Awards
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Stadium rockers Six60 strutted their stuff with best record honors while Bic Runga was confirmed as an “icon” at the 2023 Rolling Stone Aotearoa Awards, held Wednesday, Sept. 20 at Auckland’s Matthew-In-The-City.
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The Auckland band, which played filled stadiums up and down the country during the pandemic, when most other countries were stuck in lockdown, won for Castle St., their fourth studio album.
Also on the night, indie act the Beths took out the global award, judged by the music title’s global team to acknowledge the Kiwi artist “they just can’t get enough of,” reads a statement.
Reggae outfit L.A.B. snagged best single for “Take It Away,” and COTERIE, based on Australia’s west coast and formed around the core of Māori brothers Tyler, Joshua, Brandford and Conrad Fisher, took out the best new artist category – and completed their victory lap with a live performance.
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Now in its second year, the Rolling Stone Aotearoa Awards celebrates New Zealand’s finest.
The star of the night was, naturally, Bic Runga, who received the prestigious Rolling Stone Icon Award, and performed for the gathering.
Following the release of her debut single, “Drive”, in 1996, Runga (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine) has won almost every major musical honor in her homeland, including the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll Songwriting Award. She has won 20 Tui Awards (New Zealand Music Awards), more than any individual, including best female vocalist on four occasions. Bic’s first LP Drive was certified seven-times platinum and contained the hit “Sway”.
“The fact that we are here, tonight, once again, honoring Aotearoa music and celebrating so many of you that have joined us here… it’s not something I take lightly,” Poppy Reid, The Brag Media’s editor-in-chief, told guests.
She continued, “there’s one thing that I would love all of the nominees in the room tonight to know, and it’s that your music has been listened to, and judged by the best, most influential music critics in the world, because Rolling Stone’s global editors took part in the judging process.”
For those who went home empty handed, Reid added, “please know that your music is now on the radar of some of the leading voices in music journalism.”
Rolling Stone AU/NZ is published by Sydney-based The Brag Media, whose portfolio of titles includes Tone Deaf, The Music Network, and Variety Australia. Brewery Panhead returned as headline sponsor for the awards.
2023 Panhead Rolling Stone Aotearoa Awards Winners:
Best Record
Six60 – Castle St (WINNER)
Princess Chelsea – Everything Is Going To Be Alright
COTERIE – Coterie
The Beths – Expert In A Dying Field
TE KAAHU – Te Kaahu O Rangi
Marlon Williams – My Boy
Fazerdaze – Break!
Stan Walker – All In
Best Single
L.A.B. – ‘Take It Away’ (WINNER)
Daily J ft. Boo Seeka – ‘Lost In Time’
lilbubblegum – ‘af1’
Princess Chelsea – ‘Forever Is A Charm’
SXMPRA feat. Ski Mask the Slump God – ‘COWBELL WARRIORS!’
Tami Neilson – ‘Beyond The Stars’ ft Willie Nelson
Kaylee Bell – ‘Boots N All’
Fazerdaze – ‘Break!’
Best New Artist
COTERIE (WINNER)
Georgia Lines
Hanbee
TE KAAHU
Luca George
Teo Glacier
33 Below
NO CIGAR
Rolling Stone Global Award
The Beths (WINNER)
UMO
Six60
Bic Runga
BENEE
Mitch James
MELODOWNZ
L.A.B.
Rolling Stone Icon Award
Bic Runga (WINNER)
Genesis Owusu leads with way with seven nominations for the 2023 ARIA Awards, ahead of Troye Sivan, Kylie Minogue, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and others.
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Born in Ghana and raised in Australia’s capital, Canberra, Owusu has dominated awards ceremonies in these parts since the release of his dynamite debut from 2021, Smiling With No Teeth. It could be a situation of history repeating with Struggler, his sophomore album, which is up for album of the year, best hip hop/rap release, best independent release and more at the ARIAs. Struggler has already collected hardware, snapping up independent song of the year, for “Get Inspired,” at the 2023 AIR Awards.
The set, which debuted and peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart in August, also earns Owusu an ARIAs nod for best solo artist, a stacked category that features the likes of Minogue, Sivan and The Kid LAROI.
Close behind on the nominations count is Dom Dolla, G Flip and Sivan, each with six chances; while Budjerah and DMA’S are up for five, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Minogue and The Teskey Brothers are nominated in four categories; while Amy Shark, Brad Cox, Cub Sport, Dan Sultan, Matt Corby and Peach PRC nab a hattrick of nods.
Set for Nov. 15, the ARIAs return to Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion for the second successive year.
“With over 60% of this year’s nominees coming from independent labels,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd, “we’re excited to celebrate success stories from across the Australian music industry, and showcase exactly what we’ve got to the rest of the country and the world.” Leading the way is indie powerhouse Mushroom Group, whose labels roster accumulates 20 nominations (DMA’S, Minogue, The Teskey Brothers, Sultan, Julia Jacklin, Lastlings, Alex Lahey & Gordi).
“Congratulations again to everyone nominated,” adds Herd, “we can’t wait to celebrate with you in November.”
Those celebrations will include an ARIA Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the first since 2020. As previously reported, Jet is this year’s honoree, with the four-piece rock group tapped on the 20th anniversary of their debut album Get Born.
