EFFIE BATEMAN | Lifestyle | Contact
In an announcement that has taken the nation by surprise, the NRL has confirmed that Australian global superstar Kid LAROI will headline this year’s Grand Final entertainment, making this the first culturally relevant act the NRL has chosen in years.
Laroi, who is a proud South Rabbitohs fan, has risen to fame as one of Australia’s most successful young artists, boasting over 46 million monthly streams on Spotify. His hits ‘Stay’ and ‘Without You’ have achieved a staggering 4 billion streams combined, making him the second most streamed Australian musician globally.
Last year, Spotify also named Laroi as one of the most popular Aussie musicians listened to by the nation, eclipsed only by frustrated parents playing The Wiggles.
This decision has understandably shocked many NRL fans, who are accustomed to the league choosing musical acts that feel out of touch or from a bygone era, including last year’s decision to have a Tina Turner tribute act instead of a headliner.
The AFL has similarly faced backlash for its Grand Final entertainment choices, with the most notable example being American rock star Meat Loaf’s 2011 performance, which showed the singer visibly struggling to breathe throughout the ten minutes.
Though boomers are grumbling that Jimmy Barnes isn’t having another crack at it, the decision to bring on Laroi has been met with praise from pretty much every fan under the age of 40, who are chuffed that the NRL has actually managed to get one of Australia’s biggest artists for once.
More to come.
