Great 21st Century Australian Musicians

Australia has long been the fertile source of many of the world’s greatest musicians, and the outflow of talent from Down Under shows no signs of stopping! You can find music stars from all kinds of genres- rock, pop, indie, disco, electronic, even opera, you name it, Australia has it! In the 20th Century many Australian performers became massive hits globally, with sensational acts like AC/DC, Kylie Minogue, INXS, Olivia Newton John, and the Bee Gees just to name a few!

Since the beginning of the 21st Century Australia has continued to produce a wealth of chart-topping musical artists that draw huge crowds for their concerts, keeping the tickets marketplace very busy! Many of these newer performers have also gone on to become international music stars. Let’s take a look at some of the acts that have made Australia a musical powerhouse!

Sia – Sia was born in Adelaide in 1979 and has made a name for herself as both an electrifying performer and as a songwriter for other great acts such as Celine Dion, Beyonce, Rihanna, and Katy Perry. Sia has been performing non-stop since her debut as the singer of the acid-jazz band Crisp.

Sia’s big breakthrough as a solo recording artist came with her sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear, which debuted at the coveted No. 1 spot in the U.S. Billboard 200, and included and the song “Chandelier”, a top-ten single. Sia’s most recent highly acclaimed work was the 2024 album Dance Alone, which she collaborated on with another Australian musical legend, Kylie Minogue.

Tame Impala – The band’s intriguing name is derived from the concept of a domesticated wild animal which they felt reflected their music, a blend of raw psychedelic sounds with advance production techniques. Their unique, technologically driven sound earned them the honour of being VICE’s Artist of the Decade.

The band was formed in Perth in 2007 and produced a number of popular singles and EPs. 2010 saw the release of Tame Impala’s debut studio album, Innerspeaker, which was certified gold in Australia and achieved global popularity. More recently in 2023 their song “Journey to the Real World” was included in the soundtrack for the hit movie Barbie.

Amy Shark – Hailing from the Queensland Gold Coast, Amy Shark is an indie pop singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer and is one of today’s hottest Australian artists. Her career took off like a rocket when her 2016 song “Adore” took the number three spot on the ARIA Singles Chart and the second spot on the Triple J hottest 100!  In 2020 Amy Shark performed her 2018 hit single “I Said Hi” in Sydney at the Fire Fight Australia fund-raising relief concert, the proceeds going to help assuage the effects of the terrible 2019–20 Australian bushfire season. Shark’s most recent work includes her third studio album,  2024’s Sunday Sadness which was released to great acclaim.

Jet – This hard hitting Australian rock band formed in 2001, and their 2003 album Get Born with its huge hit “Are you Gonna Be My Girl” reaching 29 on the Billboard Hot 100! Get Born also achieved 8x platinum in Australia and earned the band four ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) music awards.

Their recent work includes a limited edition 7-inch vinyl record featuring their new song “Hurry Hurry”. They are expected to release a new album in 2025 which is highly anticipated by their legions of fans.

There are many more wonderful Australian music artists worthy of mention here, but we just don’t have the space, so consider this just a sampling! We hope we have inspired you to seek out these fantastic Australian musicians and give them a listen, you won’t be disappointed!