Ten-year-old Tiggy Heart Eckersley has become the youngest-ever winner at Australia’s premier country music awards after being presented with a Golden Guitar.
Tiggy took home a trophy for co-writing Song of the Year — Star of the Show — with her parents Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley, and friend Dan Biederman.
She beamed with pride as her parents performed the song for a captivated audience in Tamworth on Saturday evening.
When presenting the award for Best New Talent, Tiggy's parents shared high hopes for their daughter's future.
"We very much hope that Tiggy is up here one night in the future, in this category," they said.
The 2023 Golden Guitar Awards marked a return to normal for the Australian country music industry, which had struggled through the pandemic since 2020.
Newcomer James Johnston was nominated for six awards, and walked home with the awards for Best New Talent of the Year and Vocal Collaboration of the year with Kaylee Bell.
Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley were the big winners on the night, netting three awards.
When accepting the award for Single of the Year, McClymont paid tribute to her family.
“A big thank you to my Mum... and my late father Peter who we lost last year. He'd be so excited right now," she said.
"And to the most important people in our life, Harry, Tiggy and Ellery... our children. Thank you so much, you make us keep going."
Amber Lawrence was named female artist of year, as she celebrated two decades at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
"Twenty years ago, I put in a leave request form at my job at Qantas and said 'I'm going in a talent quest' and everyone thought that was ridiculous," she said.
Lawrence went on to thank her husband and mother for their support.
Melbourne’s Andrew Swift was named male artist of the year, and paid tribute to the team he works with.
"I cannot express how grateful I am that you guys keep me doing what I am doing," Swift said.
Former reality TV contestant Casey Barnes backed up last year’s ARIA award win by taking out Album of the Year and Top Selling Album for Light it Up.
