Baker Boy, Amyl and The Sniffers, The Wiggles Dominate the 2022 ARIA Awards
Written by djfrosty on November 24, 2022
With five trophies, Baker Boy was the runaway leader Thursday night (Nov. 24) at the 36th annual ARIA Awards in Sydney, while Amyl and The Sniffers and the Wiggles were among the multiple winners.
A proud Yolngu man, Baker Boy’s triumphant night included wins for album of the year (for his debut Gela), best hip-hop/rap release, and best solo artist.
Shortly after accepting album of the year with a prepared speech in his native Yolngu language, Baker Boy delivered a rendition “Meditjin” with his band and dancers, and a solo performance on Yidaki, the Aboriginal word for didgeridoo in eastern Arnhem Land.
The rapper, singer and dancer (real name Danzal Baker) has been in untouchable form at Australia’s awards ceremonies of late.
At the 2022 NIMAs in August, he took home artist of the year and album of the year (for Gela), which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. In 2021, the year Gela was released, Baker Boy received an Order Of Australia (OAM) medal for “service to the performing arts as a singer and musician,” to go with his young Australian of the year honor, from 2019.
Also at the 2022 ARIAs, Amyl and The Sniffers won a pair of pointy trophies, for best group and best rock album for Comfort to Me, their A2IM Libera Award-nominated sophomore set. The punk rockers and their power-packed singer Amy Taylor delivered one of the night’s fiercest moments with a performance of album track “Guided By Angels.” With their brace tonight, Amyl lifts their career ARIAs tally to three.
The Wiggles have been enjoying a year like no other, during which the legendary children’s entertainers scooped the triple j Hottest 100 poll for the first time with their cover of Tame Impala’s “Elephant,” and bagged a first No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart with ReWiggled.
At the ARIAs, held at the Hordern Pavilion, the famous foursome won for best children’s album and best Australian live act — a fan-voted category — for The OG Wiggles Reunion/Fruit Salad TV Big Show Tour.
Yolngu surf-rock band King Stingray won the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist trophy, named after the late, legendary Mushroom Group founder and presented by Gudinski’s son, Matt, now CEO of the independent music powerhouse.
Earlier, the Stingers earned song of the year for “Milkumana” at the NIMAs.
British pop star Harry Styles snagged most popular international artist, one of four fan-voted categories, beating out the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele, Billie Eilish and Drake. The former One Direction star now has three ARIAs in his collection.
Other winners on the night included electronic trio Rüfüs Du Sol (producer – best produced album); The Kid LAROI (best pop release for “Thousand Miles”); Casey Barnes (best country album for Light It Up); pub rock trio The Chats (best hard rock/heavy metal album for Get F***ed), and DJ/producer Luude (best dance/electronic release for “Down Under”).
Wearing a black Adidas tracksuit, Tones And I was on hand to collect the publicly-voted song of the year honor for “Cloudy Day,” her fifth ARIA.
Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese, a passionate music fan, gave a shout out to all the artists — winners and the losers. “Music can tell Australian stories, it can make a difference to our lives, it can be uplifting,” he said in a video message.
Free-to-air network Channel 9 and its digital channel 9Now beamed out the ARIAs live, and YouTube streamed the show for international audiences.
The ARIA Hall of Fame was absent from this year’s show. Instead, organizers used the platform of the ARIAs to salute three Hall of Famers who died in recent months, Olivia Newton-John, Archie Roach and the Seekers’ Judith Durham, with tributes from the likes of Imbruglia, Budjerah, Thelma Plum, Jess Mauboy, Dami Im, and Tones And I, who served as music director for the special spot.
