Awards
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The Country Music Association has announced changes to its CMA Touring Awards, which recognize behind-the-scenes members of the country music touring community.
New this year, the 2023 CMA Touring Awards will add five categories to its current 15 categories. CMA members will soon be able to vote for crew, backline technician, stage manager, support services company and unsung hero of the year.
In addition, the balloting process for the 2023 CMA Touring Awards has been updated. A nomination round will take place between Friday, Oct. 6 and Thursday, Oct. 19, allowing eligible CMA professional voting members the opportunity to nominate individuals/companies in all 20 categories while providing a brief explanation for their nomination.
A CMA Touring Awards nominations task force will then review the top 20 nominated individuals/companies in each category and determine the finalists.
A final round of voting between Wednesday, Dec. 13, and Thursday, Dec. 28, will allow eligible CMA professional voting members to cast their vote among the top five to eight finalists in each category.
The 2023 CMA Touring Awards ceremony is expected to be held in Nashville in early 2024.
The CMA Touring Awards, originally called the SRO (Standing Room Only) Awards, were created by the CMA board of directors in 1990. The first awards were presented at a black-tie gala during CMA’s Entertainment Expo, also known as the Talent Buyers Entertainment Marketplace. The SRO Awards were renamed the CMA Touring Awards in 2016.
Here are details on the five new CMA Touring Award categories:
Crew of the Year
This award honors the entire crew of a country music tour that executed a multi-city run of shows during the eligibility period. The award recognizes the crew that has consistently demonstrated outstanding professionalism, skills, teamwork, hospitality, innovation and excellence in all aspects of their work. This award is not necessarily for the team supporting the biggest or top-selling tour of the year, but for the crew that has clearly demonstrated the most heart and spirit on the road, making the biggest overall contribution to elevating country music.
Backline Technician of the Year
This award goes to a backline technician who has demonstrated technical proficiency in ensuring exceptional musician and/or artist support on a country tour during the eligibility period.
Stage Manager of the Year
This award goes to a stage manager who has been instrumental in organizing and executing a country tour during the eligibility period.
Support Services Company of the Year
This award goes to a support services company that has maintained high professional standards and delivered creative and innovative ideas through their services provided to a country tour during the eligibility period. This may include video, lighting, merchandise, security, sound equipment leasing, transportation, catering, staging and other touring support services companies.
Unsung Hero of the Year
This award goes to a touring professional who has made invaluable contributions behind the scenes and served as a vital part of a country tour during the eligibility period. The recipient of this award has gone above and beyond their assigned duties and has worked tirelessly to elevate the overall experience for everyone on the tour. Individuals who are eligible to be nominated in the other CMA Touring Award categories are not eligible to be nominated for this award category.
The Golden Globes announced two new categories on Tuesday (Sept. 26) recognizing cinematic and box office achievement in motion pictures, and best stand-up comedian on television. Winners will be announced live at the 81st Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
The Golden Globe for cinematic and box office achievement will include nominees from among the year’s highest earning and/or most viewed films that have gained extensive global audience support and produced exceptional creative content. The award for best performance in stand-up comedy on television recognizes outstanding work by a comedic performer.
“We are proud to recognize the hard work and innovation that goes into making a film that is both a blockbuster and artistically exceptional,” said Helen Hoehne, Golden Globes president.
“The new cinematic and box office achievement award is more than just rewarding the year’s top earning and most viewed motion pictures,” said Tim Gray, Golden Globes executive vice president. “These films have typically not been recognized among industry awards, but they should be.”
The category is reminiscent of one the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced five years ago — outstanding achievement in popular film. Announced on Aug. 8, 2018, it was the first new category at the Oscars since best animated feature film in 2001. The category was not well-received by the media or by some Academy members, with many saying it appeared to be transparent attempt to pander to mainstream audiences in an effort to boost the ratings of the annual telecast.
Some worried that having a separate category for blockbusters could diminish those films’ chances of being nominated for best picture (even though the Academy had said they would still be eligible in that category). The name of the category was also criticized, with some arguing that using the word “popular” implied that films nominated in other categories were not popular or were not of interest to mainstream audiences.
The following month, the Academy announced that the award would not be presented at the 91st Academy Awards as planned. It would be postponed to “examine and seek additional input regarding the new category.” The Academy appears to have shelved the category.