The 37th annual ARIAs, the Australian recording industry’s flagship awards ceremony, will premiere live on Stan for the first time (from 5pm local time). That live stream will be followed by a free-to-air feed from commercial TV broadcaster the Nine Network (from 7.30pm local time) with performances and moments available on-demand on the @ARIA.official YouTube channel.
The 2023 edition marks the fifth year in partnership with streaming giant YouTube, an alliance which has reached some 29 million views. Last year’s awards captured more than 1.7 million views on the platform, according to YouTube, which will also live stream the red carpet globally.
2023 ARIA Awards nominations:
Album of the Year
DMA’S – How Many Dreams? (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
G Flip – DRUMMER (Future Classic)
Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Matt Corby – Everything’s Fine (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
The Teskey Brothers – The Winding Way (Ivy League Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Solo Artist
Budjerah – 2step – Ed Sheeran (Feat. Budjerah) (Warner Music Australia)
Dan Sultan – Dan Sultan (Liberation Records)
Dom Dolla – Eat Your Man (Three Six Zero/Sony Music)
G Flip – DRUMMER (Future Classic)
Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Jen Cloher – I Am The River, The River Is Me (Milk! Records/Remote Control Records)
Kylie Minogue – Padam Padam (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Meg Mac – Matter Of Time (EMI Music Australia)
The Kid LAROI – Love Again (Columbia/Sony Music)
Troye Sivan – Rush (EMI Music Australia)
Best Group presented by Stan
Cub Sport – Jesus At The Gay Bar (BLVE/RKT)
DMA’S – How Many Dreams? (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth… (Virgin Music Australia)
Parkway Drive – Darker Still (Parkway Records/Cooking Vinyl Australia)
The Teskey Brothers – The Winding Way (Ivy League Records/Mushroom Group)
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist
Charley – TIMEBOMBS (EMI Music Australia)
grentperez – When We Were Younger (Fast Friends/AWAL Records)
Pacific Avenue – Flowers (BMG)
Royal Otis – Sofa Kings (OURNESS)
Teenage Dads – Midnight Driving (Chugg Music/MGM)
Best Pop Release
Amy Shark – Can I Shower At Yours (Sony Music)
Budjerah – Therapy (Warner Music Australia)
Kylie Minogue – Padam Padam (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Peach PRC – Perfect For You (Republic Records & Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Troye Sivan – Rush (EMI Music Australia)
Best Dance / Electronic Release
FISHER & Aatig – Take It Off (etcetc Music)
Golden Features – Sisyphus (Warner Music Australia)
Lastlings – Perfect World (Liberation Records)
MK and Dom Dolla – Rhyme Dust (Area 10/Big On Blue/Sony Music UK)
PNAU and Troye Sivan – You Know What I Need (etcetc Music)
Best Hip Hop / Rap Release
Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
KAHUKX – NOTHING TO SOMETHING (AURA Entertainment/ADA)
Kerser – A Gift & A Kers (ABK Records/ADA)
ONEFOUR Feat. CG – Comma’s (Independent Releases/Tunecore (AU/NZ)/Ditto (ROW)
TKay Maidza and Flume – Silent Assassin (Dew Process/Universal Music Australia)
Best Soul / R&B Release
Chanel Loren – Rollin’ (Sony Music)
Forest Claudette – Mess Around (feat. EARTHGANG) (Sony Music)
Jade Weazel – Skin (EMI Music Australia)
KYE – Ribena (Sony Music)
PANIA – P STANDS 4 PLAYA (Say Less)
Best Independent Release presented by PPCA
Cub Sport – Jesus At The Gay Bar (BLVE/RKT)
Dan Sultan – Dan Sultan (Liberation Records)
G Flip – DRUMMER (Future Classic)
Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Kylie Minogue – Padam Padam (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Best Rock Album
Bad//Dreems – Hoo Ha! (BMG/ADA)
DMA’S – How Many Dreams? (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
G Flip – DRUMMER (Future Classic)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushroom and Lava (Virgin Music Australia)
Pacific Avenue – Flowers (BMG)
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Alex Lahey – The Answer Is Always Yes (Liberation Records)
Dan Sultan – Dan Sultan (Liberation Records)
Kate Ceberano – My Life Is A Symphony (ABC Music/The Orchard)
Mo’Ju – ORO, PLATA, MATA (Virgin Music Australia)
Tina Arena – Love Saves (Positive Dream/ADA)
Best Country Album
Brad Cox – Acres (Sony Music)Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley – Up, Down & Sideways (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Fanny Lumsden – Hey Dawn (Cooking Vinyl Australia/The Orchard)
Henry Wagons – South Of Everywhere (Cheatin’ Hearts Records/Spunk Records)
The Wolfe Brothers – Livin’ The Dream (BMG/ADA)
Best Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Album
DZ Deathrays – R.I.F.F (DZ Worldwide/The Orchard)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth… (Virgin Music Australia)
Parkway Drive – Darker Still (Parkway Records/Cooking Vinyl Australia)
The Amity Affliction – Not Without My Ghosts (Warner Music Australia)
These New South Whales – TNSW (Damaged Records/Inertia Music)
Best Blues & Roots Album
