The curtains have closed on another ARIA Awards, and on this- Australian music’s night of nights – it’s hard not to be pretty bloody patriotic when casting an eye over the incredible home-grown talent pool of victors.
Without a doubt, the man of the hour was Genesis Owusu, the Canberra rapper taking out 4 gongs including the big one; the prestigious Album of the Year for his debut masterwork Smiling With No Teeth. He also bagged ‘Best Hip-Hope Release’, ‘Best Independent Release’ and ‘Best Cover Art’.
Other notables from the evening included The Kid LAROI picking up ‘Best Artist’ and ‘Best Pop Release’, RUFUS DU SOL adding two more trophies to their already extensive cabinet, and Spacey Jane and Middle Kids debuting on the winners’ podium with ‘Best Song’ and ‘Best Rock Album’ respectively.
Newcomer Budjerah also won his first ARIA, leaving spectators with a lump in their collective throats with an emotional acceptance speech – no doubt the first of many.
As for the fan-voted categories, Lime Cordiale scored a well-deserved trophy for ‘Best Live Artist’, while Vance Joy fetched music video of the year and Taylor Swift got the nod for ‘Best International’.
On the performance front meanwhile, Owusus kicked the night off with a stellar melody of fan favorites, while RUFUS DU SOL and The Kid LAROI beamed in from the US with energetic performances of their own.
As usual, the night was filled with a fair share of quirks, ranging from the casual “is this on?” from presenters waiting for the ‘go’ sign from producers, and Middle Kids having an absolute whale of a time with a mic that wouldn’t play ball live on air.
Check out the full list of winners below (in bold).
2021 ARIA Award Winners
Album of the Year
Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Amy Shark – Cry Forever (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Midnight Oil and First Nations Collaborators – The Makarrata Project (Sony Music)
The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
Tones And I – Welcome to the Madhouse (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Best Artist
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – Stay (Columbia/Sony Music)
Amy Shark – Cry Forever (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Budjerah – Budjerah (EP) (Warner Music Australia)
Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Keith Urban – The Speed Of Now Part 1 (CAPITOL – NASHVILLE / EMI Music Australia)
Kylie Minogue – Disco (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Masked Wolf – Astronaut In The Ocean (Teamwrk Records/ADA/Warner Music)
Ngaiire – 3 (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records)
Tones And I – Welcome to the Madhouse Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Vance Joy – Missing Piece (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Dance Release
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Alive (Rose Avenue Records/Reprise/Warner Music)
Cosmo’s Midnight – Yesteryear (Nite High/Sony Music)
Dom Dolla – Pump The Brakes (Sweat It Out/Warner)
Jolyon Petch – Dreams (TMRW Music)
KLP & Stace Cadet – People Happy (Medium Rare Recordings / Sony Music)
Best Group
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Alive (Rose Avenue Records/Reprise/Warner Music)
AC/DC – Power Up (Leidseplein Presse / Sony Music)
Gang Of Youths – The Angel of 8th Ave. (Mosy Recordings / Sony Music)
Midnight Oil and First Nations Collaborators – The Makarrata Project (Sony Music)
The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist
Budjerah – Budjerah (EP) (Warner Music Australia)
Gretta Ray – Begin To Look Around (EMI Music Australia)
Masked Wolf – Astronaut In The Ocean (Teamwrk Records/ADA/Warner Music)
MAY-A -Don’t Kiss Ur Friends (Arcadia Music / Sony Music)
Ngaiire – 3 (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records)
Best Pop Release
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – Stay (Columbia/Sony Music)
Amy Shark – Cry Forever (Wonderlick Recording Company)
The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
Tones And I – Fly Away (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Vance Joy – Missing Piece (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Hip Hop Release Presented By Menulog
Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)B Wise – jamie (Semi Pro Sound)
Masked Wolf – Astronaut In The Ocean (Teamwrk Records/ADA/Warner Music)
The Kid LAROI – WITHOUT YOU (Columbia/Sony Music)
