Amy Shark facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Amy Shark
Shark performing in 2023
Born	(1986-05-14) 14 May 1986 (age 39) Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Other names	Amy Cushway Little Sleeper
Occupation	Singer songwriter musician
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Shane Billings ​ (m. 2013)​
Musical career
Genres	Indie pop
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Labels	Amy Shark (independent) Wonderlick Sony RCA

Amy Louise Billings (born on May 14, 1986), known as Amy Shark, is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. She plays guitar and produces her own music. Amy is from the Gold Coast, Queensland. From 2008 to 2012, she released her early songs under the name Amy Cushway.

Her song "Adore" became very popular in 2016. It reached number 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart, which lists the most popular songs in Australia. It was also voted number 2 on the Triple J Hottest 100 list for 2016. Her album Love Monster, released in July 2018, went straight to number 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Amy Shark has won 8 ARIA Music Awards, which are big music awards in Australia. She has won "Best Pop Release" three times for her music.

About Amy Shark

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Amy Shark was born on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Her mother, Robyn, and stepfather, David Cushway, raised her there. Amy also has a younger half-sibling. She has both Hungarian and English family roots.

Amy went to Southport State High School. While there, she enjoyed acting in plays and studying film. She also played guitar in an all-girl punk band. Another famous singer, Ricki-Lee Coulter, also went to the same school. Amy described her first bands as "quite thrashy." She kept writing songs on her acoustic guitar even when her bands broke up. Her first job was selling T-shirts at a souvenir shop.

In 2007, Amy entered a singing contest. Her boyfriend, Shane Billings, encouraged her to sing "Baby Shark, doo doo doo." After this, she performed under different names like Amy Cushway and Little Sleeper.

Starting Her Music Career

As Amy Cushway (2008–2012)

Amy Shark performed and recorded music as Amy Cushway from 2008 to 2012. Her first solo show was at the Burleigh Bears Rugby League Club. There, she sang cover songs. At first, she performed solo with just her acoustic guitar.

In 2008, she released her first collection of songs, called an extended play (EP), titled I Thought of You Out Loud. One song from it was "Take Time Take Me." She said this EP helped her feel better when she was feeling down. This song was also a finalist for the 2008 Q Song Awards. Amy liked to write honest songs that everyone could relate to. She found inspiration from the band Tegan and Sara.

Her second EP, Love's Not Anorexic, came out in 2009. She went on a national tour to support it. Another song from the EP, "Cool Kids Die," was about young people she knew who had passed away. She felt this EP was a more grown-up version of her first one. She also made it to the finals of the 2009 Q Songs with her song "Stupid not To."

In late 2010, Amy formed a band called Fly Boy Fly. She worked with bassist Ryan Nash and drummer Tom Moore. The band's name was a mix of ideas from Peter Pan and war movies.

Amy's third EP, Broadway Gossip, was released in October 2010. She said she wanted to try new sounds with beats on this one. Her first full album, It's a Happy City, came out in March 2012. She described it as "extremely fun." By December 2016, Amy had stopped using the name Cushway for her music.

Becoming Amy Shark

New Name and Night Thinker (2013–2017)

In 2013, the artist started using the stage name Amy Shark. She chose this name because the movie Jaws is her favorite. In February 2014, she released a five-song EP called Nelson. One of its songs, "Weight of the World," was a finalist at the 2013 Queensland Music Awards. She also started a new YouTube channel as Amy Shark Music and released the single "Spits on Girls" in July.

Shark performing in Los Angeles in June 2017

In October 2015, Amy released "Golden Fleece." She had originally used the name Little Sleeper for this song. She later went back to Amy Shark because music supervisors in America preferred it. The song's music video showed her standing in the dark, getting covered in colorful paint. "Golden Fleece" won Pop Song of the Year at the Queensland Music Awards in 2016. Amy then toured with the band Tigertown. She received a grant from the Gold Coast council, which helped her work with more well-known producers. She remembered that some people in the music industry told her to quit.

In July 2016, she released her popular single "Adore." She also covered Silverchair's "Miss You Love" for Triple J's show Like a Version. "Adore" was played a lot on Triple J radio. This led to a competition between big record labels to sign her. Sony Music Australia won, and Amy signed with Wonderlick/Sony in November 2016. Her earlier songs, "Spits on Girls" and "Golden Fleece," were re-released by Wonderlick/Sony. "Adore" was voted number 2 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2016 list.

In March 2017, Amy released "Weekends." Her EP, Night Thinker, came out in April and reached number 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In April, she won Artist of the Year and Song of the Year at the Gold Coast Music Awards. In November, Apple Music named her their UpNext artist. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2017, Amy Shark was nominated for 6 awards. She won "Best Pop Release" and "Breakthrough Artist" for Night Thinker. She also performed "Adore" at the awards show. She performed "Adore" on The Late Late Show with James Corden in November 2017 and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March 2018.

Love Monster and Cry Forever

Love Monster (2018–2019)

Shark performing in Wodonga in 2019

In March 2018, Amy Shark contributed the song "Sink In" to the movie soundtrack for Love, Simon. The album for the movie became popular on the Billboard 200 chart. The next month, she performed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony on the Gold Coast. She sang a duet with Archie Roach and an Indigenous youth choir.