2022 ARIA Awards Winners List:
Album of the Year presented by Neumann
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Virgin Music Australia)
Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records/Universal Music Australia) *WINNER
Gang Of Youths – Angel In Realtime. (Mosy Recordings/Sony Music)
King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl/The Orchard)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Best Solo Artist
Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records/Universal Music Australia) *WINNER
Budjerah – Conversations (Warner Music Australia)
Courtney Barnett – Things Take Time, Take Time (Milk! Records/Remote Control Records)
Daniel Johns – FutureNever (BMG/ADA)
Flume – Palaces (Future Classic)
Julia Jacklin – PRE PLEASURE (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Ruel – Growing Up Is____ (RCA/Sony Music)
The Kid LAROI – Thousand Miles (Columbia/Sony Music)
Thelma Plum – Meanjin (Warner Music Australia)
Vance Joy – In Our Own Sweet Time (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Group
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Virgin Music Australia) *WINNER
Gang Of Youths – Angel in Realtime. (Mosy Recordings/Sony Music)
King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl/The Orchard)
Midnight Oil – Resist (Sony Music)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist
Beddy Rays – Beddy Rays (Independent/Ditto Music)
Bella Taylor Smith – Look Me In The Eyes (EMI Music Australia)
Harvey Sutherland – Boy (Clarity Recordings/Virgin Music Australia)
King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl/The Orchard) *WINNER
Luude – Down Under (ft. Colin Hay) (Sweat It Out/Warner Music)
Best Pop Release
Flume – Say Nothing (feat. MAY-A) (Future Classic)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – On My Knees (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
The Kid LAROI – Thousand Miles (Columbia/Sony Music) *WINNER
Thelma Plum – Meanjin (Warner Music Australia)
Vance Joy – Clarity (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Dance/Electronic Release
Confidence Man – Tilt (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
Flume – Palaces (Future Classic)
Harvey Sutherland – Boy (Clarity Recordings/Virgin Music Australia)
Luude – Down Under (ft. Colin Hay) (Sweat It Out/Warner Music) *WINNER
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Best Hip Hop/Rap Release
Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records/Universal Music Australia) *WINNER
Barkaa – Blak Matriarchy (Bad Apples Music/Island Records Australia)
Chillinit – Family Ties (420 Family/Virgin Music Australia)
Day1 – MBAPPÉ (feat. KAHUKX) (db Music/Warner Music Australia)
The Kid LAROI & Fivio Foreign – Tokyo to Paris (Columbia/Sony Music)
Best Soul/R&B Release
Budjerah – Conversations (Warner Music Australia) *WINNER
Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Under These Streets (Cooking Vinyl Australia/The Orchard)
KIAN – SHINE (EMI Music Australia)
Vanessa Amorosi – City Of Angels (Scream Louder/MGM)
Best Independent Release presented by PPCA
Archie Roach – One Song (Bloodlines/Mushroom Group) *WINNER
Ball Park Music – Weirder & Weirder (Prawn Records/Inertia Music)
Courtney Barnett – Things Take Time, Take Time (Milk! Records/Remote Control Records)
Genesis Owusu – GTFO (Ourness)
Julia Jacklin – PRE PLEASURE (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Rock Album
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Virgin Music Australia) *WINNER
Ball Park Music – Weirder & Weirder (Prawn Records/Inertia Music)
Gang Of Youths – Angel in Realtime. (Mosy Recordings/Sony Music)
King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl/The Orchard)
Spacey Jane – Here Comes Everybody (AWAL Recordings)
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Alex the Astronaut – How To Grow A Sunflower Underwater (Warner Music Australia)
Julia Jacklin – PRE PLEASURE (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group) *WINNER
Missy Higgins – Total Control (Eleven: A Music Company/Universal Music Australia)
