After a year of virtual recognition, the APRA Music Awards have made a welcome return as a live event in Sydney. The first major Australian music awards ceremony to do so since COVID struck, the 2021 APRA Music Awards last night celebrated the achievements of songwriters who have excelled in the past year.
APRA members have chosen Gadigal Land as the Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year. Written by Rob Hirst (Sony Music Publishing), Gadigal poet Joel Davison and Bunna Lawrie (Universal Music Publishing), the song is an uncompromising recount of what happened on Gadigal land, and elsewhere in Australia, since 1788. The song was Midnight Oil’s first single in 17 years, and is part of The Makarrata Project, a themed mini album of collaborations with Indigenous artists.
Kevin Parker (Sony Music Publishing) has been named Songwriter of the Year for his ingenious sonic masterpieces on The Slow Rush, the fourth studio album by Tame Impala with all songs written, produced, recorded and mixed solely by Parker. Steeped in psychedelic disco sounds, the album was embraced by critics and reached the top 10 on numerous record charts around the world, debuting at Number 3 on the US Billboard chart and landing the top spot in Australia. Kevin was presented his award virtually by superstar producer and collaborator Mark Ronson.
Charlton Howard pka The Kid LAROI (Sony Music Publishing) is the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year. His success has been nothing short of meteoric, with debut mixtape F*ck Love peaking at Number 3 on the US Billboard chart. Along with a string of accomplishments, the First Nations rapper became the youngest Australian solo artist ever to hit Number 1 on the ARIA album charts earlier this year at just 17 years of age.
Continuing her APRA winning streak is Tones And I (Toni Watson - Kobalt Music Publishing), who has pulled off a double taking out Most Performed Pop Work and Most Performed Australian Work for Never Seen the Rain, the third single from her hugely successful debut EP The Kids Are Coming.
The Rubens (Scott Baldwin / Elliott Margin / Sam Margin / Zaac Margin / William Zeglis - Mushroom Music obo Ivy League Music) have won Most Performed Alternative Work with Live in Life, the lead single from the band’s fourth studio album 0202. Taking out Most Performed Country Work for the fourth consecutive year is Morgan Evans (Warner Chappell Music), this time for love song Diamonds which he co-wrote with international collaborators Evan Bogart (Kobalt Music Publishing) and Chris de Stefano (Sony Music Publishing).
Glitchy dance song Rushing Back, written by Harley Streten (Flume) (Kobalt Music Publishing obo Future Classic), Celia Pavey (Vera Blue) (Universal Music Publishing), Eric Dubowsky (Kobalt Music Publishing) and Sophie Cates (Sony Music Publishing) has won Most Performed Dance Work, while the Most Performed Blues & Roots Work is Over Drinking Over You, a song about when fun habits stop being fun, written and performed by Busby Marou (Thomas Busby and Jeremy Marou - Sony Music Publishing) with co-writers Ivy Adara (Kobalt Music Publishing), Jon Hume (Native Tongue Music Publishing) and Lindsey Jackson (Native Tongue Music Publishing).
The 2021 APRA Music Awards saw the introduction of two new categories. The Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work is Misunderstood , written by first time nominee Filipo Faaoloii, who performs as Youngn Lipz, and the Most Performed R&B / Soul Work is Rain, written by Josh Teskey, Sam Teskey, Liam Gough and Brendan Love (The Teskey Brothers - Mushroom Music obo Ivy League Music).
Renowned songwriter Don Walker (Sony Music Publishing) has won the APRA Music Award for Most Performed Rock Work for Getting The Band Back Together, the first single from the Cold Chisel album Blood Moon, which features Jimmy Barnes and guitarist Ian Moss sharing vocal duties.
Dean Lewis (Kobalt Music Publishing obo Specific Music) and Jon Hume’s (Sony Music Publishing) heartbreak anthem Be Alright is the Most Performed Australian Work Overseas, and as previously announced Dua Lipa (Universal Music Publishing) and co-writers Caroline Ailin (BMG Rights Management), Ian Kirkpatrick (Warner Chappell Music) and Emily Schwartz (Kobalt Music Publishing) took out Most Performed International Work for the impossibly catchy Don’t Start Now.
Two powerhouse women were recognised before their peers with the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music. The 2021 recipient is country music trailblazer Joy McKean, who was in attendance to accept the honour presented by her children Anne and David Kirkpatrick. In a taped acceptance Traci Donat, daughter of 2020 recipient the late Helen Reddy, said “My mother was very proud of being Australian and she was proud of using her voice, her success and her visibility to elevate others. In the final years of her life, she was incredibly optimistic and moved to see so many young women passionately carrying the torch. Thank you for honouring her legacy.”
For the full details of all winners, see the APRA AMCOS website.
AMPAL congratulates all winning songwriters, composers and music publishers!
