About Sheppard
Sheppard are an Australian indie pop trio, formed in 2009. Their debut studio album, Bombs Away, was released on 11 July 2014, and peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association, while their second single, "Geronimo", spent three weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified 5× platinum.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2013, Sheppard were nominated for Best Independent Release for "Let Me Down Easy". At the 2014 ceremony, they were nominated for Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Independent Release, Best Pop Release, Song of the Year, Producer of the Year, and Best Video.
Sheppard were the halftime entertainment at the 2020 AFL Grand Final, performed prior to game two of the 2021 State of Origin Series and in April 2024 became the first band in history to play a show on the Great Barrier Reef.
The Sheppard siblings were born and grew up in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to parents Greg and Linda Sheppard, where they attended the Sir Hubert Murray International School chain). The family relocated to Brisbane, where Amy attended Somerville House for secondary education; by 2009, she was studying music at TAFE Queensland Brisbane. After attending Brisbane Boys College in 2004, George shifted to Sydney; there he "toyed" with an acting career before returning to Brisbane six years later. Youngest sister Emma learned to play bass guitar while enrolled at Somerville House; she officially joined the band after graduating in 2011.
In 2009, Sheppard were formed as a duo by George and Amy Sheppard. Amy had asked for help on a music assignment: "I had to write a song, and I really wanted to put in harmonies, but I'd left it to the last minute. George was the only one at home". For the duo Amy provided vocals, while George was on lead vocals and piano. In 2011, Jay Bovino – George's friend from Sydney – joined as the third songwriter and rhythm guitarist. By 2012, their six-member line-up also included Emma on bass and backing vocals, Michael Butler on lead guitar, and Jared Tredly on drums. Greg was their talent manager and Linda their tour manager; the parents funded the group's early career and established their own record label, Empire of Song.
Sheppard released a five-track extended play of the same name on 17 August 2012, with recording label Empire of Song, which was distributed by MGM. By September that year, they had performed at festivals in South Africa, London and United States. The EP peaked at No. 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart in July of the following year. Its lead track, "Let Me Down Easy", was nominated for Best Independent Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 2013. Its second track, "Hold My Tongue", was issued as the group's debut single in August but it did not reach the top 50. All five tracks were produced by Stuart Stuart at Analog Heart Studios, and co-written by Amy, George & Bovino. Kat Hunter of The AU Review felt that the EP "serves up a delicious helping of pop goodness filled with danceable melodies, catchy sing-along lyrics in addition to light and perfectly whipped harmonies and group vocals". The group played at the Sonic Bang Festival in Bangkok on 24 August 2013, sharing the roster with Placebo, Pitbull, Far East Movement, Jason Mraz, and Owl City. The band appeared at Sullivan Hall in New York City on 18 October for the 2013 CMJ Music Marathon. On 1 December 2013, they performed and presented an award at that year's ARIA Music Awards. By that time, the band had enlisted Dean Gordon to replace Tredly on drums.
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