AMY Shark has never been one to sugarcoat her journey.
Before her 2016 breakout hit Adore catapulted her onto international stages, the Gold Coast singer-songwriter spent years grinding away in a scene she describes as “a very tight clique”.
“It was a slow, painful grind of not knowing where to start or who to talk to,” Shark said.
That persistence finally paid off with that track climbing to number three on the ARIA Singles Chart and number two on Triple J’s Hottest 100. For Shark, it was life-changing.
“Oh, it was like proof there was a God!” she laughed.
“I was so close to hanging up the boots. I’d just applied for a government grant for the second time because I was broke. I remember telling my husband that maybe I needed to redirect my passion and ‘grow up’.
“Suddenly people who’d never cared were begging to meet me, fly me places, call me. It was insane.”
Since then, Shark has worked alongside the likes of Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Keith Urban, The Chainsmokers, and Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan.
Her music continues to straddle the line between vulnerable storytelling and radio-friendly pop.
“That’s the challenge! I make sure nothing gets too cringe,” she said.
“If the production is super pop, I’ll balance it with more vulnerable lyrics. I learned a lot from Adore. That was my first real lesson in songwriting.”
While the music industry has changed since she broke through, Shark admits she prefers to put “the blinders on and stay in my lane”.
Her rebel and outlier mentality helps get her through her career, including in her unexpected role as a judge on Australian Idol.
“At first, I wasn’t interested,” she said.
“In the end, I said: ‘I’ll do it, but I’ll do it my way – speaking how I speak, dressing how I want’. I wasn’t sure they’d want me back after season one, but they did.”
Three albums in, Shark is deliberate with her output. Love Monster, Cry Forever and Sunday Sadness released three years apart.
“It’s about making sure I’ve got a solid album,” she said.
“I hate messy discographies. Each album should represent a chapter – complete and bundled.”
Her latest, Sunday Sadness, mixes upbeat tracks like Can I Shower at Yours with more reflective songs shaped by personal loss.
Currently, she’s back to basics with an acoustic tour around the country.
“Acoustic shows are so fun,” she said.
“I wasn’t sure if people would want it, but they’ve loved it.”
The Solo Acoustic Songs and Stories Tour will play Ipswich Civic Centre on Sunday, November 23 at 7.15pm.
