Amyl And The Sniffers snared a hattrick at the 2026 APRA Music Awards, presented Wednesday night (April 29) in Sydney, while INXS was feted with the lifetime achievement award.

For the past year, few Australian acts could touch Amyl And The Sniffers on the awards circuit. It was the same story at the Hordern Pavilion, as the loveable rogues collected the peer-voted APRA song of the year, marking the second consecutive year the punk rockers have won prestigious honor, having done so in 2025 with “U Should Not Be Doing That”. The Melbourne four piece also collected most performed rock work for their Cartoon Darkness hit “Jerkin’,” and lifted the coveted songwriter of the year award. Earlier in the day, Amyl’s managers Simone Ubaldi and Andrew Parisi (of Sundowner Artists)  jointly won manager of the year at the AAM Awards, also presented in Sydney.

Doubling up on the night was Guy Sebastian and co-writers Ned Houston and Robby De Sa, who won most performed Australian work and most performed pop work for “Maybe”. The victory marks Houston’s first APRA Award, and the fourth career win for Sebastian and De Sa.

Sia snagged the category for most performed Australian work overseas for the third consecutive year with “Unstoppable,” for the singer and songwriter’s 14^th donut-shaped award across her career. The Adelaide-raised artist is now APRA’s most-awarded writer member of all time.

Hitmaker Sarah Aarons made the trip from her base in Los Angeles to receive the international recognition award, her sixth APRA Award. While visiting the stage, Aarons, who was worked with the likes of Tame Impala, BTS, Flume, Gracie Abrams, ROSÉ and Maren Morris, told of her homesickness. Her favorite restaurant on the West Coast is the Qantas business lounge at LAX, she quipped. “Not being home is really hard.”

Emily Wurramara made history at the 2024 ARIA Awards, when Nara won for best adult contemporary album, the first time an Indigenous woman had won the category since its inception in 1987. The proud Warnindhilyagwa woman etched her name in APRAs history at the Hordern when she nabbed emerging songwriter of the year, a board-appointed award recognizing her incredible body of work over the past year.

The biggest cheers of the night, however, were directed at INXS, who were saluted with the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music. Long-time friend, artist and APRA chair Jenny Morris inducted the new wave band, with an emotional trip down memory lane.

“People ask me what made INX different. The honest answer is everything,” she remarked. “I’ve stood on the riser with these guys. I watched them from the wings, from the front of the house, from the stage door, from every single angle. They were extraordinary.” The six-piece’s “power, intelligence, and visceral effect of the music couldn’t be ignored.”

Holding back tears, Morris recounted the late, great frontman Michael Hutchence, who passed away in 1997, aged 37. “The Michael I knew was modest. As his friends will tell you, in his private time he liked nothing better than just being part of the cohort. One of the bunch. He was not someone who looked over your shoulder at the room full of glitz and glamor. He would look you in the eye. He genuinely wanted to hear what you had to say. He once said, ‘there is an integrity to INXS in the music, that makes it worthwhile.’” He claimed they were “worthwhile. A modest word from a modest man.”

The surviving members of the band were on hand to receive the award, ahead of what will be INXS’ 50^th anniversary. Each spoke. Andrew Farriss recounted a youthful conversation with his older brother and bandmate, Tim. “I said to him early in our career, you know, we’re going to have to get real job one day. And this is fun, we play music, have a few beers, a few laughs. We get away with it. Then we went and did all that. Incredible. You were right brother.” Kirk Pengilly, who spoke last, admitted the band made “amazing choices.”

As previously announced, the awards celebrated the 100^th anniversary of APRA, and were hosted by Julia Zemiro with guest presenters Bernard Fanning, Jessica Mauboy, Mark Coles Smith and Stella Donnelly, and music curated by François Tétaz.

Performers included Christine Anu, Ngulmiya and Rob Ruha; Barkaa; Ecca Vandal; Paul Kelly; and The Presets’ show-stopping electronic rendition of Midnight Oil’s “Power and the Passion,” featuring a special guest appearance by Peter Garrett, in tribute to the late Oils drummer, Rob Hirst.

“The 2026 APRA Music Awards were a fitting way to celebrate not only 100 years of APRA, but today’s biggest and brightest stars,” remarks Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS. “It’s a privilege to look back at 100 years of service to our members and the incredible breadth and diversity of Australian talent. As a nation we derive so much, socially, culturally and economically, from our music creators, it’s imperative that we recognize and celebrate that contribution.”

The APRAs celebrate excellence in contemporary music, honoring songwriters and publishers who have achieved artistic excellence and outstanding success in their fields. At told, 18 awards were presented across three distinct selection processes: board selected, most performed (based on statistical analysis) and peer voted.

See all the winners at apraamcos.com.au/apramusicawards2026 and below.

Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by:       Jerkin’ Amyl and The Sniffers Declan Mehrtens / Amy Taylor / Bryce Wilson

Songwriter of the Year

Amyl and The Sniffers Declan Mehrtens / Fergus Romer / Amy Taylor / Bryce Wilson

Emerging Songwriter of the Year

Writer:    Published by:                       Emily Wurramara                Mushroom Music Publishing

International Recognition Award

Writer:    Published by:                       Sarah Aarons           Sony Music Publishing

Most Performed Australian Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by: Published by:      Maybe Guy Sebastian   Guy Sebastian / Robby De Sa* / Ned Houston* Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing*

Most Performed Australian Work Overseas

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by: Published by:      Unstoppable Sia Sia Furler / Christopher Braide* Sony Music Publishing / Concord Music Publishing ANZ*

Most Performed Alternative Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by: Published by:      Please Don’t Move to Melbourne                                   Ball Park Music Sam Cromack    Sony Music Publishing

Most Performed Blues & Roots Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by:  Survival            Karen Lee Andrews       Daniel March / Adam Ventoura

Most Performed Country Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by: Published by:      Who You Are    Rachael Fahim Rachael Fahim / Shawn Mayer / Liam Quinn / Vlado Saric / Keenan Te*   Sentric Music Publishing obo Acts Music Publishing*

Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by: Published by:        Tell Me Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas Stuart Crichton / Sonny Fodera* / Clementine Douglas^ / Ruth Cunningham^ Concord Music Publishing ANZ / BMG* / Mushroom Music Publishing^

Most Performed Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by: Published by:      RAINDROP       Ocean Grove     Samuel Bassal* / Brent Hunter* / Luke Holmes  BMG*

Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by: Published by:      Spinnin     ONEFOUR & Nemzzz     Jerome Misa* / Salec Su’a* / Hoi Tang / Nemiah Simms* / Robin Turrini   Sony Music Publishing*

Most Performed International Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by: Published by:      Timeless           The Weeknd & Playboi Carti                  Abel Tesfaye* / Jordan Carter^ / Raul Cubina+ / Mike Dean^ / Evan Hood^ / Jarrod Morgan^ / Chisolm Petty+ / Tariq Sharrieff+ / Mark Williams~ / Pharrell Williams^ Universal/MCA Music Publishing* / Sony Music Publishing^ / Kobalt Music Publishing+ / Warner Chappell Music~

Most Performed Pop Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by: Published by:      Maybe Guy Sebastian   Guy Sebastian / Robby De Sa* / Ned Houston* Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing*

Most Performed R&B / Soul Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by:Pity Party         PANIA   Pania Hika / Jake Amy / Chelsea Warner / Sam Verghese

Most Performed Rock Work

Title:                              Artist:                   Written by:Jerkin’ Amyl and The Sniffers Declan Mehrtens / Amy Taylor / Bryce Wilson

Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music

INXS

Licensee of the Year

The Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre

Believe’s Label & Artist Solutions is now open for business in the United States.

Music industry veteran Thomas Maxwell will lead the activities as vice president U.S., Label & Artist Solutions (LAS), Believe, reporting to the company’s global head of music, Romain Vivien.

Going forward, Maxwell will sign and develop partnerships with independent labels, and expand the independent music specialist’s presence in the U.S., the world’s No. 1 recorded music market. He’ll split time between New York City, Nashville, and Los Angeles while “scaling the company’s U.S. operations and cementing Believe as a premier partner for growth-minded independent music companies in the region,” reads a statement.

Previously, Maxwell served in multiple positions at IDOL, where he opened and established the first U.S. office for the Paris-based indie distributor, and led signings including Mexican Summer, Young Art, The Ray Charles Foundation, HighNote Records, Old Soul Music, Roundhill, and Acrophase Records. During his time with IDOL, he worked on key releases from artists including Erick the Architect, Ginger Root, TOKiMONSTA, Cate Le Bon, Channel Tres, Yaeji, George Clanton, and Drugdealer.

Also, Maxwell has spoken at conferences and events including SXSW, Indie Week and Music Biz and is said to maintain strong relationships across the streaming and label ecosystem.

“For 20 years,” Vivien comments in a statement, “Believe has succeeded by supporting local music ecosystems and developing labels and artists in nearly every major music market around the world. Thomas’ expertise and connections make him the ideal candidate to lead Believe’s expansion into the largest music market in the world, the United States, and to scale our business to support local artists and labels throughout the region.”

Adds Maxwell: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Believe at such a dynamic moment for the company and the independent sector. Throughout my career, I’ve focused on helping independent labels and artists navigate an increasingly complex digital ecosystem and build sustainable businesses. Believe’s global scale, technology, and artist-first approach uniquely position the company to support the next generation of independent success, and I’m thrilled to help expand those opportunities in the U.S.”

David Allan Coe, a standout in the pack that was country music’s outlaw movement in the 1970s, whose music reached a loyal following that has grown into something bordering on cult status, has died at 86, according to various published reports.

The controversial artist wasn’t a prolific hitmaker, but he played to the beat of his own drum. With a sound that blended country, rock and blues, he landed eight singles in the Top 40 on the Country Singles chart, and is remembered for such songs as “You Never Even Called Me By My Name,” “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile,” “The Ride,” “If This Is Just a Game,” “Waylon, Willie, and Me,” “Long Haired Redneck.”

Coe’s checkered past made him headline material, from his marriages, to incarceration in his native Ohio Penitentiary, time spent in a hearse parked outside of the Ryman Auditorium, and the release of his infamous X-rated albums, Nothing Sacred and Underground Album, after which critics denounced him as a racist and misogynist, accusations he strongly denied.

Born in Akron in 1939, Coe was raised in a broken home, and by the age of nine was sent to a reform school. His was a life “full of bad luck and misadventure,” reads a biog on the songwriter, published by Sun Records. As a songwriter, he was gifted, and as a performer, charismatic.

Coe would spend the next two decades in and out of various correctional institutions, for crimes including possession of burglary tools and auto theft. Music came to him when he was locked up.  In 1967, Coe was a free man and travelled to Nashville to pursue his dream in music. 

In the years that followed, he would earn a reputation as one of the more mysterious artists in the genre’s history, and one of the more outspoken. In 1977, Johnny Paycheck bagged a hit with his version of Coe’s song “Take This Job and Shove It,” a song that would soundtrack the 1981 feature film of the same name. 

As time marched on, the hits dwindled though Coe was often the subject of colorful stories in the press. In the 2010s, he was in the news for being ordered by the IRS to play more than $980,000 in restitution for obstructing the tax agency. When he was unable to pay, the unverified story goes, Coe sold his house and lived in a cave. Then, in March 2013, he was involved in a vehicle crash in Florida, but after several months shrugged off internal injuries and broken bones and headed back out on tour.

Coe was a constant presence on the road, and at the end of the ‘90s formed an unlikely tandem with Dimebag Darrell, the late guitarist with metal legends Pantera, from which an album was recorded, alongside bassist Rex Brown, and drummer Vinnie Paul. Rebel Meets Rebel didn’t see the light of day until 2006, after Dimebag’s murder. Coe’s rebel spirit caught the attention of Kid Rock, who namechecked the veteran artist in the song “American Badass,” and who invited Coe to open his 2000 concert tour. The friendship became a collaboration. Coe contributed to “Single Father,” housed on Rock’s self-titled 2003 album.

In 2017, Coe appeared in both the song and the video for The Moonshine Bandits’ release “Take This Job,” which he wrote. For the clip, Coe was happy to return to the penitentiary where he was incarcerated. “He had to walk three or four flights of stairs in that creepy old prison. He had to put in a lot of work to make this thing happen. It was just cool,” the Bandits told Billboard at the time. “The relationship we built with him has been so meaningful. I get text messages from him out of the blue. The night before the video, we were in his hotel room sipping on whiskey, and listening to him tell his stories.”

Coe died just after 5pm on Wednesday, April 29, his representative confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement. “David was a Country Music treasure and loved his fans,” his rep said. “Most importantly, he was a true outlaw and A great singer, songwriter, and performer.”

Thalia delivered one of the most colorful moments on Wednesday (April 29) at the 2026 Billboard Women in Music awards, where she not only showcased her signature charm but also her Mexican pride by bringing along a full mariachi band for her vibrant musical performance.

The Mexican superstar, who was honored with the Icon Award, lit up the stage with a medley of her timeless hits “Piel Morena” and “Amor a la Mexicana” — the former of which earned her her first top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, where it peaked at No. 7 in 1995, while the latter reached No. 6 in 1997.

Clad in a short, bright red dress with a flowing cape of the same color, the artist began the opening verses of “Piel Morena” accompanied by two guitarists, who were soon joined by four dancers dressed in white, sleeveless mariachi suits. The real surprise came with “Amor a la Mexicana,” when an all-female mariachi group took the stage to accompany her, while a large male mariachi ensemble — dressed in black — appeared, playing their music as they moved through the aisles amidst the audience.

Immediately afterward — still catching her breath — Thalia received her award from the hands of actress and activist Eva Longoria, who praised her extensive career and hailed her as a true “chingona” (Mexican slang for bad-ass).

“I’m truly, truly blessed to be among this incredible crowd, this inspiring group of artists and women,” Thalia said, evidently emotional, as she thanked Billboard, her family, her fans and all the people who have accompanied her throughout her career. “Thank you for walking with me for more than four decades and generations and countries and languages.”

“You know, I’ve been thinking about this word, ‘icon.’ It’s short. Right? But it’s a long process to arrive there,” she continued. “An icon is a symbol, is a representation of something greater than itself. A story, a culture, a moment in time that lives in people’s hearts. And if my journey has connected in that way, I really receive this with so much love.”

“Being an icon is not about standing here alone. It’s about opening doors so others can walk through them. It’s about holding on to your dreams even in uncertainty and reinventing yourself over and over and over. An icon is a survivor: she falls, she stands up, she keeps going because there’s no option,” she added. “And talking about survivors, I want to dedicate this award to the little girl I once was, to that little Thalia, that little girl who’s still living in me, to that little Thaly who stepped onto a television stage when she was seven years old and found magic in those lights and through the lens of the camera.”

“And to every single kid who dares to dream big, do not stop. Your dreams are not big, you’re just waiting to grow into them,” she concluded, before exclaiming in Spanish, “¡Viva México! ¡Viva los latinos! Gracias.”

Thalia had previously been honored with the Global Powerhouse Award at Billboard Latin Women in Music in 2023.

Known as the Queen of Latin Pop and Queen of Telenovelas, she began her career as a child in the 1980s, both as an actress and as a member of the influential Mexican pop group Timbiriche. When she was just over 20 years old, she was already a global celebrity as the star of the María Trilogy — that series of telenovelas that aired in more than 180 countries to an audience of nearly two billion people.

Since 1990, when she launched her music solo career with progressive pop-rock melodies and a flirty image, she has placed 41 songs on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart — the third-highest number for a female artist in the chart’s history, behind Shakira (56) and Ednita Nazario (44). She has also been a regular presence on other charts, with 29 entries on Latin Airplay, 26 on Hot Latin Songs, 16 on Top Latin Albums and seven on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.

The 2026 Women in Music ceremony was hosted by Keke Palmer and streamed live on Billboard’s YouTube channel and Billboard.com.

In addition to Thalia, this year’s honorees included the vocalists of the K-Pop Demon Hunters group HUNTR/X — EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI — as Women of the Year, as well as Teyana Taylor (Visionary Award), Zara Larsson (Breakthrough Award), Kehlani (Impact Award), Laufey (Innovator Award), Mariah the Scientist (Rising Star Award) and Tate McRae (Hitmaker Award).

For more on Billboard‘s Women in Music, click here.