Cash Savage and The Last Drinks – So This Is Love (Mistletone)
Katie Wighton – The End (ABC Music/The Orchard)
The Bamboos – Live At Hamer Hall With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (BMG/ADA)
The Teskey Brothers – The Winding Way (Ivy League Records/Mushroom Group)
Ziggy Alberts – DANCING IN THE DARK (Commonfolk Records/Ingrooves)
Best Children’s Album
Emma Memma – Emma Memma (GYROstream)
Peter Combe – Planet Earth 3rd From The Sun (Universal Music Australia)
Play School – Very Jazzy Street Party (ABC Music/The Orchard)The Wiggles – Ready, Steady, Wiggle! (ABC Music/The Orchard)
Whistle & Trick – Bananas And Other Delicious Things (ABC Kids/The Orchard)
PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS
Best Video presented by YouTube
Can I Shower At Yours – Amy Shark, Mitch Green (Sony Music)
Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend – DMA’S, Joel Burrows (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
Gila Monster – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Spod (Virgin Music Australia)
Give You Love – Jessica Mauboy (feat. Jason Derulo), Rowena Rasmussen; Joel Rasmussen (Warner Music Australia)
Good Enough – G Flip, Kyle Caulfield (Future Classic)
LOLA – MAY-A, Murli Dhir (Arcadia Music, Sony Music)
Lookin’ Out – King Stingray, Sam Brumby (Cooking Vinyl Australia, The Orchard)
Manic Dream Pixie – Peaches PRC, Kyle Caulfield (Republic Records and Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Stay Blessed – Genesis Owusu, Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Therapy – Budjerah, Murli Dhir, Made In Katana Studios (Warner Music Australia)
Best Australian Live Act
Baker Boy – Regional Vic Tour (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Brad Cox – ACRES TOUR (Sony Music)
Budjerah – Budjerah Australian Tour (Warner Music Australia)
DMA’S – DMA’S Live at Falls Festival (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
Dom Dolla – Dom Dolla Australian Summer Festival Tour (Three Six Zero/Sony Music)
G Flip – DRUMMER Australian Tour (Future Classic)
Julia Jacklin – PRE PLEASURE TOUR (Liberation Records)
King Stingray – That’s Where I Wanna Be Tour (Cooking Vinyl Australia/The Orchard)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – RÜFÜS DU SOL AUSTRALIAN 2022 TOUR (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Tame Impala – Slow Rush Tour (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Song of the Year presented by YouTube
Budjerah – Therapy (Warner Music Australia)
Day1 feat. KAHUKX – MBAPPÉ (db Music/Warner Music Australia)
Dean Lewis – How Do I Say Goodbye (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Joji – Die For You (88rising/Warner Records)
Kylie Minogue – Padam Padam (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Luude and Mattafix – Big City Life (Sweat It Out/Warner Music Australia)
MK and Dom Dolla – Rhyme Dust (Area10/Big On Blue/Sony Music UK)
R3hab and Amy Shark – Sway My Way (Wonderlick/Kobalt Music Publishing)
The Kid LAROI – Love Again (Columbia/Sony Music)Troye Sivan – Rush (EMI Music Australia)
Most Popular International Artist
Beyonce – Renaissance (Columbia/Sony Music)
Drake and 21 Savage – Her Loss (Republic Records/Universal Music Australia)
Ed Sheeran – (Atlantic UK/Warner Music Australia)
Luke Combs – Gettin’ Old (Columbia Nashville/Sony Music)
Metro Boomin – Heroes & Villains (Republic Records/Universal Music Australia)
Morgan Wallen – One Thing At A Time (Mercury Nashville/Universal Music Australia)
Nicki Minaj – Queens Radio (Universal Records USA/Universal Music Australia)
P!NK – Trustfall (RCA/Sony Music)
SZA – SOS (RCA/Sony Music)
Taylor Swift – Midnights (Universal Records USA/Universal Music Australia)
Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award
Hank Lewerissa – Upper Coomera State College, Yugambeh Country, Gold Coast, QLD
Jessie Copeman – Ainslie School, Ngunnawal Country, Canberra, ACT
Peter Earl – The Music Guy, Dharug and Gundungurra Country, Blue Mountains, NSW
Sue Lowry – Southport Special School, Yugambeh Country, Gold Coast, QLD
ARTISAN AWARDS
Best Cover Art
Connor Dewhurst for Brad Cox – ACRES (Sony Music)
Harry Allen – Studio Balcony for Private Function – 370HSSV 0773H (Still on Top Records)
Jeremy Koren (Grey Ghost) – Everything Was Green – Forest Claudette (Sony Music)
Peach PRC, Billy Zammit for Manic Dream Pixie – Peach PRC (Republic Records & Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Sam Netterfiled, Mia Rankin – Jesus At The Gay Bar – Cub Sport (BLVE/RKT)
Engineer – Best Engineered Release
Dann Hume, Chris Collins, Matt Corby for Matt Corby – Everything’s Fine (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Dom Dolla for Dom Dolla – Eat Your Man (Three Six Zero/Sony Music)
Eric J Dobowsky, Sam Teskey, Wayne Connelly for The Teskey Brothers – The Winding Way (Ivy League Records/Mushroom Group)
Simon Cohen, Dave Hammer for Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Styalz Fuego for Troye Sivan – Rush (EMI Music Australia)
Producer – Best Produced Release presented by Neumann
