In 2008 Australian music stepped out of the pub and onto the dance floor.
Dance and electro acts like The Presets, Cut Copy and Sneaky Sound System topped the charts at home and got international press talking about the "exciting new sound" from Down Under.
While old favourites like Silverchair and Powderfinger took a well-earned rest, new faces emerged to dominate the airwaves.
Melbourne schoolgirl Gabriella Cilmi hit the right note with her debut single Sweet About Me and went on to become the belle of the ball at the ARIA Awards.
Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson scored a cross-over hit with their country album Rattlin' Bones, Aussie legends AC/DC returned bigger than ever, and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu became the new face of indigenous music.
Gabriella Cilmi:
Just 12 months ago 17-year-old Cilmi was virtually unknown.
In the space of a year she released her debut album, Lessons To Be Learned, scored a top 10 hit in 10 countries with the catchy Sweet About Me, and became the youngest ever solo artist to top the ARIA charts.
Cilmi cleaned up at the ARIA Awards in October, taking home six gongs including best female artist, best pop release, and single of the year.
All this was before she had even performed live in her home country.
Cilmi will kick off 2009 by representing her country at the annual G'day USA: Australia Week festival at New York's famed Carnegie Hall alongside rock legend Jimmy Barnes.
The Presets:
With their 2008 party anthem My People, The Presets went from underground darlings to one of Australia's hottest bands.
The Presets had been on the radar since the release of their debut record Beams in 2005, but it was their 2008 sophomore release Apocalypso that hit a nerve with music fans, entering the charts at number one.
Not content with local success, the duo of Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes spent much of the year touring extensively in the US, the UK and Europe, making waves wherever they went.
The other big winner at this year's ARIA Awards, The Presets claimed three trophies, including best group, best dance release and album of the year.
They will start work on their third album in 2009.
Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson:
The marriage of country sweetheart Kasey Chambers to indie musician Shane Nicholson spawned one of the most popular releases of 2008, Rattlin' Bones.
A collection of 14 songs with country, bluegrass, folk and blues influences, Rattlin' Bones topped the country charts for much of the year following its April release.
Named the country album of the year at the ARIA Awards, they are nominated for another five trophies at the Country Music Awards of Australia in Tamworth in January.
Wes Carr:
Sydney singer Wes Carr had been performing for more than 10 years, including two years with Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies in his side project Tambalane, when he auditioned for Australian Idol 2008.
A favourite from the beginning, Carr impressed the judges and celebrity mentors each week with his energetic and polished performances and clever song choices.
After being crowned the winner over shearer Luke Dickens in November, Carr's debut single You debuted at number three on the charts.
Time will tell whether he joins the list of Idol successes, such as Shannon Noll and Jessica Mauboy, or those who have so far failed to break through, like Casey Donovan.
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu:
Blind indigenous singer Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was the surprise breakthrough success of 2008.
The 37-year-old from Elcho Island, in north-east Arnhem Land, released his debut album Gurrumul this year, to critical acclaim around the world.
Since then he's been racking up the awards: two ARIA gongs, three trophies at the Deadlys, and three more at the Association of Independent Record Label's awards.
He topped that off by being named the Northern Territory's Australian of the Year.
AC/DC:
In 2008 AC/DC proved it might only be rock `n' roll but people like it.
In October the iconic band released Black Ice, their first full-length studio album of new material in eight years.
It rocketed to number one on the charts in 29 countries, including Australia, the US and the UK.
The band kicked off their world tour in late October in the US to rave reviews, and will bring their show back home in 2009.
Frontman Brian Johnson said the response to the 35-year-old band had been overwhelming.
"Even an old dog like me has a few more surprises in life, I guess," he said.
Kylie Minogue:
After spending much of 2007 in the tabloids thanks to speculation about her love life, pop princess Kylie Minogue gave them something real to talk about this year.
She started the year by being named best international female solo artist at the Brit Awards.
In May she was given France's highest cultural honour, the Order of Arts and Letters, before kicking off her world tour in Paris.
She followed that up in July by receiving an OBE (Order of the British Empire) at Buckingham Palace from Prince Charles.
In the year in which she celebrated her 40th birthday, Minogue also spoke candidly about her battle with breast cancer, marriage and children.
She ended the year with a homecoming tour of her acclaimed X2008 show.
Sam Sparro:
He has lived overseas for many years, but in 2008 Australia embraced Sydney-born singer Sam Sparro as one of its own.
Nominated for five ARIA Awards, Sparro left empty-handed, but scored a huge hit with his single Black and Gold.
Since then his self-titled album has scaled the charts in Australia and the UK, and he has recently worked on Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan's new album.
Sparro will kick off 2009 with his first major Australian shows at the Good Vibrations festivals around the country.
To come in 2009 - new albums from some old favourites:
- Eskimo Joe are due to release Red Wine, the follow-up to their 2006 number one album Black Fingernails, around May. It will be their fourth studio album.
- Ben Lee will release The Rebirth of Venus in February.
- Sarah Blasko will head into the studio to record her third album.
- Evermore are due to put out a new record in 2009, featuring a more political bent if the first single Between The Lines is anything to go on.
- Former Australian Idol contestant Lisa Mitchell will unleash her first studio album, The Attic Space, in the new year after releasing several EPs.
Faces to watch in 2009 and local gigs for some big international names:
- One face to watch in 2009 is former Idol runner-up Jessica Mauboy, who is riding high following the success of her single Running Back with American rapper Flo Rida.
- Expect to hear more from electro group Empire of the Sun, aka Pnau's Nick Littlemore and The Sleepy Jackson's Luke Steele, who released their first offering late 2008.
- 2009 will also see a host of local and international superstars tour the country, among them AC/DC, Pink, Kings of Leon, The Who, Pussycat Dolls, Lady GaGa, Neil Young, Chris Isaak, Duffy, Eric Clapton, Fall Out Boy, The Killers, Sam Sparro, Snow Patrol, Delta Goodrem and Kaiser Chiefs.
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