SYDNEY, Australia — Claire Mooney is the new music director at triple j, the first female to land the top job in the Australian broadcaster’s 50-year history.
With her promotion, Mooney becomes one of the most important leaders in the country’s music scene, guiding a youth broadcaster that connects music fans with new music and domestic talent with an impressive strike rate.
She’s just the fourth person to nab the position, following the late Arnold Frolows, Richard Kingsmill and Nick Findlay, who is now triple j’s manager, music programming.
Mooney joined the triple j family in 2017 as the Australian music producer at Unearthed, and has gone on to work across the triple j music team in several capacities, including group music programmer & producer. In 2021, she climbed the ranks as assistant music director, and last year, she moved into the music director position at the affiliated Unearthed service, where she continued “to build upon an iconic legacy of discovering and platforming new local talent,” reads a statement.
“What a privilege it is to step into this new era of triple j as our first female music director,” Mooney comments in a statement. “I feel so honored and excited to continue the legacy that’s been built by my mentors. We are so lucky to have a station like triple j exist in this country: one that authentically celebrates music, art and culture, and reflects and soundtracks the lives of young people around the country.”
She continues, “I’d like to think there is no place more obsessed with Australian music, and I can’t wait to help shape, support and champion the next generation of artists, alongside our passionate, hard-working triple j team and every listener who comes along for the ride.”
Mooney’s appointment follows triple j’s first-ever open job search for the role, and is announced just days after the network’s Hottest 100 countdown, for which more than two million votes were cast.
Six months early, triple j premiered the inaugural Hottest 100 of Australian Songs to celebrate the network’s milestone anniversary. That poll raked in more than 2.655 million votes.
“Claire lives and breathes new music and has an incredible passion for breaking Australian talent, which we saw time and time again in her recent role as music director during her tenure at Unearthed,” comments triple j’s Nick Findlay.
“As triple j’s new music director, Findlay continues, “she will lead the music that soundtracks the lives of young people in Australia well into the future.”
