Australian music’s biggest night may look different this year but it is still going to be one to remember.
The 2021 ARIA Music Awards will take place on November 24, 2021, as a digital show in partnership with YouTube.
Additionally, the ARIA Award for Best Artist will officially replace the categories of Best Female Artist and Best Male Artist, in a push to ensure that the ARIA Awards “reflect and embrace equality and the true diversity of the music industry in 2021” while also making certain that all artists can be recognised for their work across an even playing field. The category will now include 10 nominees instead of five.
“The time for separating artists based on gendered categories that exclude non-binary artists altogether has passed,” said ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd in a statement. “The music industry is demanding a more equal, inclusive, safe and supportive space for everyone and ARIA is working hard to achieve that across the ARIA Awards and everything we do.”
When it comes to the nominees, Aussie music darling Amy Shark and hip-hop artist Genesis Owusu are leading the pack with six noms each across as many categories.
Shark will be competing for Album of the Year with her record Cry Forever, which features the lead single ‘Love Songs Ain’t For Us’ feat. Keith Urban — which is nominated in the publicly voted categories of Song of the Year and Best Video.
The Queensland native is also up for Best Artist, Best Pop Release and Best Australian Live Act for her ‘Cry Forever’ Tour 2021.
Meanwhile, Owusu is also nominated for Best Artist and Best Album of the Year for his debut album Smiling With No Teeth, which is also up for Best Cover Art. He is also up for Best Independent Release, Best Hip-Hop Release and Best Australian Live Act for his Smiling With No Teeth album tour.
Elsewhere, The Kid LAROI is nominated in four categories including Best Pop Release for his collaboration with Justin Bieber, ‘Stay’.
The 2021 ARIA Awards will take place on Wednesday, November 24.
Read on for the full list of nominees for the 2021 ARIA Music Awards.
Album Of The Year
Amy Shark – Cry Forever (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Midnight Oil and First Nations Collaborators – The Makarrata Project (Sony Music)
The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
Tones And I – Welcome to the Madhouse (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Best Artist
Amy Shark – Cry Forever (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Budjerah – Budjerah (EP) (Warner Music Australia)
Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Keith Urban – The Speed Of Now Part 1 (CAPITOL – NASHVILLE / EMI Music Australia)
Kylie Minogue – Disco (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Masked Wolf – ‘Astronaut In The Ocean’ (Teamwrk Records/ADA/Warner Music)
Ngaiire – 3 (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records)
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’ (Columbia/Sony Music)
Tones And I – Welcome to the Madhouse (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Vance Joy – ‘Missing Piece’ (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Dance Release
Cosmo’s Midnight – Yesteryear (Nite High/Sony Music)
Dom Dolla – ‘Pump The Brakes’ (Sweat It Out/Warner)
Jolyon Petch – ‘Dreams’ (TMRW Music)
KLP & Stace Cadet – ‘People Happy’ (Medium Rare Recordings / Sony Music)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – ‘Alive’ (Rose Avenue Records/Reprise/Warner Music)
Best Group
AC/DC – Power Up (Leidseplein Presse / Sony Music)
Gang Of Youths – ‘The Angel of 8th Ave.’ (Mosy Recordings / Sony Music)
Midnight Oil and First Nations Collaborators – The Makarrata Project (Sony Music)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – ‘Alive’ (Rose Avenue Records/Reprise/Warner Music)
The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist
Budjerah – Budjerah (EP) (Warner Music Australia)
Gretta Ray – Begin To Look Around (EMI Music Australia)
Masked Wolf – ‘Astronaut In The Ocean’ (Teamwrk Records/ADA/Warner Music)
MAY-A – Don’t Kiss Ur Friends (Arcadia Music / Sony Music)