Andrew Klippel and Dave Hammer for Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER(OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Dom Dolla for Dom Dolla – Eat Your Man (Three Six Zero/Sony Music)
Matt Corby, Chris Collins, Nat Dunn, Alex Henrikssen for Matt Corby – Everything’s Fine (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
M-Phazes for Ruel – 4th Wall (RCA/Sony Music)
Styalz Fuego for Troye Sivan – Rush (EMI Music Australia)
FINE ARTS AWARD
Best Classical Album
Australian Chamber Orchestra/Richard Tognetti – Indies & Idols (ABC Classic/The Orchard)
Ensemble Offspring – To Listen, To Sing – Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers (ABC Classic/The Orchard)
Neil Gaiman and FourPlay String Quartet – Signs Of Life (Instrumental Recordings/Inertia Music)
Roger Benedict and Simon Tedeschi – Dubussy – Ravel (ABC Classic/The Orchard)
Various Artists – Genevieve Lacey: Breathing Space (ABC Classic/The Orchard)
Best Jazz Album
Lance Gurisik – Cull Portal (33 Sides/Inertia Music)
Mike Nock – Hearing (ABC Jazz/The Orchard)
Sinj Clarke – The Height Of Love (Inertia Music)
Surprise Chef – Education & Recreation (Big Crown Records/Inertia Music)
The Vampires featuring Chris Abrahams – Nightjar (Earshift/Planet)
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album presented by Stan
Brett Aplin and Burkhard Dallwitz – Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Independent)
Helena Czajka – Unseen Skies (Original Score Soundtrack) (BMG)
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra/Benjamin Northey – Blueback – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack By Nigel Westlake (ABC Classic/The Orchard)
Sophie Payton (GORDI), Jason Fernandez – RIDE – Music From the Film (ABC Music/The Orchard)
Various Artists – John Farnham: Finding The Voice (Music From The Feature Documentary) (Wheatley Records/Sony Music)
Best World Music Album
Byron Mark – Odyssey (Bug Sonic Records)
East of West – Moving Home (East of West Music)
Joseph Tawadros – Those Who Came Before Us (Independent/The Planet Company)
Mick Dick – Id of RA (Crusty Dub)
Songs of Disappearance – Australian Frog Calls (Bowerbird Collective/MGM)
OUR SOUNDTRACK OUR ADS
Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement (duration of 2 minutes or less)
Google: Helping You Help Others – 72andSunny, Baker Boy
Tourism Australia: Come and Say G’Day – M&C Saatchi Sydney, King Stingray
Tourism WA: Walking On A Dream – The Brand Agency, Empire Of The Sun
Wilk Turkey: Music 101 – BRING Agency, Matt Corby
Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement (over 2 minutes duration)
Australian Marine Conservation Society: Voice of the Sea – INNOCEAN Australia, John Williamson
Sim Sessions: Blessed – Bolster Group, Becca Hatch
Tourism Australian: G’day Short Film – M&C Saatchi Sydney, King Stingray
Vodka Cruiser: The Solo Project – BRING Agency, The Veronicas
Tyler Childers’ Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven was named album of the year at the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards, which were held Wednesday (Sept. 20) at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
The album consists of three discs, each containing different remixes of eight gospel music songs. The “Hallelujah” versions were recorded live in the studio; the “Jubilee” versions incorporate horn and string sections; and the “Joyful Noise” versions incorporate remixes and sampling. Three of the songs are public domain. Childers wrote the other five. The album reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and No. 8 on the Billboard 200. It was Childers’ first top 10 album on the Billboard 200.
Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” won song of the year, nearly eight months after it won in the same category at the 65th annual Grammy Awards. It’s the first song written by a solitary writer to win here since Jason Isbell’s “If We Were Vampires” five years ago.
Billy Strings won entertainer of the year for the second year in a row. He’s the first artist to win two years running since John Prine in 2017-18.
The War and Treaty won duo/group of the year last year for the second year in a row. They’re the first act to win two years running since the Avett Brothers in 2010-11. The husband-and-wife duo is up for vocal duo of the year at the upcoming CMA Awards.
S.G. Goodman won for best emerging act. Many previous winners have gone on to do very well, including The Avett Brothers (2007), Mumford & Sons (2011), Alabama Shakes (2012), Sturgill Simpson (2014) and Margo Price (2016), Amanda Shires (2017), Childers (2018), The War and Treaty (2019) and Black Pumas (2020).
The Americana Music Association also presented its lifetime achievement, trailblazer and legacy award honorees. The recipients were Grammy-winning artists Patty Griffin and Nickel Creek; Grammy-nominated artists The Avett Brothers and Bettye LaVette; and George Fontaine Sr., co-founder and owner of New West Records.
The program is the marquee event of AmericanaFest, which returned for its 23nd year on Sept. 19 and runs through Sept. 23.
