Early years and formation (2009–2013) In 2009, Sheppard was formed as a duo by George and Amy Sheppard. Amy had asked for help on a music assignment: "I had to write a song, and I really wanted to put in harmonies, but I'd left it to the last minute. George was the only one at home". In 2011, Jay Bovino – George's friend from Sydney – joined as the third songwriter and rhythm guitarist. By 2012, their six-member line-up also included Emma on bass and backing vocals, Michael Butler on lead guitar, and Jared Tredly on drums. Greg was their talent manager and Linda their tour manager; the parents funded the group's early career and established their own record label, Empire of Song. Sheppard released a five-track
extended play of the
same name on 17 August 2012, with recording label Empire of Song, which was distributed by
MGM. By September that year, they had performed at festivals in South Africa, London and United States. The EP peaked at No. 18 on the
ARIA Singles Chart in July of the following year. Its second track, "
Hold My Tongue", was issued as the group's debut single in August but it did not reach the top 50. Kat Hunter of
The AU Review felt that the EP "serves up a delicious helping of pop goodness filled with danceable melodies, catchy sing-along lyrics in addition to light and perfectly whipped harmonies and group vocals". The band appeared at Sullivan Hall in
New York City on 18 October for the 2013
CMJ Music Marathon. On 1 December 2013, they performed and presented an award at that year's ARIA Music Awards. By that time, the band had enlisted Dean Gordon to replace Tredly on drums.
Bombs Away (2014–2015) Sheppard's second single, "
Geronimo", was issued in February 2014 on Empire of Song/
Chugg Music. It was recorded and produced at Analog Heart Studios in
Brisbane by
Stuart Stuart and written by three of the band's members, George Sheppard, Amy Sheppard and Jay Bovino. Brendan Plowman of AdamNotEve noted that the "lyrics throughout the song suggest an idea of taking the plunge together. Risking it all in the hope of something bigger and better that lies ahead, even if it is 'through the curtain of a waterfall' and you don't know what's on the other side," while "the music and repetitive chorus are uplifting and exciting and everyone still can't get enough of it. But it appears this is no accident". George told Plowman how he wrote songs with Amy and Bovino: "We all have very different music tastes ... the important thing to remember when collaborating with two other writers is compromise ... you have to work together to find the common ground ... all of us being happy with it means it will have the widest appeal, if that makes sense".
Germany,
Italy,
New Zealand,
the Netherlands, and
Poland. "Sheppard" was certified 5× platinum by ARIA, for shipments of over 350,000 units. In March 2014, Sheppard became the first Australian band to sign with
Decca Records for their international releases; within Australia, however, the band's material continued to be issued under the Empire of Song/Chugg Music label and distributed by MGM. By that time they were recording their debut album,
Bombs Away, at Analog Heart with Stuart producing, again. It was released on 11 July 2014 and peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart. In April, Sheppard opened for
Michael Franti & Spearhead at
The Metro Theatre in Sydney and the Prince of Wales Ballroom in Melbourne. The band was the support act for Australian appearances during
Keith Urban's
Light the Fuse Tour in June. The album's second single, "
Something's Missing", was issued to coincide with that tour, which peaked at No. 35 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The album's third single, "
Smile", appeared in mid-October; they premiered the track on
Seven Network's morning program,
Sunrise. In January 2015, "
Let Me Down Easy" was released internationally with a new video premiering on 23 February 2015. In March, "Bombs Away" debuted on the American
Billboard 200 at No. 31. Sheppard supported
Meghan Trainor on the North American leg of her
That Bass Tour across March and April 2015. In April 2015, Sheppard were announced in the line-up for the biannual
Rock in Rio festival, widely acknowledged as the world's largest live music event. The group also released "A Grade Playa" as a single from
Bombs Away. The video premiered on 21 June 2015. In May 2015, it was announced that Sheppard would perform their song "Geronimo" in the 13th episode of the second season of the television series
Girl Meets World, called "Girl Meets Semi-Formal", which aired on the Disney Channel on 14 August 2015. On 6 November 2015, Sheppard released a new single called "Be More Barrio". The track was written exclusively for
Pull&Bear and aims to be an anthem for the normality and familiarity that neighbourhoods represent in an increasingly global world. In 2015 it was revealed that former band financier and manager Greg Sheppard, who is also father of band members George, Amy, and Emma, had been identified in a
Sydney Morning Herald investigation in to
money laundering of money from
Papua New Guinea to Australia. Greg has also had connections to the operations of
Manus Regional Processing Centre, sparking controversy over the band's sources of funding at the time. All charges were proven to be false and were dismissed in 2024.
