Sheppard

Sheppard emerged as an indie pop outfit whose sound blends uplifting vocal layers with infectious, fast-paced melodies. The act originated when siblings Amy and George Sheppard launched the project together. Their debut full-length effort, Bombs Away! from 2014, climbed to the second position on the domestic Australian ranking.

The pair first assembled the Brisbane-based duo in 2009, then gradually broadened the lineup by adding their sister Emma Sheppard on bass plus associates Jay Bovino handling vocals and guitar, Michael Butler on guitar, and Dean Gordon on drums. George handles the keyboard duties. The self-titled EP surfaced in August 2012, after which the group broadened its live reach by appearing at festivals across America, South Africa, and the U.K.

Midway through 2013 the EP attained the eighteenth slot on the Australian album listing and the band earned an ARIA music award nomination. Sheppard put out the single “Geronimo” in February 2014; it ascended to the top of the home charts and simultaneously built momentum across Europe and additional territories. Ahead of tracking their opening album, the group inked a deal with Decca Records for international markets while preserving independent status inside Australia. Bombs Away! arrived in July 2014 and proved highly successful, landing at number two domestically before its global rollout several months afterward.

“We Belong,” the opening single from their second album, surfaced near the close of 2016 and gave way the following March to “Keep Me Crazy,” which reentered the Australian Top 40. Watching the Sky, the complete sophomore set, came out in 2018 and contained the gold-certified Australian number-one track “Coming Home.” Subsequent singles “Die Young” in 2019 and “Symphony” in 2020 each reached the Top 30, leading into the third studio album Kaleidoscope Eyes, which appeared in early 2021.