Queensland Music Awards 2021 Finalists

After a record number of artist submissions from all over the state, the 2021 Queensland Music Awards (5 May) will celebrate the achievements of the state's finest musicians from the past year.

Under the decadent chandeliers of The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, the 2021 QMAs promises to be a massive night of celebrating the talent, resilience, and relentless passion of Queensland's musicians and their teams.

"The Queensland Music Awards have become an important date in the calendar for our music community and despite the hardship of the last 12 months, our artists have proven that they are among the best in the world," QMusic CEO Angela Samut says.

"We had a vast number of exceptional submissions in every category, more than any previous year. Our judges certainly haven't had an easy job narrowing it down, but we are thrilled to present such a remarkable group of talented finalists.

"The creativity emanating from our state is both exciting and inspiring, and I'm proud that the QMAs can be the place for Queensland to celebrate our musicians' success."

Finalists include a stack of well-known names alongside a host of young, emerging artists that highlight the richness of Queensland music.

Some of the 2021 nominees include The Jungle Giants, Karl S Williams, Danny Widdicombe, Confidence Man, Lastlings, Pink Matter, Young Franco, DZ Deathrays, These Four Walls, Jesswar, Beddy Rays, Miiesha, Eves Karydas, Mallrat, Sycco, Ball Park Music, Hope D, Jaguar Jonze, Greta Stanley, DVNA, Tijuana Cartel, Tia Gostelow, King Stingray, Selve and many, many more. Scroll down for the complete list of finalists.

Alongside the QMA 2021 nominees reveal, the four finalists for the annual Billy Thorpe Scholarship have been named: Beckah Amani, King Stingray, Phoebe Sinclair, and Selve. The winner will be announced at the QMA ceremony.

Established in 2010 in honour of the late Billy Thorpe, the scholarship awards the annual winner $10k as well as the opportunity to record with an established producer and receive career-planning from Chugg Entertainment.

"My daughters and I are so happy and proud that The Billy Thorpe Scholarship and QMusic have had the privilege to support the emerging young talent of Queensland for the past 13 years," Lynn Thorpe says.

"There was a record amount of applications this year, and the quality of our four finalists was just amazing. It took a very long Zoom meeting with the judges to narrow down the finalists.

"I look forward to seeing how the scholarship might help the winner achieve exciting things in the coming 12 months."

2021 Queensland Music Awards take place at The Fortitude Music Hall (Brisbane) 5 May.

Queensland Music Awards 2021 Finalists

Blues / Roots
Billie Rose - 'Company With Regret'
Karl S Williams - 'God Is A Bomb'
LT - 'Hold Ya'
Mardi Wilson - 'Runaway'

Children's
Fabulous Lemon Drops - 'There Are Times'
Nyssa Ray - 'Love Everybody'
Happy Singing Kids - 'Uh Oh Spaghetti-Oh!'
The Mini Moshers - 'Shark Chase Song'

Contemporary Classical
Camerata & Queensland's Chamber Orchestra - 'Apis Australis'
Danny Widdicombe & Ant Aggs - 'Alpha Centauri'
Ray Lin - 'Moonlight Illusion'\
Tristan Barton - 'Eris's Debt'

Country
Karl S Williams - 'Columbus Ohio'
Melody Moko - 'Like Hank Would'
Ruby Gilbert - 'No Vacancy'
Vixens of Fall - 'The Long Game'

Electronic / Dance
Confidence Man - 'First Class Bitch'
Lastlings - 'No Time'
Pink Matter - 'You'll Never Know'
Young Franco - 'Juice feat. Pell'

Heavy
DZ Deathrays - 'Fired Up'
RHINO - 'White Witch'
These Four Walls - 'White Lies'
VIRTUES - 'DoubleThink'

Hip Hop / Rap
Jesswar - 'Venom'
No Money Enterprise - 'Presto'
LEMAIRE - 'Where's Up? (feat. Jay Orient & JK-47)'
Tbi$h - 'Endless Trips'

Indigenous
AYA J - 'Tenth Street'
Beddy Rays - 'Sobercoaster'
ELEEA - 'Wasting Time'
Miiesha - 'Twisting Words'

Jazz
Charlotte Mclean - 'Find Comfort In What Ends'
Danny Widdicombe with Kristin Berardi & Trichotomy - 'Falling'
Jordan Brodie - 'Twitch'
Sophie Min - 'Time Is On (feat. Kayleigh Pincott)'

Pop
Eves Karydas - 'Complicated'
Mallrat - 'Rockstar'
Sycco - 'Dribble'
The Jungle Giants - 'Sending Me Ur Loving'

Rock
Ball Park Music - 'Head Like A Sieve'
Beddy Rays - 'Sobercoaster'
Hope D - 'Second'
Jaguar Jonze - 'Rabbit Hole'

Schools (Grade 6-12)
Abi Muir - 'FIRST DATE'
Amber Farnan - 'Over & Out'
Amy Elise - 'Teenagism'
Tayiha - 'No Happy Ending'

Folk / Singer-Songwriter
Greta Stanley - 'Soak Into This'
Hazlett - 'Monsters'
Jaguar Jonze - 'MURDER'
Karl S Williams - 'Never Let Me Go'

Soul / Funk / R&B
DVNA - 'Sushi In Tokyo'
FELIVAND - 'Ebb & Flow'
MiCCY - 'Tug Of War'
Miiesha - 'Twisting Words'

World
MZAZA - 'The Ether'
Saraima Navara - 'Kaum Leva Tagu'
Tenzin Choegyal - 'Heart Strings'
Tijuana Cartel - 'Sufi'

Regional
Cloe Terare - 'Intentions'
Fragile Animals - 'Only Until It's Over'
Greta Stanley - Soak Into This'
Tia Gostelow - 'PSYCHO'

Remote
Alison Jeeves - 'Angels Watching Over Me'
Billie Rose - 'Kick Her To The Curb'
Ella Hartwig - 'Can't Ask You to Stay'
Miiesha - 'Twisting Words'

Video
Dylan Dulcos & Rico Zhang - Lastlings, 'Out Of Touch'
Jennifer Embleton - Cub Sport, 'Confessions'
Levi Cranston - FELIVAND, 'Trajectory'
Mick Soiza - Jarryd James, 'Miracles'

Billy Thorpe Scholarship
Beckah Amani
King Stingray
Phoebe Sinclair
Selve

People's Choice Award Nominees

Metro Venue Of The Year
Black Bear Lodge
Brisbane Jazz Club
Eatons Hill Hotel
Ipswich Civic Centre
Lefty's Music Hall
Mo's Desert Clubhouse
The Brightside
The Fortitude Music Hall
The Tivoli
The Triffid
The Zoo
Vinnies Dive
Woolly Mammoth Mane Stage

Regional Venue Of The Year
Banshees Bar & Artspace
Empire Theatre
NightQuarter
Otherwise Bar
Sandstone Point Hotel
Solbar
Studio 188
The Events Centre, Caloundra

Festival Of The Year
BLEACH* Festival
Brisbane Festival
Earth Frequency Festival
Horizon Festival

Mountain Goat Valley Crawl
Woodford Folk Festival
Yonder