Vance Joy – In Our Own Sweet Time (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Vika & Linda – The Wait (Bloodlines/Mushroom Group)
Best Country Album
Adam Brand – All Or Nothing (ABC Music)
Amber Lawrence – Living for the Highlights (ABC Music)
Andy Golledge – Strength of a Queen (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
Casey Barnes – Light It Up (Casey Barnes Entertainment/Chugg Music) *WINNER
Georgia State Line – In Colour (Cheatin Heart Records/Virgin Music Australia)
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
Dune Rats – Real Rare Whale (BMG/ADA)
Northlane – Obsidian (Believe/Rocket)
Shihad – Old Gods (Warner Music NZ)
The Chats – Get Fucked (Bargain Bin Records/The Chats via Ingrooves) *WINNER
Thornhill – Heroine (UNFD/The Orchard)
Best Blues & Roots Album
Charlie Collins – Undone (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
The Bamboos – Hard Up (BMG/ADA)
The Teskey Brothers with Orchestra Victoria – Live At Hamer Hall (Ivy League Records/Mushroom Group)
Thornbird – Thornbird (Thornbird/MGM)
William Crighton – Water and Dust (ABC Music) *WINNER
Best Children’s Album
Benny Time – Benny and Friends (Independent)
Teeny Tiny Stevies – How To Be Creative (ABC Music)
The Beanies – Let’s Go! (ABC Music)
The Wiggles – ReWiggled (ABC Music) *WINNER
Van-Anh Nguyen – The Princess And The Piano (Universal Music Australia)
PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS
Best Video presented by YouTube
Apple Crumble – Lime Cordiale, Joe Neathway (Chugg Music)
Blak Matriarchy – Barkaa, Selina Miles (Bad Apples Music/Island Records Australia)
Down Under (ft. Colin Hay) – Luude, Peter Hume (Sweat It Out / Warner)
Every Side Of You – Vance Joy, William Bleakley (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group) *WINNER
GTFO – Genesis Owusu, Uncle Friendly (Rhett Wade-Ferrell) (Ourness)
Hertz – Amyl and The Sniffers, John Angus Stewart (Virgin Music Australia)
I Don’t Wanna Leave – RÜFÜS DU SOL, Katzki (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Lydia Wears A Cross – Julia Jacklin (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Say Nothing (feat. MAY-A) – Flume (Future Classic)
Wish You Well (feat. Bernard Fanning) – Baker Boy, Macario De Souza (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Best Australian Live Act presented by Heaps Normal
Amy Shark – See U Somewhere Australia Tour 2022 (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me Tour 2022 (Virgin Music Australia)
Baker Boy – Gela Tour (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Budjerah – The Conversations Australian Tour (Warner Music Australia)
Gang Of Youths – Angel in Realtime. (Mosy Recordings/Sony Music)
Genesis Owusu – Genesis Owusu & The Black Dog Band (Ourness)
Midnight Oil – RESIST. THE FINAL TOUR. 2022 (Sony Music)
The Kid LAROI – End Of The World Tour (Columbia/Sony Music)
The Wiggles – The OG Wiggles Reunion/Fruit Salad TV Big Show Tour (ABC Music) *WINNER
Thelma Plum – The Meanjin Tour (Warner Music Australia)
Song of the Year presented by YouTube
Clinton Kane – I Guess I’m In Love (Columbia/Sony Music)
Dean Lewis – Hurtless (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Flume – Say Nothing (feat. MAY-A) (Future Classic)
Joji – Glimpse Of Us (88rising/Warner Records)
Jolyon Petch feat. Reigan – Dreams (TMRW)
Luude – Down Under (ft. Colin Hay) (Sweat It Out/Warner)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – On My Knees (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
The Kid LAROI – Thousand Miles (Columbia/Sony Music)
Tones And I – Cloudy Day (Bad Batch Records/Sony Music) *WINNER
Vance Joy – Clarity (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Most Popular International Artist
ABBA – Voyage (Universal Music Group/Polar Music International)
Adele – 30 (Columbia/Sony Music)
Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever (Darkroom/Interscope Records/Universal Music Group)
Drake – Certified Lover Boy (OVO/Republic/Universal Music Group)
