The Kid LAROI and Genesis Owusu kept their hot streaks going with wins Wednesday night (March 30) at the second annual Rolling Stone Australia Awards, held at the Argyle in central Sydney.
Just days after “Stay” collected best collaboration at the 2022 iHeartRadio Awards, The Kid LAROI backed up with the Rolling Stone Global Award, beating out a list of heavyweights that included Keith Urban, Kylie Minogue, PNAU, Rüfüs Du Sol and Tones and I.
The “Global” triumph is recognition for the teenage singer and rapper’s stellar breakthrough in 2021, during which time he collected No. 1 singles and album titles in the U.S. and Australia, along with ARIA and APRA Awards.
“Stay,” the Kid’s collaboration with Justin Bieber, led the Billboard Hot 100 and the ARIA Singles Chart, and has racked up more than 1.6 billion streams to-date on Spotify.
Also on the night, Genesis Owusu snagged best record for his all-conquering Smiling with No Teeth, extending a remarkable run of wins.
The Ghana-born, Canberra raised funk exponent has cleaned up on the awards circuit over the past six months, with his debut LP scoring album of the year at the ARIA Awards, Australian album of the year at the J Awards and, earlier this month, the Australian Music Prize and Vanda & Young Songwriting Contest.
Darwin indie pop band King Stingray won best new artist award, triple j favorite Gordi took out the Reader’s Choice Award, and Gold Coast singer and songwriter Amy Shark scored best single for “Baby Steps,” lifted from her ARIA No. 1 album Cry Forever.
Performers on the night included Shark and singer-songwriter Ruby Fields, while podcasters Matt & Alex were hosts.
“We couldn’t be more excited and proud to have been able to host live music in Sydney and acknowledge the powerful impact musicians have had on culture,” Poppy Reid, the Brag Media’s editor-in-chief, told the packed house.
“It should also be said that Rolling Stone editors from all over the world took part in our judging process so even those who didn’t take home an award tonight are now on the radar of some of the leading voices in music journalism.”
The Brag Media entered into a licensing agreement in 2019 with Rolling Stone’s parent company, Penske Media Corporation (PMC), for the launch of Rolling Stone Australia, with the first issues rolling off the presses early in 2020. Former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns is the cover star of the latest issue, out Monday.
The Sailor Jerry Rolling Stone Australia Awards 2022 Winners:
Best Record
