The Australian Recording Industry Association has announced the six artists set to be inducted into the 2026 ARIA Hall of Fame, with the ceremony scheduled for June 11 at Carriageworks in Sydney as part of the ARIA Awards‘ landmark 40th anniversary celebrations, in partnership with Spotify.
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Gurrumul, Jenny Morris, Kate Ceberano, Spiderbait, The Living End and Vika & Linda will join a distinguished group of previous inductees that includes AC/DC, INXS, Kylie Minogue, Crowded House, Cold Chisel, Jimmy Barnes, Archie Roach, Missy Higgins, Kasey Chambers, Olivia Newton-John and Yothu Yindi.
The late Gurrumul — born Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu of the Gumatj clan of Elcho Island in Arnhem Land — remains one of Australia’s most culturally significant artists. Blind from birth, the Indigenous singer-songwriter rose to international acclaim with his 2008 self-titled debut album, which drove more than 500,000 worldwide sales. During his lifetime he performed for Queen Elizabeth II, U.S. President Barack Obama, and was one of only two Australian performers at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace. He received 22 ARIA Award nominations and 10 wins alongside 16 National Indigenous Music Award wins before his passing in 2017 at age 46.
Jenny Morris rose to prominence in the 1980s and ’90s, first with QED and INXS before launching a successful solo career that produced multiple platinum albums including Body and Soul (1987), Shiver (1989) and Honeychild (1991). She won back-to-back ARIA Awards for Best Female Artist in 1987 and 1988, and toured internationally alongside Prince, INXS and Paul McCartney. Beyond performing, Morris has been a significant industry advocate, serving as chair of the APRA board and founding Art of Music, a charity fundraiser for music therapy organization NORO, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
Kate Ceberano first broke through in 1984 as the lead vocalist of I’m Talking, before achieving her first Platinum solo album, Brave, in 1989. Across more than four decades she has released 31 albums and 57 singles, holding the rare distinction of being one of only four Australian artists — alongside AC/DC, Midnight Oil and Kylie Minogue — to achieve top 10 albums across five consecutive decades. She holds 22 ARIA nominations and five wins.
Spiderbait — Janet English, Kram Maher and Damian Whitty — formed in the NSW Riverina town of Finley in 1989 before relocating to Melbourne’s punk underground. Their 1996 album Ivy & The Big Apples debuted in the ARIA Top 3 and went Double Platinum, featuring “Buy Me a Pony,” the first Australian song to top the triple j Hottest 100. The band’s “Black Betty” later reached No. 1 on the ARIA singles chart. Today, the band generates more than 100 million streams annually, with over 70% of their listenership based outside Australia.
The Living End — Chris Cheney, Scott Owen and Andy Strachan — have been one of Australia’s most significant rock acts since their 1998 self-titled debut, which went four-times Platinum, debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA chart and charted for 83 weeks. Their single “Second Solution / Prisoner of Society” became the biggest Australian single of the 1990s, and the band holds the record for most consecutive entries in the triple j Hottest 100 from 1997 to 2006. They have collected five ARIA Awards from 29 nominations, and most recently debuted in the ARIA Top 5 with I Only Trust Rock ‘N’ Roll.
Sisters Vika Bull and Linda Bull rose to prominence as key members of The Black Sorrows before forging a successful career as a duo spanning four decades. Their 1994 self-titled debut reached the ARIA Top 10 and went Platinum, and their greatest hits compilation Akilota (Anthology 1993–2006) reached No. 1 in 2020. They have collaborated with Paul Kelly, Kasey Chambers, Archie Roach and Renée Geyer, received the Order of Australia Medal in 2022, and release their ninth studio album, Where Do You Come From?, on June 5.
ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said in a statement that the inductees “represent the depth, diversity and enduring influence of Australian music across generations,” adding: “As we mark 40 years of the ARIA Awards, it feels especially meaningful to honour these artists whose work has defined moments in time and continues to resonate with audiences today.”
The 2026 ARIA Hall of Fame Special Event takes place June 11 at Carriageworks in Sydney, in partnership with Spotify and supported by the NSW Government through Sound NSW. The 2026 ARIA Awards will be held Nov. 18 at Sydney’s Horden Pavilion, streaming live on Paramount+ and broadcasting on Network 10.