The Golden Globes, of course, are not the Oscars, and what was widely seen as misstep for that show might not be seen in the same light here. Also, they are not using the word “popular” in the name of the new category.
The Golden Globes’ submission website for motion picture and television entries will open on Oct. 2. Nominations are set to be announced on Monday, Dec. 11.
Multi-Emmy Award-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment will serve as executive-producing showrunners for the 81st Golden Globe Awards, with Weiss also set to direct. Dick Clark Productions will plan, host and produce the annual show.
Here are more details on the two new Golden Globe categories.
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
The cinematic and box office achievement award will recognize the year’s most acclaimed, highest-earning and/or most viewed films that have garnered extensive global audience support and attained cinematic excellence. A total of eight nominees will be named in this category.
Eligibility:
Motion pictures are eligible for the cinematic and box office achievement award if they achieve a box office receipt total/gross of $150 million, of which $100 million must come from the U.S. domestic box office, and/or obtain commensurate digital streaming viewership recognized by trusted industry sources.
Films that are released after Nov. 22 up until the end of the year may qualify based on projected box office performance and/or digital streaming views from trusted industry sources.
Cinematic and box office achievement contenders can also be considered for best motion picture in their respective categories, i.e., drama, comedy or musical, animated or non-English language if they meet the eligibility requirements for each of those awards.
Box office and streaming views will determine eligibility; once a film meets the box office-related qualifying criteria or streaming criteria, Golden Globes voters will determine the nominees and winner based on excellence.
Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television
This new category, also known as best stand-up comedian on television, gives standups a dedicated award for an individual performance or as part of a comedy group/ensemble. A total of six nominees will be named in this category.
“The Golden Globes has a rich history of supporting and celebrating the work of comedians, and we’re thrilled to honor their brilliance alongside outstanding motion picture and television performances of the year,” said Hoehne.
Eligibility:
Traditional stand-up comedy performances of at least 30 minutes, other than roles in television series, limited series, anthology series or motion pictures made for television, are eligible for this award.
Television includes works released by broadcast, basic and premium cable, streaming, and pay-per-view cable. To be eligible for Golden Globe awards, television programs must be released on a recognized media platform (individual social media accounts do not qualify).
Only programs first aired (or made available for viewing on demand) in the U.S. during the qualifying calendar year are eligible.
Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.
Steve Mac, Pablo Bowman Navarro and Aynzli Jones are the top winners at the ASCAP London Music Awards 2023, which shine a light on British songwriting and composing talent for their U.S. success. This year, the winners will be revealed on @ascap social media Tuesday (Sept. 26), starting at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Navarro takes home three awards including songwriter of the year and top Hot Dance/Electronic song. He shares the latter award with Sarah Baby Blanchard, Claudia Valentina and Lostboy for co-writing “The Motto” by Tiësto and Ava Max. The song reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Navarro also wins a Hot Dance/Electronic song award for “Numb” by Marshmello and Khalid, which reached No. 3 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Navarrro co-wrote the song with Richard Boardman, a fellow member of songwriting collective The Six. Navarro has gained a profile as a top hitmaker over the last few years with a catalogue that includes Anne-Marie and Marshmello’s global hit “Friends” as well as tracks for stars such as Bebe Rexha, Jonas Brothers and Alan Walker. His catalogue has accumulated 7 billion streams on Spotify.
Mac takes home both song of the year and top streaming song for Ed Sheeran’s smash, “Shivers.” The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for a full year. It also topped charts around the world, surpassing 1.35 billion streams on Spotify. Mac and Sheeran previously collaborated on 2017’s “Shape of You.” These two gongs represent Mac’s 19th and 20th ASCAP London Music Awards.
Jones wins his first ASCAP London Music Award with the Hot 100 song award for Doja Cat’s “Woman.” The song from Doja’s third studio album rose to No. 7 on the Hot 100 and, like “Shivers,” logged a full year on the chart. “Woman” also received a Grammy nod for record of the year, marking the third consecutive year Doja was nominated in that marquee category.
Top box office film of the year goes to Daniel Pemberton for his soundtrack for The Bad Guys. He also takes a top box office film award for his work on Amsterdam. Other top box office film awards go to John Lunn for Downton Abbey: A New Era, Dickon Hinchliffe for Father Stu, and Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough for The Northman. Joby Talbot wins for the second year in a row for Sing 2, Patrick Doyle wins for Death on the Nile and Jonny Greenwood wins for Licorice Pizza. The Radiohead multi-instrumentalist and composer was recognized in the same category last year for his soundtrack to Spencer.
