Thelma Plum, Ball Park Music Among 2023 Queensland Music Award Winners

The results of the 2023 Queensland Music Awards were unveiled in Brisbane tonight, with Thelma Plum and others winning big.

The Gamilaraay singer-songwriter claimed the coveted Song of the Year title and Pop award for her acclaimed single Backseat Of My Mind, while local legends Ball Park Music picked up Album of the Year for their sixth studio album Weirder & Weirder.

Attendees at tonight’s sold-out Fortitude Music Hall ceremony, hosted by Katherine Feeney and Kevin Yow Yeh, were also treated to a surprise performance from Ball Park, as well as live entertainment from Casey Barnes, Hope D, Uncle Bob Wetherall, Katie Noonan, Dameeeela and Sahara Beck, the latter of whom was awarded the 2023 Grant Mclennan Fellowship and Regional Award.

Noonan’s performance was a captivating rendition of Devil May Care in tribute to devoted Queensland music advocate and 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award winner Lynette Irwin, who passed away recently.

Another highlight of the Queensland music celebration was Lindy Morrison of The Go-Betweens being honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, an award bestowed for her “decades of work as an advocate for First Nations people and women in the music industry as well as her outstanding contribution to Queensland music”.

Other artists who picked up awards throughout the night included Sycco, Miiesha, DZ Deathrays, Amy Shark, Adam Brand, WAAX, Yb. and more.

Over to the People’s Choice Awards, sponsored by The Music alongside Oztix, The Fortitude Music Hall was named Metro Venue of the Year, Sol Bar was crowded Regional Venue of the Year, Caloundra Music Festival claimed Festival of the Year and the inaugural Accessible Venue of the Year award went to Kingston Butter Factory.

Over $45,000 in scholarships were also awarded throughout the night; alongside Beck, who will receive $15,000 to travel to New York, London, or Berlin to further develop her career, NEISH received the $15,000 Billy Thorpe Scholarship to assist with their next release, while the Carol Lloyd Award, which supports emerging female-identifying or non-binary artists, went to Platonic Sex.

“From the extraordinary success of established artists like Thelma Plum to emerging artists like Lottie McCleod, these awards are a recognition of the phenomenal music that our artists create. I am always so blown away by the immense talent coming out of our state,” Queensland Music CEO Kris Stewart said.

You can check out the full list of winners below.

2023 Queensland Music Awards Winners

MAJOR AWARDS

SONG OF THE YEAR

Thelma Plum

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Ball Park Music - Weirder & Weirder

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Lindy Morrison

SCHOLARSHIPS

2023 GRANT MCLENNAN FELLOWSHIP

Sahara Beck

2023 BILLY THORPE SCHOLARSHIP

NEISH

2023 CAROL LLOYD AWARD

Platonic Sex

CATEGORY AWARDS

BLUES | ROOTS AWARD

Jen Mize & The Rough N' Tumble - All Riled Up

CHILDREN'S MUSIC AWARD

Cheeky Monkey Club - Yes or No - A Song About Consent

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL AWARD

Monique Clare - Downhill Skiing

COUNTRY AWARD

James Johnston - COUNTRY BOYS

ELECTRONIC AWARD

Sycco - Ripple

FOLK AWARD

Yb. - Blackphemy

HEAVY AWARD

DZ Deathrays - Paranoid

HIP HOP AWARD

Khi'leb - Cheques

INDIGENOUS AWARD

William Barton - Kalkani

JAZZ AWARD

Trichotomy - Forward Motion

POP AWARD

Thelma Plum - Backseat Of My Mind

ROCK AWARD

WAAX - No Doz

YOUTH (AGES 10 – 17) AWARD

Lottie McLeod - Happy Birthday

SOUL | FUNK | RNB AWARD

Miiesha - Still Dream

WORLD AWARD

Isaac Conomos and Menaka Thomas - Space

REGIONAL | REGIONAL AWARD

Sahara Beck - Nothing Wrong With That

VIDEO AWARD

Ben Wrigley - Purple Static by Mirrors

HIGHEST SELLING SINGLE

Amy Shark - Sway My Way

HIGHEST SELLING ALBUM

Adam Brand - All Or Nothing

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS

METRO VENUE OF THE YEAR

The Fortitude Music Hall

REGIONAL VENUE OF THE YEAR

Sol Bar

FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR

Caloundra Music Festival

ACCESSIBLE VENUE OF THE YEAR

Kingston Butter Factory