Ed Sheeran – = (Atlantic Records/Warner Music)
Harry Styles – Harry’s House (Columbia/Sony Music) *WINNER
Jack Harlow – Come Home The Kids Miss You (Atlantic Records/Warner Music)
Lil Nas X – Montero (Columbia/Sony Music)
Post Malone – Twelve Carat Toothache (Mercury/Republic/Universal Music Group)
Taylor Swift – Red (Taylor’s Version) (Republic/Universal Music Group)
Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award
David Collins-White – Haberfield Public School, Haberfield, Eora Nation, NSW
Jane Nicholas – Willandra Primary School, Seville Grove, Noongar Land, WA
Kath Dunn – Wollondilly Public School, Goulburn, Gundungurra Land, NSW
Matt Orchard – Apollo Bay P-12 College, Apollo Bay, Gadubanud Territory, VIC *WINNER
ARTISAN AWARDS
Best Cover Art
Adnate for Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia) *WINNER
Giulia Giannini McGauran for Alex the Astronaut – How To Grow A Sunflower Underwater (Warner Music Australia)
Jonathan Zawada for Flume – Palaces (Future Classic)
Kayla Flett, Gabi Coulthurst & Dimathaya Burarrwanga for King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl Australia/The Orchard)
Seshanka Samarajiwa, Zain Ayub & Tasman Keith for Tasman Keith – A Colour Undone (AWAL Recordings Ltd)
Mix Engineer – Best Mixed Album
Cassian for RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Dann Hume & Eric J Dubowsky for Budjerah – Conversations (Warner Music Australia)
Eric J Dubowsky for Flume – Palaces (Future Classic)
Paul McKercher for Ball Park Music – Weirder & Weirder (Prawn Records/Inertia Music)
Pip Norman, Andrei Eremin & Dave Hammer for Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia) *WINNER
Producer – Best Produced Album presented by Neumann
Amyl and the Sniffers & Dan Luscombe for Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Virgin Music Australia)
Courtney Barnett & Stella Mozgawa for Courtney Barnett – Things Take Time, Take Time (Milk! Records/Remote Control Records)
Flume – Palaces (Future Classic)
Pip Norman, Rob Amoruso, Morgan Jones, Carl Dimataga, Willie Tafa & Jerome Farah for Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music) *WINNER
FINE ARTS AWARD
Best Classical Album
Amy Dickson, Colin Currie, Lothar Koenigs, Yvonne Kenny, David Zinman, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Markus Stenz & Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – Ross Edwards: Frog and Star Cycle / Symphonies 2 & 3 (ABC Classic)
Lachlan Skipworth – Chamber Works, Vol. 2 (Cygnus Arioso)
Luke Howard – All of Us (Mercury KX/Universal Music Australia)
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra & Sir Andrew Davis – The Enchanted Loom: Orchestral works By Carl Vine (ABC Classic) *WINNER
Tamara-Anna Cislowska & Guests – Duet (ABC Classic)
Best Jazz Album
Barney McAll – Precious Energy (Extra Celestial Arts)
Mike Nock, Hamish Stuart, Julien Wilson & Jonathan Zwartz – Another Dance (Lionsharecords/The Planet Company)
Mildlife – Live From South Channel Island ([PIAS] Australia/Inertia Music) *WINNER
Sam Anning – Oaatchapai (Earshift Music/The Planet Company)
Springtime – Springtime (Virgin Music Australia)
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album
Australian Chamber Orchestra & Richard Tognetti – River (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (ABC Classic) *WINNER
Brett Aplin – No Mercy, No Remorse (Original Score) (Independent)
In Hearts Wake – Green Is The New Black (UNFD/The Orchard)
Maria Alfonsine with Itunu Pepper – Akoni (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (MADBS Composing Palace)
Matteo Zingales – A Fire Inside (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (ABC Music)
Best World Music Album
Australian Art Orchestra, Daniel Wilfred, Sunny Kim, Peter Knight & Aviva Endean – Hand to Earth (AAO Recordings/The Planet Company)
Joseph Tawadros with William Barton – History Has A Heartbeat (Independent/The Planet Company) *WINNER
Mista Savona – Havana Meets Kingston Part 2 (ABC Music)
Parvyn – Sa (Parvyn Music/Gaga Digi)
William Barton & Véronique Serret – Heartland (ABC Classic)