Here’s the full list of nominees for the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards, with winners marked:
Album of the year
Big Time, Angel Olsen; Produced by Angel Olsen and Jonathan Wilson
WINNER: Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, Tyler Childers; Produced by Tyler Childers
El Bueno y el Malo, Hermanos Gutiérrez; Produced by Dan Auerbach
The Man from Waco, Charley Crockett; Produced by Bruce Robison
Strays, Margo Price; Produced by Margo Price and Jonathan Wilson
Song of the year
“Change of Heart,” Margo Price; Written by Jeremy Ivey, Margo Price
“I’m Just a Clown,” Charley Crockett; Written by Charley Crockett
WINNER: “Just Like That,” Bonnie Raitt; Written by Bonnie Raitt
“Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan; Written by Zach Bryan
“You’re Not Alone,” Allison Russell featuring Brandi Carlile; Written by Allison Russell
Artist of the year
Charley Crockett
Sierra Ferrell
Margo Price
Allison Russell
WINNER: Billy Strings
Duo/group of the year
49 Winchester
Caamp
Nickel Creek
Plains
WINNER: The War and Treaty
Emerging act of the year
Adeem the Artist
WINNER: S.G. Goodman
William Prince
Thee Sacred Souls
Sunny War
Instrumentalist of the year
Isa Burke
Allison de Groot
Jeff Picker
WINNER: SistaStrings (Chauntee and Monique Ross)
Kyle Tuttle
The ultimate K-pop award show is heading to Japan. CJ ENM revealed on Wednesday (Sept. 20) that the 2023 MAMA Awards will take place at Tokyo Dome, Japan, from November 28 to 29. Over the past 24 years, the beloved award show has held ceremonies across Asia, including in Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, to showcase […]
On Tuesday (Sept. 19) evening in Toronto, Debby Friday won the 2023 Polaris Music Prize for her debut album, Good Luck.
Accepting the award for best Canadian album of the year and an accompanying $50,000 prize, the Toronto-based industrial electronic artist was as pleasantly surprised as anyone in the audience at Toronto’s Massey Hall.
“I’m in shock!” she said through both laughter and tears. “This is something I didn’t even realize was a possibility. I was born in Nigeria in a small village. Now I’m here today, and it just feels like a miracle.”
Now in its 18th year, the award continues to evolve and surprise. Chosen by a panel of music journalists and professionals, it’s the closest thing the country has to a pure critics’ prize – an award that disregards factors like record label, genre and chart position to focus solely on the always slippery concept of “artistic merit.” That makes it harder to predict than any other award in the country, but it makes it a good barometer for the critical conversation in Canadian music.
Once criticized for awarding only indie rock artists, the Polaris Prize is now a testament to the genre-less diversity of expression within the country’s borders. Debby Friday’s music is uncategorizable – a mix of pulsing beats, adventurous production and brash, swaggering vocals equally influenced by hip-hop and punk.
On a purely sonic level, it’s distinct from previous winners such as Afrobeats artist Pierre Kwenders, rappers Cadence Weapon and Backxwash and producer Kaytranada, but it fits within the recent trend to reward artists who push at the limits of genre and create new sounds out of deeply personal influences. If Canadian music is defined by anything, it’s easy cultural fluency, an ability to mix different sounds and multicultural traditions almost by second nature.
Despite her confident and aggressive delivery, Debby Friday’s live performance of “So Hard to Tell” instead stood out with dreamy melodicism. Over electronic production, live guitar and a mini-string section of viola and cello, her vocals sounded yearning and emotional. It stood out as a memorable performance in a night filled with many.
With lengthy changeovers between performances that seemed to cater more to the CBC Music cameras than the in-person audience, last year’s gala at the Carlu in Toronto dragged on over a tiring four hours. This year, they swung hard in the other direction. Seven out of 10 of the shortlisted artists played live on the famous stage of Massey Hall (Daniel Caesar, Feist and Alvvays were on tour and unable to be there), and it often felt more like a concert than an awards show. It moved briskly over two hours and kept the focus on the music – no livestream, no extended gaps and, notably, no host at all.
In a way, that approach stayed true to the Polaris ethos, keeping the focus solely on the music. But if the intention is to put the spotlight on Canadian music people might not know, it lacked some important context. There’s a potent story behind The Sadies’ shortlisted album Colder Streams, but it wasn’t told directly. It was the long-running psychedelic country band’s final album with founding guitarist Dallas Good, who tragically passed away during its recording. The Sadies are no stranger to Massey Hall’s stage, collaborating over the years with legendary performers like Neil Young and Gord Downie, so seeing them play as a trio – Dallas’s brother Travis Good taking center stage – felt jarring yet poignant. The late Dallas wasn’t mentioned by name, but an image of him onscreen spoke a thousand words.
Indigenous songwriter Aysanabee, meanwhile, played a recording of his grandfather talking about his harrowing experience at residential school. (From the time of the first settlements until shockingly recent, Indigenous children were often taken from their families and forcefully assimilated, which is now recognized by Canada as a form of cultural genocide). It added shades of emotion to an already powerful performance, aided by his intense, soulful vocals.
Indie-folk singer-songwriter Dan Mangan also injected some heaviness, singing songs “for anyone feeling the weight” and playing to the venue’s famous acoustics by gathering his two bandmates to sing three-part harmonies into one mic.
With no host, it was up to the artists to do the heavy lifting. Or, in the case of the night’s best performance, deconstruct the whole awards show context. Hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids, who hail from the Haida nation, built a whole talk show set, with a host named “too tall Paul” who mispronounced their name and interrupted their banter. Then, the recent Sony Music Canada signees got up on stage and brought the house down with the bouncing “Damn Right” from their EP I’m Good, HBU? Their infectious energy and bratty punchlines (maybe the only song played at Massey Hall with the word “dingleberry”) won over a notably low-energy industry crowd and earned the biggest ovation of the night.
That raised spirits for the announcement of the winner. When last year’s winner Pierre Kwenders revealed Debby Friday’s vinyl record from a Polaris Prize briefcase, the house came down. She thanked anyone who had been with her since her early EP BITCHPUNK and spoke to the power of being different. “I’ve always been a bit strange,” she said. “In retrospect, I see that’s a superpower.”