Watching the Sky (2016–2018) On 1 November 2016, "
We Belong" was released. In March 2017, Sheppard supported
Justin Bieber on the Australian and New Zealand legs of his
Purpose World Tour. In June and July Sheppard supported
Little Mix on their
The Glory Days Tour in the UK. On 1 December 2017, Sheppard released a 4-track covers EP titled
Undercover, featuring the lead single "
Waves". In January 2018, Sheppard announced that their single "Coming Home" had been certified gold and that their second studio album,
Watching the Sky, would be released in June 2018. The album debuted at No.1 on the ARIA Charts and the band announced their Australian tour in July. In December 2018, it was announced that they were among the acts who would be participating in
Eurovision – Australia Decides 2019, the Australian national final to select the country's representative for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2019. In February 2019, Sheppard released "
On My Way" and performed the song at the final of
Australia Decides, placing 3rd out of 10 performers.
Kaleidoscope Eyes (2019–2022) In late February 2019, the band took a break from performing after George was diagnosed with a throat injury. After spending months on vocal rest, it became apparent that he required surgery, which he underwent in September 2019. On 9 May 2019, the band announced that Michael Butler had departed Sheppard to focus on a new career path. "
Kiss My Fat Ass" was released on all music sources on 26 July 2019. In October 2019, the band released "
Die Young". In January 2020, the band released "Phoenix". In February 2020, the band stated that they are going to be releasing a new song every single month throughout 2020, culminating in an album release at the end of the year. "Don't Believe in Love" was released alongside a statement from George Sheppard saying, "Our forthcoming album isn't necessarily a concept album, but there's definitely a cohesive theme running throughout the songs and a linear narrative that I hope people are able to piece together as the year goes on and the album grows." In October 2020, the band performed at half-time at the
2020 AFL Grand Final. On 22 October 2020, the band announced the title of their third studio album,
Kaleidoscope Eyes and its release date of 19 February 2021. The album was released on 26 February, one week after its original release date. In September 2021, Sheppard released the first of three digital compilation EPs over three weeks, titled
Love Was Never Easy,
Highest of Highs and
Dance in the Glow. On 3 November 2021, Sheppard released "The Reasons Why", a song which made its debut at the October 2021 wedding of Amy Sheppard with Lachlan Stuart. On 8 November 2021, they announced their first Christmas single, "Christmas Without You," would be released on 14 November.
Zora (2023–2024) In February 2023, Sheppard announced that their single, "Good Time", would be released on 17 March 2023. In August 2023, Sheppard announced they were moving to
Nashville, Tennessee, in search of United States success. On 14 March 2024, the band released the single "Edge of the Earth", which they had submitted to
SBS for consideration to represent
Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 but was ultimately not selected. In April 2024, the band announced the release of their fourth studio album,
Zora, for 21 June. In October 2024, Sheppard collaborated with New Zealand-born, Australian-based DJ and producer
Jolyon Petch on the single "Sunshine". The track received full A-rotation airplay across major Australian radio networks, including the Hit Network (101.9 The Fox, 2Day FM), ARN, ACE, and Fresh FM. It peaked at #3 on the ARIA Club Tracks Chart on 11 November 2024. To support the release, Sheppard embarked on a national Australian tour throughout October and November 2024, with Jolyon Petch joining as the official support act across all dates.
Fifth studio album (2025) In October 2025, the group released "Beautiful Nothing", the lead single from their upcoming fifth studio album. ==Band members==