In the world of film and TV streaming, Natalie Holt wins two awards — top streaming film for The Princess, and top streaming series for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Other top streaming series awards go to Scottish band Mogwai for the crime drama Black Bird and Anne Nikitin for The Dropout.
The trio of Barrie Cadogan, Virgil Howe and Lewis Wharton are awarded the top cable series award for the soundtrack to Better Call Saul, while Julian Gingell and Barry Stone win top network series again this year for their work on American Idol.
In one of her first public appearances since a trio of former dancers filed a lawsuit accused her of turning a blind eye to toxic working conditions, Lizzo took the stage at Thursday night’s (Sept. 21) 2023 Black Music Action Coalition gala to receive the night’s final honor: the BMAC Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award.
The award was presented by the Big Grrrls from Lizzo’s Emmy-winning reality show, Watch Out For the Big Grrrls, just hours after the singer was hit with the latest lawsuit from a former employee, this one alleging sexual and racial harassment, disability discrimination and illegal retaliatory termination; the suit from Special Tour clothing designer Asha Daniels filed in L.A. Superior Court named Lizzo, along with tour manager Carlina Gugliotta and the Big Grrrl Touring company as defendants. It’s the second such lawsuit in two months, alleging sexual and racial harassment.
Before Lizzo came onstage, one of the cast members spoke about her being the “first person to ever believe in us, show us love and believe in our talent and our craft.” Another said, “When we found out Lizzo was being honored, we knew that we had to be here. This has always been somebody that gives back. She cares deeply. She loves with her whole heart … she put in the work to get to this moment.”
Stepping onstage to accept the statuette, an emotional Lizzo said, “BMAC thank you because I needed this right now. God’s timing is always on time! I’ve been blessed to receive a lot of incredible awards. But this one truly hits different because humanitarianism is selfless. And to be kind to someone isn’t a talent. Everyone can do it. It’s a gift that you give. In all my years of activism and outreach, I have witnessed at the core of every organization, every movement, every march is just people helping people. And they do it every damn day. I get to come in, help and go back to my life as a musician. These people are still helping people because they’ve dedicated their lives to service. And they don’t get awards; they don’t get a round of applause. Because of that, I’ve dedicated my life and decided to share my platform to shine a light on those people. Because I so badly want to live in a world where we award goodness with our attention.”
Lizzo further shared that she donated a quarter of a million dollars in June to several Black-led organizations dedicated to helping Black youth, Black women, the Black queer/Black trans communities. To applause and shouts, she went on to name the organizations, which included the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, Black Girls Smile, Sphinx Organization, Save Our Sisters and a scholarship partnership with the University of Houston.
“It’s easy to do the right thing when everybody’s watching you,” Lizzo continued in the speech that did not directly address any of the allegations. “But it’s what you do in those moments where nobody’s watching that defines who you are. I’m going to continue to be who I am, no matter who’s watching. I’m going to continue to amplify the voices of marginalized people because I have a microphone and I know how to use it. And I’m going to continue to put on, represent and create safe spaces for Black fat women because that’s what the f–k I do! My family’s here, Nice Life is here … the Big Grrrls. This support right now means the world to me.”
Lizzo responded to the first suit alleging sexual harassment and weight-shaming in August, calling them “false allegations” and “sensationalized stories.”
“I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days,” Lizzo wrote in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter). “I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”
At press time it did not appear that Lizzo had responded to the allegations in the latest lawsuit. Daniels is being represented by attorney Ron Zambrano, who is also representing former dancers Ariana Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, who claimed in their suit that they were subjected to sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, including being pressured to touch nude dancers during a live sex show.
The fourth edition of Jacob Collier’s musically ambitious and Grammy-decorated Djesse project will be released on Feb. 29, 2024, through Hajanga / Decca / Interscope.
Collier won a Grammy for a track from each of the first three volumes in this franchise. If his goal is to keep that streak going, he could hardly have picked a better duet partner for his newly released single from the album: Grammy favorite Brandi Carlile, who joins him on the hypnotic ballad “Little Blue.”