At a time when the country’s music critics are facing a crisis of disappearing outlets for arts coverage, the Polaris Prize also feels like it’s searching for an identity under executive director Amber Moyle, who took over last year. The best route is to follow Debby Friday’s advice: keep it weird.
Jack Harlow was named songwriter of the year at the 2023 SESAC Music Awards, which were held at the Highlight Room in Hollywood on Tuesday (Sept. 19). This is the third year in a row Harlow has taken that title. “First Class,” which was his first unaccompanied No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, took song of the year.
The event was attended by top executives, artists, songwriters and publishers including Bryan-Michael Cox, Dixson, Papiyerr, Dontae Winslow and Kenyon Dixon, among others.
Sony Music Publishing was named publisher of the year for the second year in a row, taking home a total of 12 awards for songs including “First Class,” “We Go Up” recorded by Nicki Minaj and Fivio Foreign, “Count Me Out” recorded by Kendrick Lamar and “Mercury” recorded by Steve Lacy.
Micah Otano won the SESAC Resurgence Award for “Lost,” which was recorded by Frank Ocean. The song was published by Music 4 Mataya and Tunes of Reach.
“We are honored to celebrate our songwriters and publishers across multiple genres,” Sam Kling, chief creative officer, SESAC Performing Rights, said in a statement. “SESAC is proud of its affiliates who continue to write chart-topping hits and we enjoy every opportunity we get to celebrate their achievements.”
Additional award-winning writers include Daniel Lopatin, who took home four awards for his work with The Weeknd; Dez Wright, for his work with Young Thug and Drake; and Jimmy Napes for songs he wrote with Sam Smith.
Artist and SESAC songwriter Tamara Jade, who appeared on Season 19 of NBC’s The Voice, served as the MC for the evening. This marked the second year the awards were held in Los Angeles.
For event highlights, visit @SESAC on Instagram. A full list of winners is available at www.sesac.com.
09/19/2023
Taylor Swift, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo could be headed for nods in each of the top three categories.
09/19/2023
Jet will soar into the ARIA Hall of Fame later this year.
The rockers cap a reunion, and the 20th anniversary of their debut album, with elevation into the Australian recorded music industry’s Hall of Fame, which will take place during the 2023 ARIA Awards, set for Nov. 15 in Sydney.
“We’re all quite chuffed and honored to be in such esteemed company,” comments frontman Nic Cester in a statement issued by ARIA. “We are humbled to receive this recognition.”
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Formed in Melbourne and led by Nic Cester (vocals/guitar) and his brother Chris Cester (vocals/drums), along with Cameron Muncey (vocals/guitar) and Mark Wilson (bass), Jet roared out the blocks with Get Born, their debut LP which dropped in 2003 — 20 years ago.
Packing a sound that fell somewhere between the steady, thump and grind of Iggy and the Stooges and the bombast of Oasis, Jet got away with the Get Born single “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” which enjoyed global exposure in an early Apple iPod campaign, and cracked the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart (peaking at No. 29).
Get Born also contained the singles “Look What You’ve Done,” “Rollover DJ “and “Get Me Outta Here.” At the 2004 ARIA Awards, the LP won six categories and it’s certified nine-times platinum in Australia, making it one of the top five highest-selling Australian rock albums of all time, the trade body reports.
Follow-up albums include Shine On (2006) and Shaka Rock (2009), all of which cracked the top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Jet was finally grounded in 2012, before briefly reforming in 2017 to play with Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band on their sold-out Australian tour of that year. A handful of dates followed, including a slot at Fuji Rock festival in Japan. Then, the act announced earlier this year a reunion tour.
Those dates are slated to kick off this Friday, Sept. 22 at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre, though Chris Cester won’t be on the road due to “family reasons,” according to a statement from the band.
“Throughout their career,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd, “Jet has achieved numerous accolades and milestones including seven ARIA Awards, chart-topping albums, and sold-out tours around the world. They changed the face of Australian rock music with a culture shifting album and have been a huge influence for other musicians over their career and that truly deserves our highest honor.”
Jet ends a years-long Hall of Fame drought. Organizers had shelved the segment, arguably the most important spot in the record industry’s flagship event, when the pandemic ruined the live experience. Those barriers are no longer a concern. The last artist elevated into the ARIA Hall of Fame was the late Indigenous artist Archie Roach, in 2020.
Herd adds, “We couldn’t be happier to welcome them to the ARIA Hall of Fame as the first inductees since 2020.”
As previously reported, the 2023 ARIA Awards will take place at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
ARIAs will premiere live on Stan for the first time (from 5pm local time). That live stream will be followed by a free-to-air feed from commercial TV broadcaster the Nine Network (from 7.30pm local time) with performances and moments available on-demand on the @ARIA.official YouTube channel.
The 2023 edition of the ARIAs marks the fifth year in partnership with streaming giant YouTube. Nominations will be presented 10am local time on Sept. 21, and streamed live on the ARIA Awards website.
Luminaries from Nashville’s country music industry celebrated more than a dozen honorees as part of the 16th annual Academy of Country Music Honors, which airs Monday evening (Sept. 18) at 8 p.m. ET on Fox (and streams the following day on Hulu).
The evening celebrated not only many of country music’s hitmaking artists, but many throughout the music business who have made an indelible mark on the industry, and pushed the genre forward in many ways — including songwriters, musicians and industry executives.
