best Pop Act

Queensland Music Awards The Queensland Music Awards (known as Q Song Awards until 2010) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.

Pop Song of the Year Regional Song of the Year

Export Achievement Award

Singer Songwriter "Adore" Highest Selling Single of the Year

Pop Song of the Year Regional Song of the Year

"I Said Hi" Highest Selling Single

Love Monster Highest Selling Album Amy Shark Singer Songwriter 2020 "Mess Her Up" Highest Selling Single 2021 "Everybody Rise" Highest Selling Single 2022 Cry Forever Highest Selling Album 2023 "Sway My Way" by Amy Shark & R3HAB Highest Selling Single

"Beautiful Eyes" Highest Selling Single

Sunday Sadness Highest Selling Album

Rolling Stone Australia Awards The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.

Cry Forever Best Record

"Baby Steps" Best Single 2023 "Only Wanna Be with You" Best Single

"Can I Shower At Yours?" Best Single

Sunday Sadness Best LP/EP

Beautiful Eyes Best Single Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by Albert Music and APRA AMCOS. It commenced in 2009. 2018 "Adore" Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition