Australian musician Genesis Owusu has just been named one of the ACT Young Australians of the Year for 2023.
ACT has just named Genesis Owusu as on of their Young Australians of the Year for 2023 at this year’s Australian of the Year Awards, which took place at the National Gallery of Australia on Wednesday. He was one of four locals from Canberra to have achieved an award at the ceremony, alongside agri-tech pioneer Olympia Yarger (Australian of the Year award), human rights activist Tom Calma (Senior Australian of the Year), and medical scientist Shamaruh Mirza (Local Hero).
The 24-year-old Owusu shared a statement on winning the award, saying, “When I started making my music, it was an extremely personal endeavour. All I was looking to do was represent myself in the truest possible form.”
“I feel like encouraging drive in every person to live their truest lives will create a space where they are feeling safe and encouraged to do that. It creates a whole society where we are so enriched by different perspectives, and everyone feels like they can truly be themselves.”
“AN HONOUR AND A PRIVILEGE @australianoftheyear”
Owusu also recently released a new song, called ‘GTFO,’ which follows his breakout album of 2021, Smiling With No Teeth.
In a highly positive review, Rolling Stone Australia hailed Smiling with No Teeth as representing “a new blueprint of what hip hop can be.” “It’s for this very reason that Smiling with No Teeth is an affirmation of musical and cultural diversity. Owusu-Ansah has curated a fluid line-up of players and songs to overturn boundaries,” the review added.
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Earlier this year, Owusu also appeared as a featured artist on Tasman Keith’s ‘Cheque’ and Winston Surfshirt’s ‘There’s Only One’.
After a huge tour in the U.S. and Europe, Owusus is set to support Tame Impala on their Australian tour this October, and will also appear at several huge festivals including Lost Paradise, Spilt Milk, and Falls Festival.
