Whether I want to be or not, I am an Australian music connoisseur. Sure, I could blame my parents for enabling my So-Fresh CD collection when I was 7. Or perhaps it was the repeated exposure to Australian radio classics on the way to school every day. Either way, I am cursed with eons of Australian music knowledge. And shockingly, there isn't much you can do with this knowledge (besides smashing pub trivia every week).

Recently, my Dad started hosting a radio show. It’s called The Album Hour, and each week he surprise-surprise ✨reviews an album ✨. And a couple of weeks ago, he reviewed Men at Work’s debut album ‘Business As Usual,’ which wouldn’t ring a bell to you Aussie music amateurs, except it hosts the most iconic Australian song ‘Down Under.’ Which got me thinking: I wonder which Aussie artists are equally as iconic. 

I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this… so here’s my unsolicited take on the movers and shakers in the Australian music industry, each deserving of a stone carving.

Kylie is truly one of Australia’s sweethearts. You can’t talk about Australian music without talking about Kylie. Can’t Get You Out of My Head, Spinning Around, In Your Eyes. Even recent tracks like Padam Padam are bangers. But how Kylie really earns her spot on the Mt Aussie-more is through her contribution to Australian culture. Think of her time acting on Neighbours, an Aussie celebrity rite of passage (cough, cough, Margot Robbie), as well as other classics like Moulin Rouge! The Delinquents, and of course, her unforgettable cultural contribution to Kath and Kim as Epponnee-Rae Craig. Her range and her impact on Australian music and Australian culture are undeniable. 

When I pitched this to my dear Blitz editors, many of them said Troye could definitely fall off this list. They said it was just recency bias from the success of ‘Rush’ and that, in a year or two, I will look back at this choice and cringe. I say: Why does an artist need to be ‘established’ to be good? 

Now that’s probably another article in itself, but the sentiment stands. Despite being the youngest artist on this Mt Aussie-more, he has, I’d say, one of the most diverse discographies here. From the electro-synth of Blue Neighbourhood to nailing modern pop with Bloom, then the dance-house of his latest project, Something to Give Each Other. Troye is CARRYING the modern Aussie music scene on his back. Don’t even start on his contribution to the culture: hello… 1999 by Charli xcx and Troye Sivan.

Troye’s spot on my Aussie-more also stems from the fact that I think One of Your Girls is genuinely one of the best songs ever written by a pop star and will definitely be in my Spotify Wrapped this year. 

I know, I know, it is highly debated whether we can claim AC/DC as an Aussie band, but I argue that any band forged in Sydney is an AUSSIE band. Sorry Scotland. AC/DC are iconic! From Highway to Hell to Back in Black to Thunderstruck to TNT - talk about a discography. AC/DC’s contribution to film soundtracks alone earns them a spot on this list. Single-handedly saving Hollywood, one needle drop at a time.

I can’t go without mentioning the biggest band that no one has ever heard of: 5 Seconds of Summer. Their certified hits, Youngblood and She Looks So Perfect, are unforgettable. Even after 12 years as a band, they are putting out banger after banger, and their latest club-sos set is going platinum on my personal SoundCloud account. They deserve to be bigger than they are.

Also Aussie darlings: Olivia Newton-John and Tina Arena. Arena’s album Reset went triple platinum in my house. If this were a ranking by a 40-year-old mother, they would be the only artists up there, along with Kylie & Delta, of course. 

And of course, Australian singles that deserve a spot in the hall of fame:

We thank them for their service on So-Fresh CDs all over Australia.

And finally …

Now hear me out. One thing has been consistent throughout this list. That I am not only carving these faces into Aussie-more stone because of musical genius. But also their undeniable cultural impact. If you can believe it, I would say that Gotye has both.

The impact of Gotye’s single Somebody That I Used to Know in the 2010s is undeniable. The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 8 weeks, topped global charts, and ranked as the best-selling song in 2012. Personally, this song went triple platinum on my So Fresh: Spring 2011 CD. You couldn’t walk into a Woolworths without hearing this song (and honestly, you still can’t) 

And I can hear you thinking, ‘yeah yeah, Maddie, that's great, but what did Gotye do for the culture?’ I’d say that the biggest contribution to Australian culture is that Gotye took the money and ran. Rather than every Aussie artist ever who has one hit on KISS FM and does RSL country tours for the rest of their lives (I’m looking at you, Guy Sebastian!). Gotye gave Australia our dignity and gave it a rest. And for that, I will forever be grateful… and stunned by the confidence, like, wow.

There we have it, my Aussie Artist Mt Rushmore with Kylie Minogue, Troye Sivan, AC/DC and Gotye. 

And I know what you’re thinking: “What about Tame Impala!?” ... What about him?