Youngn Lipz – Area Baby (Biordi Music/Virgin Music
Best Soul/R&B Release
Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3 (Dew Process/Universal Music Australia)
Budjerah – Budjerah (EP) (Warner Music Australia)
Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant (Brainfeeder/Ninja Tune)
Ngaiire – 3 (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records)
Tash Sultana – Terra Firma (Lonely Lands Records/Sony Music
Best Independent Release
Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Archie Roach – The Songs Of Charcoal Lane (Bloodlines/Mushroom)
Ball Park Music – Ball Park Music (Prawn Records/ Inertia Music)
Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Crossover (Hopestreet Recordings/The Planet Company)
Vance Joy – Missing Piece (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Rock Album
Middle Kids – Today We’re The Greatest (EMI Music Australia)
AC/DC – Power Up (Leidseplein Presse / Sony Music)
Ball Park Music – Ball Park Music (Prawn Records/ Inertia Music)
Holy Holy – Hello My Beautiful World (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Midnight Oil and First Nations Collaborators – The Makarrata Project (Sony Music)
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Crowded House – Dreamers Are Waiting (EMI Music Australia)
Big Scary – Daisy (Pieater/Inertia)
Kylie Minogue- Disco (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Carnage (Goliath / AWAL)
Odette – Herald (EMI Music Australia)
Best Country Album
Troy Cassar-Daley – The World Today (Tarampa Music / Sony Music)
Brad Cox – My Mind’s Projection (Sony Music)
Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham – The Song Club (ABC Music)
Shane Nicholson – Living In Colour (Lost Highway Australia/Universal Music Australia)
The Wolfe Brothers – Kids On Cassette (BMG/WMG)
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
Tropical F**k Storm – Deep States (TFS Records/Virgin Music)
Alpha Wolf – A Quiet Place To Die (Greyscale Records / Cooking Vinyl Australia)
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound What Reality? (TFS Records/Virgin Music)
Yours Truly – Self Care (UNFD/The Orchard)
A. Swayze & the Ghosts – Paid Salvation (IVY LEAGUE/MUSHROOM)
Best Blues & Roots Album
Archie Roach – The Songs Of Charcoal Lane (Bloodlines/Mushroom)
Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Crossover (Hopestreet Recordings/The Planet Company)
Josh Teskey & Ash Grunwald – Push The Blues Away(Ivy League/Mushroom)
Martha Marlow – Medicine Man (Independent/The Planet Company)
Ziggy Alberts – Searching For Freedom (Commonfolk Records / The Orchard)
Best Children’s Album
Bluey The Album – Bluey (Ludo Studios / Demon Music Group / BBC Studios / Rocket)
Amber Lawrence – The Kid’s Gone Country 2 (Fun For All The Family ABC Music)
Diver City – Dance Silly (ABC Music / Universal)
The Wiggles – Lullabies With Love (ABC Music)
Various Artists – The Moon, The Mouse & The Frog: Lullabies from Northern Australia (ABC Music)
PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS
Best Video presented by YouTube Music
Missing Piece – Vance Joy, Annelise Hickey (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
24k – Tkay Maidza, Nicholas Muecke (Dew Process/Universal Music Australia)
Astronaut In The Ocean – Masked Wolf, Daniele Cernera (Teamwrk Records/ADA/Warner Music)
could cry just thinkin about you (Full Version) – Troye Sivan & Jesse Gohier-Fleet (EMI Music Australia)
Dance – Julia Stone, Jessie Hill (BMG/WMG)
First Nation – Midnight Oil and First Nations Collaborators, Robert Hambling (Sony Music)
Higher – Budjerah, Mick Soiza (Warner Music Australia)
Love Songs Ain’t for Us – Amy Shark, James Chappell (Wonderlick Recording Company)
The Divine Chord – The Avalanches, Jonathan Zawada (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
Won’t Sleep – Tones and I, Nick Kozakis, Liam Kelly (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Best Australian Live Act presented by Heaps Normal
Lime Cordiale – Relapse Tour (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Amy Shark – Cry Forever Tour 2021 (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Ball Park Music – The Residency (Prawn Records/ Inertia Music)
Budjerah – Budjerah 2021 Aus Tour (Warner Music Australia)
Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth Album Tour (OURNESS / AWAL)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Micro Tour (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard/Virgin Music)