Four-time ACM Award winner Carly Pearce returned as host for a third consecutive year. Reigning ACM new female artist of the year Hailey Whitters offered up a jovial, sassy rendering of her hit “Everything She Ain’t” and honored many of the studio winners during the evening.
Early in the evening, Breland was honored with the inaugural ACM Lift Every Voice Award, the newest ACM Honors accolade. Keith Urban, who called Breland “a superb songwriter and the real deal…he’s got a great heart,” joined Breland for a rendition of “Throw It Back.”
Breland offered perhaps one of the most insightful, stirring acceptance speeches of the evening.
“I just want to say winning this award is truly the highest honor that I’ve received in my career,” he said, going on to name several influential Black musicians such as Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne, who taught Hank Williams, as well as the railroad workers who influenced Jimmie Rodgers and the Grand Ole Opry’s first Black country star, DeFord Bailey. Breland also recognized Mickey Guyton, Darius Rucker and The War and Treaty for their music and their work in progressing diversity within country music.
A trio of superb singer-songwriters — Clint Black, Mary Chapin Carpenter (two members of country music’s illustrious “Class of ‘89”) and the late K.T. Oslin — were each honored with the ACM Poet’s Award.
Lady A honored Black by performing his 1993 hit duet with Wynonna “A Bad Goodbye,” while Trisha Yearwood performed “This Shirt” from Carpenter’s 1989 album State of the Heart.
Black said, “This only happens because so many people come together and get behind a guy or girl and make things happen for them.”
One songwriter honored another as Brandy Clark performed a heart-tugging, tender rendition of the late Oslin’s “’80s Ladies.” Meanwhile, acclaimed journalist/author Robert K. Oermann gave a touching acceptance speech honoring his dear friend Oslin, who died in 2020.
Pearce joined songwriter Emily Shackelton to perform Pearce’s “What He Didn’t Do,” to honor their co-writer on the song, this year’s ACM songwriter of the year recipient Ashley Gorley.
Meanwhile, HARDY was feted with the ACM artist-songwriter of the year honor.
The crowd began cheering as Bailey Zimmerman took the stage to sing HARDY’s “Signed Sober You.” Zimmerman told HARDY, “You’ve been an inspiration because you’ve always been you and done things your way. You’ve taught us we can do what we want and still be successful.” Dennis Matkosky, co-founder of Relative Music Group (HARDY was named partner in the company a couple of years ago), presented HARDY with the artist-songwriter of the year honor.
Longtime music industry members were also honored for their career contributions to the genre. Two country radio titans, Bill Mayne and Charlie Cook, were each honored with the ACM service award. Cook serves as vp of country music, programming operations manager for Cumulus Nashville’s five-station cluster, and program director for WSM-FM and WKDF-FM. Throughout his career, Mayne worked at both record labels and in radio; he also held the executive director role at Country Radio Broadcasters from 2011 until his retirement in 2019.
Chris Janson presented Cook with his honor, saying, “Without country radio I wouldn’t be standing here…thank you for believing in me,” before performing his hit “Good Vibes.”
Country Thunder Festival executive producer Troy Vollhoffer was named the recipient of the ACM Lifting Lives Award, given to an artist, duo/group or industry professional who has devoted themselves to improving lives through the power of music. Vollhoffer’s Premier Global Production company has been one of the foremost staging and lighting companies for decades. Meanwhile, Vollhoffer has served on the board of ACM Lifting Lives, rising to officer positions including vice president, president and ultimately chair of the board in 2022. He has also served on advisory boards for the T.J. Martell Foundation and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
Storme Warren honored the late Charlie Daniels with the ACM spirit award, while Billy Ray Cyrus, Firerose and Travis Denning celebrated the legendary singer-songwriter-guitarist-fiddler in song with a rendition of Daniels’ “Long Haired Country Boy.” A recipient of the 1997 ACM Pioneer Award, Daniels was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016 and died in 2020.
Other performers during the evening included Sara Evans offering a rendition of her hit “Born to Fly,’ while Dennis Quaid performed “Fallen.”
Tim McGraw and now-retired Universal Music Group Nashville chairman/CEO Mike Dungan were the recipients of this year’s ACM Icon Award, which honors an artist, duo/group or industry leader who has advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions in various sectors of the industry.
During his decades in the industry, Dungan has championed artists including Brooks & Dunn, Pam Tillis, Brad Paisley, Brothers Osborne, Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Kacey Musgraves, Jordan Davis and Parker McCollum.
“He took so many artists under his wing,” Davis told Dungan from the stage. “What you’ve done in country music will last a lifetime and this genre is better because you are part of it.” Davis was then joined by contemporary Christian music hitmaker (and now UMG Nashville-aligned artist) Anne Wilson for a rendition of Davis’ No. 1 hit “Buy Dirt” (the original featured Luke Bryan). Meanwhile, Priscilla Block offered up what she called “the song that brought us together in the first place,” her breakthrough hit “Just About Over You.”
McGraw earned his first ACM honors back in 1994, picking up top new male vocalist and album of the year (for Not a Moment Too Soon). In 1997, he earned single, song, vocal event and video of the year honors for his enduring duet with his wife Faith Hill, “It’s Your Love.” Those are just a few of the 21 ACM Awards honor McGraw has picked up during his nearly four-decade career.
