Kate Ceberano, Gurrumul, Spiderbait among 2026 ARIA Hall of Fame inductees

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images and names of people who have died.

For the first time in more than a decade, multiple acts are being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, as part of the annual awards ceremony's 40th anniversary celebrations.

This year, six iconic acts will be inaugurated in a special standalone event.

Gurrumul, Jenny Morris, Kate Ceberano, Spiderbait, The Living End and Vika & Linda will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame on Thursday, June 11, in a celebration at Sydney's Carriageworks.

"Each of these artists has shaped how Australian music is heard and understood at home and around the world," said ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd in a statement praising their "depth, diversity and enduring influence".

"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 inductees join an illustrious list that includes influential names, such as AC/DC, Kylie Minogue, Yothu Yindi, INXS, recent inductees Missy Higgins, Jet, You Am I, and many more.

Recognising their service to Australian music and their generational impact, here is your cheat sheet to the importance of these impending ARIA hall of famers.

An enchanting Indigenous singer-songwriter

The late, great Gurrumul is one of our country's most culturally significant First Nations artists.

Hailing from the Gumatj clan on remote Elcho Island, off the coast of Arnhem Land, Gurrumul got his start as a member of Yothu Yindi (he is the nephew of M Yunupingu) before later forming Saltwater Band.

It was as a solo singer-songwriter, however, that he swiftly achieved international acclaim.

Beginning with his 2008 eponymous album, Gurrumul's otherworldly voice and spiritual music exploring identity and connection to country enchanted everyone from Stevie Wonder and Elton John to the extended British royal family.

The blind, notoriously shy Yolŋu man is a 10-time ARIA Award winner and the most decorated act in the history of the National Indigenous Music Awards (at 16 wins).

He wove manikay (Yolŋu songlines) with Western traditions — folk, gospel, pop, rock — across four solo albums before his untimely death in 2017, aged 46. His legacy and lasting cultural impact endures, most recently with Banbirrngu, an acclaimed album of meditative, symphonic arrangements of Gurrumul's catalogue.

An industry champion on and off stage

Jenny Morris is widely regarded for her impact on the Australian music industry, both on stage and behind the scenes.

She first found success with New Zealand band The Crocodiles before relocating to Australia in the early 1980s and forming QED, then recording and touring as a singer with INXS. She established a successful solo career with multi-platinum albums and hits such as Break In the Weather and She Has To Be Loved.

When a spasmodic dysphonia diagnosis ended her singing career in 2015, Morris turned to industry leadership, advocacy and charity work. She is chair of the board at royalties agency APRA and on the board of music therapy charity NORO, spearheading long-running fundraising event Art of Music.

Dynamic voices and diverse careerists

With her dynamic voice, versatile artistry and commanding presence, Kate Ceberano is an esteemed fixture of Australian music. And so much more than signature songs such as Pash and Bedroom Eyes.

Ceberano first broke through fronting art-pop outfit I'm Talking, whose 1984 debut album Bear Witness spawned five consecutive top 20 singles. Her 1989 solo debut, Brave, similarly achieved platinum sales status.

Nearly 30 albums later, Ceberano has moved effortlessly between pop, soul, jazz, rock, and, with the 1992 production of Jesus Christ Superstar, a blockbuster musical and another best-selling album.

Continuing to tour and push towards new creative territory, Ceberano is, alongside AC/DC, Midnight Oil, and Kylie Minogue, the only Australian artist to achieve top 10 albums across five consecutive decades.

Vika and Linda Bull are a powerhouse vocal duo whose soulful harmonies and long-standing career have earned them the respect of fellow Australian music royalty, including Paul Kelly and Kasey Chambers.

The Tongan-Australian sisters' singing was integral to The Black Sorrows and their albums of the late 80s and early 90s. They left to forge a career on their own as Vika & Linda. It was the right choice, as the platinum status of their 1994 debut as a vocal duo proved.

2022 Order of Australian Medal recipients, Vika & Linda have released multiple acclaimed albums, spanning gospel, pop, blues and beyond, have been responsible for countless emotive and esteemed live performances, and collaborated with everyone from Renee Geyer to Don Walker and Uncle Archie Roach.

Two of Australia's most enduring rock acts

Spiderbait are nothing short of Australian alt-rock royalty. The beloved trio is widely revered for its infectious live show, distinctive fusion of thrashing pop, punk and rock, and free-wheeling creativity.

Spiderbait is singer-drummer Kram (real name Mark Maher), guitarist Damian Whitty and singer-bassist Janet English — a game-changing presence coming up in Australia's blokey 90s alt-rock scene, fronting treasured tunes, including Calypso, Glockenpop and Stevie.

Their 2004 rendition of Black Betty became their first ARIA-topping single and cracked the American top 40, since which they've maintained a healthy listenership outside Australia.

Each of their seven albums has shifted impressive numbers, including 1996's Ivy & The Big Apples, which achieved double-platinum sales and made history when the single Buy Me A Pony became the first Australian song to top triple j's Hottest 100.

Spiderbait's Hall of Fame induction arrives before a 30th anniversary tour celebrating Ivy & The Big Apples.

More than 30 years on, The Living End remains one of our nation's most vital rock groups. Comprising revered singer-guitarist Chris Cheney, bassist Scott Owen and long-term drummer Andy Strachan, the trio still gets great mileage from their rebellious punk and rousing rockabilly.

Their landmark, four-time platinum 1998 debut album remains one of Australia's highest-selling rock albums, buoyed by enduring anthems including Prisoner of Society, Second Solution, and All Torn Down.

Having toured the nation countless times off the back of a nine-album strong discography, The Living End also holds the record for most consecutive entries in triple j's Hottest 100, charting every year between 1997 and 2006.

Their most recent release, I Only Truck Rock 'N' Roll, debuted in the ARIA top five and sent them on yet another well-attended trek around the country.

Following June's ARIA Hall of Fame event, the 2026 ARIA Awards will return on Wednesday, November 18, hosted at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion.