Gang Of Youths, Tash Sultana, Tina Arena Emerge as Top Winners at 2023 Rolling Stone Australia Awards
The 2023 Shure Rolling Stone Australia Awards saw UK-based, Sydney-formed rock band Gang Of Youths, and singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tash Sultana emerge as the night’s big winners on Tuesday, April 4th.
Sultana received the Rolling Stone Global Award at Sydney’s The Argyle. With a fresh indie-pop single “James Dean” marking the beginning of a new deal with Kobalt, Sultana has already claimed an ARIA Award for 2018’s Flow State. Meanwhile, Gang Of Youths won Best Record for Angel in Realtime, their second chart-topping album on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Sydney indie act Lime Cordiale claimed the Rolling Stone Readers’ Choice Award, with frontman Oli Leimbach expressing gratitude for the honor. Perth indie-rockers Spacey Jane took home the Best Single award for “Hardlight,” from their ARIA No. 1 studio album Here Comes Everybody. Golden-voiced singer Budjerah won Best New Artist, adding to his collection of accolades that include an APRA Music Award and the Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist ARIA Award.
The night ultimately belonged to Tina Arena, who was named the inaugural recipient of the Rolling Stone Icon Award. Editor-in-chief of the Brag Media, Poppy Reid, praised Arena for her contributions to music, activism, feminism, and allyship. Arena’s powerful acceptance speech touched on the importance of integrity, authenticity, and the responsibility of artists to inspire change and empathy.
With 12 studio albums and over 10 million combined sales, Arena’s iconic status is well-deserved. She has received seven ARIA Awards and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2015. Arena closed the evening with a surprise duet with Budjerah, performing “Chains” from her hit album Don’t Ask.
2023 Shure Rolling Stone Australia Awards Winners:
- Rolling Stone Icon Award: Tina Arena
- Best Single: Spacey Jane – “Hardlight”
- Best New Artist: Budjerah
- Best Record: Gang of Youths – Angel in Realtime
- Rolling Stone Global Award: Tash Sultana
- Rolling Stone Readers’ Choice Award: Lime Cordiale
