Cub Sport, Jem Cassar-Daley Win Big at 2024 Queensland Music Awards

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.

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.”

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