Aloe Blacc will return to Australia in September with his Wake Me Up Tour, marking the Grammy nominated singer’s first full national run across the country in more than seven years.
by Paul Cashmere
Aloe Blacc will head back to Australia this September for his first national tour since 2019, with promoter Mellen Events confirming five headline dates across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. The announcement places the American singer and songwriter back on Australian stages after a period focused largely on recording and philanthropic projects, and follows the release of his 2025 album Stand Together.
The tour announcement is significant because Blacc’s career has moved through several musical identities over the past two decades, from underground hip hop artist to globally recognised soul and pop vocalist. Australian audiences largely know him through major international hits including Wake Me Up, his chart topping collaboration with Avicii, alongside solo singles I Need A Dollar and The Man. His return also arrives at a time when legacy artists from the streaming era are increasingly returning to theatres and boutique live events rather than large scale arena touring.
The Australian dates form part of the newly announced Wake Me Up Tour, with special guests WILSN and Birren joining the run. According to material released with the announcement, audiences can expect selections from Blacc’s newer work alongside established catalogue tracks.
Mellen Events said Blacc’s latest project Stand Together represented a return after a lengthy gap between studio releases. The album arrived in 2025 and featured a social impact component attached to each song. The release reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s R&B chart and also reached No. 1 on the iTunes R&B Albums chart according to the tour information.
Blacc has frequently tied his music to broader social themes. In accompanying material for the album campaign he said: “When things happening in the world seem so terrible and dark, it’s so easy to get stuck in all the negative. But I try to do whatever I can to help people out of that. I want my music to be the light.”
That approach has increasingly become part of Blacc’s public identity, extending beyond recording and touring into charity work and activism.
Born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III in California in 1979, Blacc’s path into music began through hip hop before moving into soul and songwriting. He first emerged in the underground rap scene as part of Emanon alongside producer Exile during the mid 1990s. After signing to independent label Stones Throw Records, he released his debut album Shine Through in 2006.
Commercial momentum arrived with 2010’s Good Things. The album delivered I Need A Dollar, which gained international attention after being selected as the theme song for HBO’s How To Make It In America. The record achieved gold and platinum certifications across multiple territories including Australia.
His profile expanded dramatically in 2013 after his collaboration with Swedish DJ Avicii on Wake Me Up. The track became one of the defining crossover records of the decade, blending electronic production with folk and soul influences. The single topped charts around the world, including Australia, and helped establish Blacc as a globally recognised voice.
His own album Lift Your Spirit followed and included The Man, which became another major international success. The album earned Blacc a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.
While Blacc’s chart profile has shifted in the years since, his live appeal has remained consistent. Artists from the late download era and early streaming years have increasingly found strong demand in theatre settings where audiences are revisiting music that carried substantial cultural impact during the 2010s.
For Blacc, the Australian run provides another chapter in a long relationship with the country. Earlier in his career he attended Melbourne’s Red Bull Music Academy and later returned for Falls Festival appearances and various live performances.
The September dates will now place him back in Australian venues carrying both new material and the songs that helped define his career internationally.
Aloe Blacc Wake Me Up Tour Australia 2026
Friday 11 September, Brisbane, Night At The Parkland
Saturday 12 September, Sydney, Night At The Barracks
Sunday 13 September, Melbourne, Palais Theatre
Friday 18 September, Perth, Riverside Theatre PCEC
Saturday 19 September, Adelaide, Her Majesty’s Theatre
Ticketing details:
Mastercard presale: Thursday 28 May, 9:00am to Tuesday 2 June, 8:00am
Mellen Events presale: Friday 29 May, 9:00am to Tuesday 2 June, 8:00am
General public tickets on sale Tuesday 2 June at 9:00am
All times are local.
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