Amy Shark’s scathing NRL comments resurface hours after grand final gig announced
Scathing remarks Amy Shark made about the NRL underpaying music artists have resurfaced just hours after it was reported she will be on the much-debated lineup for the grand final pre-game entertainment on Sunday night.
The Australian singer, whose real name is Amy Louise Billings, made the claims last April during an appearance at the AFL’s Gather Round.
Amy Shark is in a pickle after some scathing comments she made about the NRL last year resurfaced. Hanna Lassen/Getty
“I’m from Queensland, so unfortunately I’ve had NRL pushed in front of me, which kind of sucks,” she told the crowd of VIP guests, including AFL club executives.
“I’m not just saying that because I’m playing tonight. You guys [at the AFL], you know what’s up. We don’t need to totally drill the NRL into the ground but you guys know what’s up.
“In case someone is filming this … actually you know what, screw them. Honestly, they just screw around artists, you guys actually understand artists, thank you for doing that.”
It’s worth mentioning that just a few years prior, Billings had been the headline performer at the 2020 NRL grand final.
She perhaps didn’t expect her comments about the NRL to leave that room last year and when they did land online, she was quick to address them.
But she wasn’t apologising.
“I can’t stop laughing. My phone has been blowing up,” she said on social media at the time.
“The truth is, this is not an apology, the NRL don’t pay artists enough. They don’t understand performances, production. They don’t invest.
“I love the game. Always have. I was playing at a corporate. I’m good at corporates. I was just playing to the room baby. It really isn’t a big deal. We all need to chill.”
Amy Shark previously performed at the 2020 NRL Grand Final match. Cameron Spencer/Getty
Now her comments have resurfaced just 48 hours out from her NRL grand final performance alongside members of The Screaming Jets, Grinspoon, Peking Duk, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers on Sunday.
The packed lineup of Aussie acts are slated to perform You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers while Rabbitohs player Jai Arrow does a victory lap.
He was forced into retirement this year after a shock diagnosis of Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and will be honoured with a tribute at the grand final.
Billings and the other artists will reportedly be donating their performance fee to MND causes in Arrow’s honour.
Nine.com.au has contacted Billings for comment.
Amy Shark and members of the Screaming Jets, Grinspoon, Peking Duk, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers will perform at the NRL grand final. Graphic: Polly Hanning
NRL’s grand final entertainment debacle
It’s been a two-week-long nightmare for the NRL as it raced to secure pre-game entertainment for the Knights v Roosters grand final.
Tones and I was originally in talks to perform, but that fell through less than a fortnight before the match.
NRL boss Peter V’landys then announced there would be no pre-match performance and the $1 million usually spent on a musical act would instead go to grassroots footy programs.
“We’ve been toying with the idea for a couple of years now in putting – rather than spending a hundred thousand dollars a minute over 11 minutes on a performer – into grassroots underprivileged kids,” he told Today at the time.
“It’s a bit like buying a cheeseburger for the pickle. You don’t do that. You buy it for the cheeseburger.”
Peter V’landys announced the NRL would honour Jai Arrow at the grand final. Getty/Nine
He then backflipped and confirmed there would be a “big surprise” on grand final night, which he later confirmed would be a tribute to Arrow.
The lineup of Aussie artists set to perform was announced on Friday after days of speculation.
On Wednesday, Nine Entertainment Editor Richard Wilkins suggested the NRL could also honour Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson, who died last week, with a musical tribute.
