With two wins each, Cub Sport, Jem Cassar-Daley and Bluey composer Joff Bush were the standouts at the 2024 Queensland Music Awards, presented Wednesday, April 17 at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane.
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Homegrown electro-pop act Cub Sport nabbed album of the year for their ARIA No. 1 collection Jesus At The Gay Bar, and the electronic award for “Songs About It.”
“This is very unexpected,” drummer Dan Puusaari said from the dais as Cub Sport collected best album honors. “We’ve been a band for 13 years, won our first QMA 12 years ago, it’s very cool to still be up here, still making music. It’s a massive privilege. This is the fifth record we’ve made. To be acknowledged like this is really cool.”
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Jem Cassar-Daley snagged the pop award and song of the year, the QMAs’ top honor, both for “King of Disappointment.”
With the song of the year award, Cassar-Daley, daughter of homegrown country great Troy Cassar-Daley, scores a prime piece of real estate – a plaque on the Walk of Fame in the city’s Brunswick Street Mall.
As she accepted her trophy, Cassar-Daley thanked “every single one of you in this room for inspiring me to pursue music, even during COVID when everything had locked down and we’d all lost gigs.”
Composer Joff Bush won the children’s music award for “Dance Mode” and music for screen award for “Cricket,” both written for the popular animated series Bluey.
Also, country veteran James Blundell was honored with the lifetime achievement award, recognition of a decades-long career during which he has recorded 14 studio albums, won nine CMAA Golden Guitars, and earned induction into the CMAA Role of Renown and the CMC Hall of Fame.
“It is an acknowledgement of survival,” he said of his latest award, which he celebrated with members of his family. “I say to all the young artists I work with that longevity is a major part of the equation. You can be fabulous for a nanosecond but to sustain a career, well you’ve got to be a bit more interesting (laughs). Now I have never claimed or intended to be an interesting artist, but I have lived very honestly and very much in the public eye. So, I am very grateful to receive this award.”
Other winners included Busby Marou (blues/roots award), DZ Deathrays (heavy award), Tia Gostelow (Indigenous award), and Sahara Beck (soul/funk/RnB category).
“We are massively proud Queenslanders, and we’re inspired by the young fellas coming through. And of course, all the old fellas too,” remarked Thomas Busby, one-half of Rockhampton roots act Busby Marou. The “beauty of making music,” he added, is that you “make friends all along the way, then you keep them.”
The 2024 Queensland Music Awards are produced by QMusic, which is supported by the Queensland government. Guests in the room included Queensland premier Steven Miles.
2024 Queensland Music Awards winners:
Major Awards
Song Of The Year
Jem Cassar-Daley – ‘King Of Disappointment’
Album Of The Year
Cub Sport – Jesus At The Gay Bar
Lifetime Achievement Award
James Blundell
Scholarships
2023 Billy Thorpe Scholarship
Lottie Mcleod
2023 Carol Lloyd Award
Jo Davie
Dennis “Mop” Conlon Scholarship
Kristal West
2023 Grant Mclennan Fellowship
Georgia Potter
Dalwood-Wylie Foundation Scholarship
Ethan Roberts
Category Awards
Blues | Roots Award
Busby Marou – ‘Conversation’
Children’s Music Award
Joff Bush – ‘Dance Mode’ (Bluey)
Contemporary Classical & Music For Stage
Karin Schaupp – ‘Cybernylon’
Country Award
Tori Forsyth – ‘Sometimes’
Electronic Award
Cub Sport – ‘Songs About It’
Folk Award
Minor Gold – ‘Cannonball’
Heavy Award
Dz Deathrays – ‘My Mind Is Eating Me Alive’
Hip Hop Award
Ozi Jarel – ‘Uptown’
Indigenous Award
Tia Gostelow – ‘Spring To Life’
Jazz Award
Andrew Butt Trio – ‘Le Baiser Salé’
Music For Screen
Joff Bush – ‘Cricket’ (Bluey)
Pop Award
Jem Cassar-Daley – ‘King Of Disappointment’
Rock Award
Felony. – ‘Everyone I Like Wants To Kill Themselves’
Soul | Funk | Rnb Award
Sahara Beck – ‘Compromise’
World Award
Taitu’uga – ‘Falealili Manusamoa’
Youth (Ages 10 – 17) Award
Parker – ‘Sofa Bed’
Regional | Regional Award
Lt – ‘Act Your Age’
Video Award
Luis Campbell, Adam Hasa & Julian Panetta – ‘Make It So Easy’ By Jordan Briton Feat. Juno
Export Award
Skin On Skin
Highest Selling Single
Fisher & Kita Alexander – ‘Atmosphere’
Highest Selling Album
Brad Cox – Acres
Venues + Festival Of The Year Awards
People’s Choice Award Metro Venue Of The Year
The Fortitude Music Hall
People’s Choice Award Regional Venue Of The Year
Kings Beach Tavern
People’s Choice Award Festival Of The Year Nominees
Gympie Music Muster
Accessible Venue Of The Year
Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct