Two Way Traffic

The Australian music scene has been immeasurably enriched by the contributions of musicians who have come to call Australia home and those who have made their reputations on the international stage. 

During the 1950s and 1960s, many of Australia’s best-known musicians arrived as ‘Ten Pound Poms’ through a government-sponsored program designed to encourage migration from war-torn Europe. Performers including Olivia Newton-John, Glenn Shorrock, and members of the Bee Gees, The Easybeats and AC/DC all immigrated to Australia and established careers here before venturing back overseas. 

During the 1970s and 1980s, an influx of talented New Zealanders such as Max Merritt, Dragon, Mi-Sex, Jenny Morris, and Split Enz re-energised the Australian pop scene. More recently artists such as Tkay Maidza, Remi and Sampa The Great have helped to expand the cultural influences in Australian hip hop by infusing it with their own brand of pop, politics and poetry.

Today, internationally acclaimed Australian performers including Sia and Flume walk in the footsteps of home-grown artists such as The Seekers, Peter Allen, Men At Work, INXS, Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave and Tina Arena, whose talent and drive opened up new markets across Europe and the United States. Australian singers, songwriters and musicians continue to be in demand overseas and feature prominently at key festivals, on influential streaming platforms, and more recently on televised events such as the Eurovision Song Contest.