Midnight Oil and First Nations Collaborators – Makarrata Live (Sony Music)
The Avalanches – The Avalanches Live (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
The Teskey Brothers – The Teskey Brothers (Headline Shows + Festivals) (IVY LEAGUE/MUSHROOM)
Thelma Plum – Homecoming Queen Tour (Warner Music Australia)
Song of the Year presented by YouTube Music
Spacey Jane – Booster Seat (AWAL Recordings)
Amy Shark Feat. Keith Urban – Love Songs Ain’t For Us (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Dean Lewis – Falling Up (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Hooligan Hefs – Send It! (db Music / Warner Music Australia)
Keith Urban & Pink – One Too Many (CAPITOL – NASHVILLE / EMI Music Australia)
Masked Wolf – Astronaut In The Ocean (Teamwrk Records/ADA/Warner Music)
Sam Fischer & Demi Lovato – What Other People Say (Sony Music)
The Kid LAROI with Miley Cyrus – Without You (Columbia/Sony Music)
Tones and I – Fly Away (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Vance Joy – Missing Piece (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Most Popular International
Taylor Swift – Evermore (Universal Music Australia)
Ariana Grande – Positions (Universal Records USA / Universal Music Australia)
Doja Cat – Planet Her (RCA Records / Sony Music)
Justin Bieber – Justice (Def Jam / Universal Music Australia)
Kanye West – Donda (Def Jam / Universal Music Australia)
Luke Combs – What You See Ain’t Always What You Get (Columbia Nashville / Sony Music)
Machine Gun Kelly – Tickets To My Downfall (Interscope / Universal Music Australia)
Miley Cyrus – Plastic Hearts (RCA Records / Sony Music)
Olivia Rodrigo – Sour (Geffen / Universal Music Australia)
Pop Smoke – Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon (Universal Records USA / Universal Music Australia)
Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award
Zoë Barry – Sacred Heart School, Melbourne VIC
Aaron Silver – Wodonga Primary School, Regional VIC
Ashley Baxter – Pimlico State High School, Townsville QLD
Daniel Wilson – Star Struck, Newcastle NSW
ARTISAN AWARDS
Best Cover Art
Kofi Anash & Bailey Howard for Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL) Jonathan
Ngaiire Joseph & Dan Segal for Ngaiire – 3 (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records)
Eben Ejdne for Odette – Herald (EMI Music Australia)
Zawada for The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
Giulia Giannini McGauran & Mitchell Eaton for Tones and I – Welcome to the Madhouse (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Engineer Of The Year
Konstantin Kersting
Chris Collins
Eric J Dubowsky
Matt Corby
Tony Espie
Producer Of The Year
Konstantin Kersting & The Rubens
Andrew Klippel, Dave Hammer
M-Phazes
Matt Corby
Robert Chater
FINE ARTS AWARDS
Best Classical Album
Genevieve Lacey and Marshall McGuire – Bower (ABC Classic / Universal)
Christian Li – Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (Decca Records Australia/Universal Music Australia
Emily Sun & Andrea Lam – Nocturnes (ABC Classic)
Grigoryan Brothers – This is Us: A Musical Reflection of Australia (ABC Classic / Universal)
Nat Bartsch – Hope (ABC Classic / Universal)
Best Jazz Album
Mildlife – Automatic (Inertia Music / [PIAS])
Australian Art Orchestra, Reuben Lewis, Tariro Mavondo & Peter Knight – Closed Beginnings (AAO Recordings/The Planet Company)
Kristen Beradi, Sean Foran & Rafael Karlen – Haven (Earshift Music / The Planet Company)
Petra Haden & The Nick Haywood Quintet – Songs from my Father (ABC Jazz / Universal)
Vazesh – The Sacred Key (Earshift Music / The Planet Company)
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album
Angus & Julia Stone – Life Is Strange (BMG/WMG)
Antony Partos – Rams (Original Motion Picture Score) (ABC Music)
Caitlin Yeo, Maria Alfonsine, Damian de Boos-Smith – Wakefield Season One Official Soundtrack (MADBS Composing Palace)
Sia – Music Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture (Atlantic Records / Warner Music
Yve Blake – Fangirls (ADA/Warner Music)
Best World Music Album
Joseph Tawadros – Hope In An Empty City (Independent / The Planet Company)
Bob Weatherall & Halfway, with William Barton – Restless Dream (ABC Music)
Bukhu – Bukhchuluun Ganburged – The Journey (Bukhu/Distrokid)
Eishan Ensemble – Project Masnavi (Earshift Music / The Planet Company)
Kuya James – ISA (Settle Down Records / MGM Distribution)
