Aussie singer Amy Shark has had a monster 2023 – and it’s not over yet.
This year alone, she graced the glossy cover of Rolling Stone Australia, released her new single Can I Shower At Yours, and next month she is in the running for three ARIAs for that punchy track as well as her 2002 hit, Sway My Way.
The 37-year-old also won the TV Week Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent for her debut season as judge on the Australian Idol reboot. And it was certainly a night to remember as she got to mingle with the likes of Home and Away star Ray Meagher – Alf Stewart himself.
“He’s an absolute highlight. I think I scared him! I ran up to him like a stupid fan,” she recalls to news.com.au.
“He actually is just the pinnacle of the Logies, isn’t he? He’s awesome. And that’s why everyone loves him because he’s such a legend. He was lovely. I’m not sure if he knew who I was or anything, but I made sure he did by the end of the night.”
Music and television aside, this month the singer-songwriter will march to a different beat, working closely with McDonald’s as one of its McHappy Day ambassadors.
While McHappy Day is on Saturday, November 18, today marks the start of the month-long initiative McHappy Time – and Amy couldn’t be happier to be on board to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).
“If more people knew about what this charity does, I think the whole world would be an ambassador,” she says.
“I just don’t think there’s a better cause. So I’m happy to be there as much as possible.”
In 2023, McDonald’s have called on a collective group of local stars to help spread the word.
Joining Amy are The Block star Dan Reilly, tennis champ Dylan Alcott, NRL great Gordin Tallis, AFL faves Josh Kennedy, Isaac Heeney, Montana Ham and Chloe Molloy, and Parramatta Eels stars Elsie Albert, Abbi Church, Rachel Pearson and Junior Paulo.
“I’m so proud,” Amy says of being among the ambassadors. “I want everyone to be doing it. It’s my number one charity. It’s so important to me. And I think we’ve got some great people involved and some real characters too. Good for the kids to see them.”
Amy has also taken time to visit Ronald McDonald House in Sydney’s Westmead to say hello to sick children and their families who rely on RMHC to help keep them together while receiving medical care in a nearby hospital.
“It was amazing,” Amy said of visiting 7-year-old Oliver Jepsen, who is currently being treated for brain cancer.
“Oliver is just such a beautiful boy, and I got a little emotional and couldn’t really hold it back. I’m a pretty strong person, but I think being in that environment is very disarming and life becomes very real, very quickly when you go there.”
“As awesome as that facility is, and it’s such a happy place for kids to be there with their families, I can’t help but think about why they’re there.”
McHappy Day and giving back is a nice way for the singer to cap off a massive 2023, which gets even bigger for her next month at the ARIAs, where she’s up for three awards: Best Pop Release and Best Video presented by YouTube for Can I Shower At Yours, and Song of the Year presented by YouTube for Sway My Way.
“It’s crazy. There’s so much great music happening and we are sort of developing all these incredible artists, so each year it’s not a guarantee,” she says of being recognised by the Australian Recording Industry Association.
“I think I’m not one of these artists that’s like, ‘Oh, awards are overrated.’ I love awards. I think it’s a really beautiful time in our year, our calendar. So I’m stoked every time [to be nominated] and it’s so nice to know that people still like what I’m doing, I guess.”
Amy is also in the process of filming Season 2 of Australian Idol. While she says goodbye to judges Harry Connick Jr. and Meghan Trainor, a familiar face returns to the panel beside herself and Kyle Sandilands: the one and only Idol OG, Marcia Hines.
“I miss Meghan and Harry. They were so fun to work with, but it’s just the three of us now, and it’s a really good dynamic,” Amy says.
“I know Marcia really well, and obviously Marcia’s an OG, so everyone’s stoked to see her there. It feels like it did all those years ago. And Kyle, they obviously worked together a lot, so it feels good. It feels really good.”
When asked if she ever considered auditioning for Idol all those years ago back in the Marcia, Ian “Dicko” Dickson and Mark Holden heyday, Amy says it’s a no for her.
“Absolutely not. No. It was not on my radar at all. Everyone that I knew kept telling me and, I don’t know, for some reason I knew I wasn’t that type of artist. I couldn’t stand in front of someone just with my voice,” she says.
“I kind of have to break you down and you’ve got to get to know me, and I’ve got to win you over in time.”
Idol returns in 2024 but for now Amy will be supporting McHappy Time and McHappy Day, one Big Mac at a time.
“You can ask anyone who knows me, the Big Mac has always been my favourite burger of all time,” she says.
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“I love a burger. I’m always rating the burgers when I’ve been touring around the world, and every interview I get, they’re like, ‘What’s your favourite burger?’ And it’s always the Big Mac because it’s consistent. I like consistency, and the Big Mac never disappoints.”
From today, Australians can support this year’s fundraiser by picking up a pair of Silly Socks or Helping Hands from their local McDonald’s, or making a donation online at www.rmhc.org.au/give.
On McHappy Day, Saturday 18 November, grab a Big Mac with $2 from every Big Mac sold going directly to RMHC.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiswFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50L2NlbGVicml0eS1saWZlL2FteS1zaGFyay1yZWZsZWN0cy1vbi1tYXNzaXZlLXllYXItYXMtc2hlLWdlYXJzLXVwLWZvci1uZXctcm9sZS1jbG9zZS10by1oZXItaGVhcnQvbmV3cy1zdG9yeS8xZGFkM2M1NzZhYWI5NDg3YmNkMWU1NWVlMjg2MTg1YdIBAA?oc=5
2023-10-17 23:48:45Z
CBMiswFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50L2NlbGVicml0eS1saWZlL2FteS1zaGFyay1yZWZsZWN0cy1vbi1tYXNzaXZlLXllYXItYXMtc2hlLWdlYXJzLXVwLWZvci1uZXctcm9sZS1jbG9zZS10by1oZXItaGVhcnQvbmV3cy1zdG9yeS8xZGFkM2M1NzZhYWI5NDg3YmNkMWU1NWVlMjg2MTg1YdIBAA
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