Sampa The Great is the first artist to have won the award more than once.
A month after the 2019 Australian Music Prize finalists were announced, Sampa The Great has taken out the title of 2019’s Greatest Album for The Return.
The win makes her the only artist in the Australian Music Prize’s 15-year history to take out the prestigious title more than once, having won the award for Birds And The BEE9 in 2017.
Decided by a panel of renowned journalists, programmers and industry professionals, the likes of Julia Jacklin’s Crushing, Amyl & The Sniffer’s self-titled album and Thelma Plum’s Better In Blak were amongst the nine finalists in the running for the 2019 Prize.
“The Return was not written for radio play or commercial appeal. It was written to bring to light the journey of a person who began her career in a country far away from home,” said Sampa The Great of her win.
“It was to bring to light the sense of displacement felt in that journey and in a global sense throughout the world. It allowed me to tell my full story – without having it told for me. I thank the AMP for looking at solely the music and judging only that. As in this day and age it seems that is not the norm.”
Not only has Sampa The Great been awarded the prestigious title as part of her win, she has also received a cash prize of $30,000.
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