Amy Shark

Amy Shark had been working on music for years under various names before finally hitting paydirt with 2016’s “Adore.” That intense portrait of romantic longing not only went multiplatinum in her home country of Australia, but scored a stack of awards and was covered by Dashboard Confessional. Born Amy Billings in 1986 on Queensland’s Gold Coast, Shark quickly followed up that expressive track with 2018’s industry-inspired retort “I Said Hi,” the lead single off her debut album, Love Monster. The Apple Music Up Next honouree then guested with The Chainsmokers (“The Reaper”) and invited Keith Urban to sing on a tune she co-wrote with Ed Sheeran (“Love Songs Ain’t for Us”). Her 2021 album Cry Forever magnified her intensity of feeling by curating an even more intimate vibe, despite collaborating on writing half of the tracks. That unfettered energy carried over into 2023’s “Can I Shower At Yours,” on which Shark rattled off rapid-fire verses about the vulnerability required for any new relationship, and her propulsive yet inward-looking 2024 album Sunday Sadness. “I’m always cherry-picking moments from my life and putting a big magnifying glass on them,” she told Apple Music about the project, which feels markedly personal even while blessing Shark’s sharp songwriting with a smoother pop sheen.