On April 11, 2018, Amy premiered her single "I Said Hi" on Triple J. It was released the next day. The song got a lot of attention, even from comedians who promoted it with posters and signs. Amy shared their promotion on her Instagram. "I Said Hi" reached number 6 on the ARIA charts.

Amy Shark's album, Love Monster, was released on July 13, 2018. It debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Charts. The album included four more singles, like "Mess Her Up" (March 2019). At the ARIA Music Awards of 2018, Amy won four awards. These included "Album of the Year," "Best Pop Release," and "Best Female Artist" for Love Monster. She also won "Producer of the Year" for the work on "I Said Hi." She was the most nominated artist and won the most awards that year.

Amy promoted Love Monster with her Regional Australia Tour in 2019. In December 2019, she was featured on the Chainsmokers' song "The Reaper." She received four more nominations at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019.

Cry Forever and Sunday Sadness (2020–Present)

Shark with her backing band at Moroccan Lounge, Los Angeles, June 2023

For her album Cry Forever, Amy Shark worked with famous artists like Ed Sheeran, Diplo, Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins, and the Chainsmokers. On February 16, 2020, Amy performed at the Fire Fight Australia concert in Sydney. This concert raised money for the bushfire relief efforts. Her live performance of "I Said Hi" was included on the concert album.

On March 6, 2020, Amy announced a new management deal for her international music. Her husband, Shane Billings, continued to manage her in Australia. On October 23, 2020, Amy released the single "C'mon" featuring blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. Two days later, she performed at the 2020 NRL Grand Final in Sydney. At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards, she won "Best Pop Release" for her single "Everybody Rise" (June 2020). This was her third time winning this award. She performed the song live at the ceremony. She also performed "I Am Woman" with other female artists to honor Helen Reddy. Amy also won "Best Australian Live Act" for her 2019 Regional Tour.

On December 4, 2020, Amy Shark announced her second studio album, Cry Forever, which was released on April 30, 2021. She also released the single "All the Lies About Me" and announced a national tour.

"Love Songs Ain't for Us", featuring Australian country musician Keith Urban, was released in February 2021. Amy co-wrote this song with English singer Ed Sheeran. It won "Most Performed Country Work" at the 2022 APRA Music Awards. In March 2021, Amy covered Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down" on Triple J's Like a Version. She also performed her song "Baby Steps" live for the first time.

Amy Shark was a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice Australia in 2022, finishing in the top 4. She released "Sway My Way," a cover of Bic Runga's "Sway," with R3HAB in July 2022. Her solo single, "Only Wanna Be with You," came out in October 2022. Amy was a judge on the 2023 and 2024 seasons of Australian Idol. She also supported Coldplay's concerts in Perth, Australia, in November 2023.

Amy Shark's third studio album, Sunday Sadness, was released on August 9, 2024.

Personal Life

Amy Shark's birth father separated from her mother when Amy was very young. After her song "Adore" became successful, her birth father tried to contact her. Amy responded that she hadn't heard from him in 15 years and was busy. She recalled asking her mother if she could call her stepfather, David Cushway, "Dad," which made both her mother and stepfather cry. Her early recordings were under the name Amy Cushway.

In 2007, Amy met Shane Billings, a financial manager from New Zealand. They got married on May 11, 2013. Amy's written songs are credited to Amy Louise Billings. The couple worked for the National Rugby League team, Gold Coast Titans. Amy was a video editor, and Shane managed finances. She left that job in November 2016. Shane was also Amy's talent manager for a while. The couple used to live in Broadbeach Waters and moved to Sydney by 2021.

In September 2021, Shane started Rage More Records, a talent management and recording label. Amy Shark had to cancel a tour in America in September 2023 because she was hospitalized for an illness in early August. She needed surgery and time to recover. By late September, she was performing again in Los Angeles.

Music Albums

Studio albums

• It's a Happy City (2012, as Amy Cushway)
• Love Monster (2018)
• Cry Forever (2021)
• Sunday Sadness (2024)

Concert Tours

Shark performing at the Regional Australia Tour in Wodonga, Victoria, 2019

Headlining Tours

• Love Monster Tour (2018)
• Australian Tour (2019)
• Regional Australia Tour (2019)
• Cry Forever Tour (2021–2022)
• See U Somewhere Tour (2022)
• Sunday Sadness Tour (2024)
• AJ2025 (2025)

Supporting Tours

• Nostalgic for the Present Tour (for Sia, 2017)
• Music of the Spheres World Tour (for Coldplay, 2023)

Awards and Nominations

Amy Shark has won many awards for her music. The ARIA Music Awards are Australia's biggest music awards. She has won 8 ARIA awards from 32 nominations. In 2018, she was nominated for 9 awards and won 4, making her the top winner that year.

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards celebrate songwriting and music performance in Australia. Amy Shark has won several of these awards.

Australian Women in Music Awards

These awards celebrate amazing women in the Australian music industry.

Country Music Awards of Australia

These awards celebrate excellence in Australian country music.

J Awards

The J Awards are Australian music awards from the radio station Triple J.

Logie Awards

The Logie Awards celebrate Australian television.

MTV Europe Music Awards

These awards honor artists and music in pop culture.

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) celebrate Australia's live music scene.

Queensland Music Awards

These awards celebrate artists from Queensland, Australia.

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

These awards are given by the Australian Rolling Stone magazine.

Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition

This competition celebrates great songwriting and helps raise money for music therapy.

See also

In Spanish: Amy Shark para niños