Brett Young honored McGraw with an especially soulful rendering of “Don’t Take the Girl,” while Nelly performed his genre-blending McGraw collaboration from 2004, “Over and Over,” noting that he and McGraw recorded the song not because either necessarily was in need of a hit, but out of pure respect for each other’s artistry.
“He believed in what I was trying to do; it’s an honor to call him a friend,” Nelly said, stepping down from the stage to hug McGraw, who was seated front row in the Ryman Auditorium, alongside Hill and their children.
Country Music Hall of Famer Randy Travis honored Kane Brown with the ACM international award, while Lee Brice performed Brown’s recent No. 1 hit “Like I Love Country Music.” Brown recently notched his 10th No. 1 Country Airplay hit with “Bury Me in Georgia” and has crisscrossed the globe on his international Drunk or Dreaming tour, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.K. and Europe.
“Country music let me into the family and now I get to travel the world and be different, which is what I’ve always wanted to be and what I always have been,” Brown said in accepting his honor.
Closing out the evening was a celebration for ACM Triple Crown winner Chris Stapleton. The ACM Triple Crown honor is given to artists who have previously earned ACM new male or female artist of the year, ACM male or female artist of the year and ACM entertainer of the year trophies during their career. The ACM triple crown honor has been awarded to only eight other artists, including Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Merle Haggard and Barbara Mandrell.
“Every now and then someone comes through who levels the walls and moves things forward,” said singer-songwriter-musician and country music historian Marty Stuart, in honoring Stapleton with the ACM triple crown honor.
Husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty brought the audience to its collective feet with their otherworldly, showstopping offering of Stapleton’s “Cold,” their unparalleled voices melting over the song’s soulful angst.
Stapleton was humble in accepting his ACM Triple Crown honor, thanking his family and his team and saying, “I was just out here playing songs, seeing if something could happen. Still kind of feel that way sometimes…I’m so grateful…It’s a wonderful and rare thing to get to do something you love so much.”
No doubt, many in the room that evening would agree with Stapleton’s simple, heartfelt sentiment.
Initiated by the Wave Music Committee and hosted by Tencent Music Entertainment Group, the 1st Wave Music Awards ceremony was held in Chengdu, China, on Aug. 24. The Wave Music Awards handed out 35 awards, including song of the year, album of the year, best male artist and best female artist.
Eason Chan’s “Homo Sapiens” was selected as song of the year, G.E.M.‘s Revelation won album of the year, and Jay Chou‘s “Greatest Works of Art” was named record of the year. Qingfeng Wu and G.E.M. were recognized as the best male and female artists.
Additionally, six groups of performers, including Qingfeng Wu, Jia Lei and Vinida Weng, were invited as performers, putting on stellar displays of highly charismatic live shows for the fans.
This year’s Wave Music Awards were also livestreamed on the four platforms of QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music and We Sing under Tencent Music Entertainment Group, allowing more music lovers to witness the moment of the Wave Music Awards together.
The Wave Music Awards cover seven fields, including artists, creation & engineering, genres and languages, with a total of 35 awards. The Wave Music Committee, a group of hundreds of top Chinese musical professionals, worked together for several months to select the highest-quality Chinese music works in 2022.
At the awards, three major honors that were highly anticipated by the industry and music lovers — song of the year, album of the year and record of the year — were awarded to Eason Chan’s “Homo Sapiens,” G.E.M.’s Revelation and Jay Chou’s “Greatest Works of Art,” respectively. In terms of personal achievements, Qingfeng Wu stood out as the best male artist of the year, while G.E.M. shone as the best female artist of the year. Oaeen was named the best duo/group, and Yichun Shan was recognized as the best new artist.
Oaeen
John Jiao/Billboard China
Meanwhile, this Wave Music Awards also included a selection of musical works in various genres like rock, folk, rap, jazz and world music. Accusefive walked away with the best pop song award for “You Are My Magic”; Jackson Wang’s MAGIC MAN was named best pop album; Lexie’s “3.14159” was recognized as best electronic song; GAI’s “Tales of Weiyuan” won best rap song; Dou Wei / Chao Jian’s XianwenXiayue was named best world music album; Julia Peng Peng won best dialect album with Living Room Dreaming; and Jia Lei’s contribution to the theme song of the same name of the TV series A Lifelong Journey won best film and TV song, and she also performed the song live.
Lexie
John Jiao/Billboard China
As a way to recognize and encourage a wider audience of songwriters working behind the scenes in the music industry, this Wave Music Awards also included special music awards in the category of creation & engineering. Among these, “I Remember” by Lei Zhao won best lyrics, “Greatest Works of Art” of Jay Chou won best composition, Howe Chen snagged best song arrangement for “None of the Above” arranged for LaLa Hsu, and Penny Tai secured best album production award for The Passive Audience.
Howe Chen
John Jiao/Billboard China
Penny Tai
John Jiao/Billboard China
The 1st Wave Music Awards was staged in response to the increasing focus on quality-driven creation in the Chinese music scene, while also reflecting the Wave Music Committee’s long-term focus on maintaining the sustainable vitality of musical works. The innovative model of “Awards Ceremony + Songwriting Forum” has not only recognized the tremendous achievements of China’s top songwriters, but also paved the way for ideas and directions to further develop the music industry. Going forward, Wave Music Awards will remain focused on honoring annual outstanding music pieces, highlighting the industry’s quality content creations to fully unleash the value of good music.