“‘Little Blue’ is such a gorgeous song and Jacob is a generational talent,” Carlile said in a statement. “I spend an embarrassing amount of time following him and studying his mind-bendingly beautiful music. Getting to climb inside of it and be a part of his creation is a wonderful twist of fate.”
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The new album already contains a Grammy-nominated track — “Never Gonna Be Alone” (featuring Lizzy McAlpine and John Mayer), which was nominated two years ago (when it was a stand-alone single) for best arrangement, instruments and vocals. Collier and McAlpine co-wrote the song. The album will also contain Collier’s recent single “WELLLL,” a pop/rock track which he co-wrote with Remi Wolf.
Collier won best arrangement, instruments and vocals for a remake of Lionel Richie’s 1983 smash “All Night Long (All Night)” (featuring Take 6) from Djesse Vol. 1; best arrangement, instrumental or acapella for a remake of Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer’s Oscar- and Grammy-winning “Moon River” from Djesse Vol. 2; and best arrangement, instruments and vocals for “He Won’t Hold You” (featuring Rapsody), an original song from Djesse Vol 3.
Collier’s Grammy winning streak pre-dates his Djesse project. He won two Grammys for tracks from his 2016 debut album In My Room. A remake of Stevie Wonder’s “You and I” (which was a highlight of Wonder’s 1972 album Talking Book) won best arrangement, instrumental or acapella. A remake of The Flintstones TV theme (which was introduced in 1962) brought Collier the award for best arrangement, instruments and vocals.
Collier, who was born in London, is the first British artist to win a Grammy for each of his first four albums.
Collier, 29, first gained widespread notice three years ago when Djesse, Vol. 3 was nominated for album of the year. (It lost to Taylor Swift’s Folklore.)
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The first three Djesse volumes featured a diverse roster of nearly 25 guest artists, also including JoJo, Steve Vai, Jessie Reyez, T-Pain, Kimbra, Tank and the Bangas, Daniel Caesar, Ty Dolla Sign and Tori Kelly — plus Collier’s mom, Suzie Collier.
In the midst of working on Djesse, Collier started turning each of his concert audiences – from rock clubs to Lincoln Center, and even festivals like Bonnaroo and Glastonbury – into sprawling, improvised choirs. Having recorded each of his 80+ audience choirs, roughly 150,000 different voices play a role in the story and creation of Djesse Vol. 4.
In a statement, Collier reflected on the life-changing Djesse project: “Five years ago, in the wake of a musical journey that had begun in solitude, I set out on an epic adventure with a big dream – a collaborative quadruple album, and by way of that – to learn music, and life, from the greatest teachers of all – my heroes.
“In many ways, Djesse Vol. 4 is an album that’s taken me 30 years to make. It is, to me, a celebration of humankind – the way that I see it and hear it, built with musicians from every corner of the world. To be culminating this collaborative experiment with a 100,000 voice audience-choir, a sound that permeates the heart of this album, feels like I’ve found the heart of it. My voice is only ever as full as the voices around me. Everyone is welcome, and part of the tapestry. And most of all, creating this album has reminded me that life is full of magic, if only we can remember to look for it in each other.”
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Collier has collaborated extensively with Coldplay, appearing on their 2021 album Music of the Spheres, performing with them as a featured guest at their Wembley Stadium shows last summer and on Saturday Night Live in February. Collier co-wrote, co-produced and was featured on “Human Heart” (which also featured We Are King). Collier received a Grammy nod as a songwriter, producer and featured artist on Music of the Spheres, an album of the year nominee last year.
Collier received a Grammy nod for best R&B song two years ago for co-writing SZA’s “Good Days.” The song is featured on her album SOS, which topped the Billboard 200 for 10 weeks and is considered a sure thing to receive a Grammy nod for album of the year. But because of a Grammy rule change this year, where the Academy instituted a baseline requirement of 20% of playing time for a participant to receive an album of the year nod, Collier will not be in line for a Grammy nod for that contribution to the album.
His other Grammy nods, not already mentioned (he has received 11) are for best R&B performance for “All I Need” (featuring Mahalia and Ty Dolla Sign), a track from Djesse Vol. 3 and best arrangement, instruments and vocals for a remake of the 1946 Nat King Cole Trio classic “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), which was a stand-alone single for Collier.
Collier also co-wrote and performed on seven tracks of Stormzy’s 2022 album This Is What I Mean.
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.