Dela
King Stingray is a story of lifelong friendship. Growing up together in Yirrkala, North-East Arnhem Land (a very remote Aboriginal community in the northern tip of Australia), founding members Theo Dimathaya Burarrwanga (frontman) and Roy Kellaway (guitar) have been playing and making music together for as long as they can remember. Read more about their unique story here. The band blends ancient indigenous melodies (Yolŋu Manikay) with surf, indie, and funk influences to create their unique “Yolŋu surf-rock” sound, which has captivated the nation.
Hailed as "one of the most exciting acts in the country today" (NME), King Stingray took out triple j's 'Unearthed Artist of the Year' J Award for 2021, NME Australia's 'Best New Act From Australia,' and Rolling Stone Australia's 'Best New Artist' award—all before an album was released. Their much-anticipated debut LP ‘King Stingray’ dropped in August 2022, supported by a typically cheeky campaign encouraging fans to take #kingstingday off to celebrate the album’s release. The band was nominated for a whopping five ARIA Awards (including a win for the ‘Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist’). In 2023, the band won the ‘Australian Music Prize.’ A total of five singles from the album made it into triple j’s Hottest 100, making it the second most successful Aussie debut in the history of the countdown.
With two albums under their belt, the band hasn't missed a beat on the live front. They’ve toured all around the country, playing all the major festivals such as Splendour in the Grass, Falls, and Spilt Milk, to name a few. They supported Midnight Oil on their national stadium tour and performed before more than 100,000 people at the MCG stadium during the AFL ‘Dreamtime at the G’ match. Every one of their headline tours has sold out entirely. 2024 ended with a 15-date support tour of the US with their mates King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and as 2025 is kicking off, they are about to embark on a massive theatre headline tour across the country again with their sophomore album ‘For The Dreams.’
With fans in every corner of the country, King Stingray has had the opportunity to work on some serious collaborations, including one with retail giant Cotton On, where a range of eco-friendly King Stingray apparel and accessories were designed and sold in over 280 stores across the country. The band is doing another collab with Cotton On in 2023, which will be launched in the US and parts of Europe and Asia. In addition, they have partnered with surf brand Billabong to launch a massive King Stingray + Billabong clothing range (men's and women's), which was released in 2024 in the US, Europe/UK, and Japan. They also recorded an epic version of "Down Under" by Men At Work for Tourism Australia’s "Come and Say G’day" campaign, which served as a conduit to their first international trip as a band and an official introduction to the rest of the world. Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has even championed the band on multiple occasions, selecting "Get Me Out" as his favorite song of 2022 and wearing his King Stingray t-shirt on Aus Music T-Shirt Day!