Ngaiire – 3 (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records)
Best Pop Release
Amy Shark – Cry Forever (Wonderlick Recording Company)
The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’ (Columbia/Sony Music)
Tones And I – ‘Fly Away’ (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Vance Joy – ‘Missing Piece’ (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Hip Hop Release
B Wise – jamie (Semi Pro Sound)
Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Masked Wolf – ‘Astronaut In The Ocean’ (Teamwrk Records/ADA/Warner Music)
The Kid LAROI – ‘WITHOUT YOU’ (Columbia/Sony Music)
Youngn Lipz – Area Baby (Biordi Music/Virgin Music)
Best Soul/R&B Release
Budjerah – Budjerah (EP) (Warner Music Australia)
Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant (Brainfeeder/Ninja Tune)
Ngaiire – 3 (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records)
Tash Sultana – Terra Firma (Lonely Lands Records/Sony Music
Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3 (Dew Process/Universal Music Australia)
Best Independent Release
Archie Roach – The Songs Of Charcoal Lane (Bloodlines/Mushroom)
Ball Park Music – Ball Park Music (Prawn Records/ Inertia Music)
Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Crossover (Hopestreet Recordings/The Planet Company)
Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Vance Joy – ‘Missing Piece’ (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Rock Album
AC/DC – Power Up (Leidseplein Presse / Sony Music)
Ball Park Music – Ball Park Music (Prawn Records/ Inertia Music)
Holy Holy – Hello My Beautiful World (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Middle Kids – Today We’re The Greatest (EMI Music Australia)
Midnight Oil and First Nations Collaborators – The Makarrata Project (Sony Music)
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Big Scary – Daisy (Pieater/Inertia)
Crowded House – Dreamers Are Waiting (EMI Music Australia)
Kylie Minogue – Disco (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Carnage (Goliath / AWAL)
Odette – Herald (EMI Music Australia)
Best Country Album
Brad Cox – My Mind’s Projection (Sony Music)
Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham – The Song Club (ABC Music)
Shane Nicholson – Living In Colour (Lost Highway Australia/Universal Music Australia)
The Wolfe Brothers – Kids On Cassette (BMG/WMG)
Troy Cassar-Daley – The World Today (Tarampa Music / Sony Music)
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
Alpha Wolf – A Quiet Place To Die (Greyscale Records / Cooking Vinyl Australia)
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound (What Reality?/Virgin Music)
Tropical F**k Storm – Deep States (TFS Records/Virgin Music)
Yours Truly – Self Care (UNFD/The Orchard)
A. Swayze & the Ghosts – Paid Salvation (IVY LEAGUE/MUSHROOM)
Best Blues & Roots Album
Archie Roach – The Songs Of Charcoal Lane (Bloodlines/Mushroom)
Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Crossover (Hopestreet Recordings/The Planet Company)
Josh Teskey & Ash Grunwald – Push The Blues Away (Ivy League/Mushroom)
Martha Marlow – Medicine Man (Independent/The Planet Company)
Ziggy Alberts – Searching For Freedom (Commonfolk Records / The Orchard)
Best Children’s Album
Amber Lawrence – The Kid’s Gone Country 2 (Fun For All The Family ABC Music)
Bluey The Album – Bluey (Ludo Studios / Demon Music Group / BBC Studios / Rocket)
Diver City – Dance Silly (ABC Music / Universal)
The Wiggles – Lullabies With Love (ABC Music)
Various Artists – The Moon, The Mouse & The Frog: Lullabies from Northern Australia (ABC Music)
PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS
Best Video
24k – Tkay Maidza, Nicholas Muecke (Dew Process/Universal Music Australia)
Astronaut In The Ocean – Masked Wolf, Daniele Cernera (Teamwrk Records/ADA/Warner Music)
could cry just thinkin about you (Full Version) – Troye Sivan & Jesse Gohier-Fleet (EMI Music Australia)
Dance – Julia Stone, Jessie Hill (BMG/WMG)
First Nation – Midnight Oil ft. Jessica Mauboy & Tasman Keith, Robert Hambling (Sony Music)
Higher – Budjerah, Mick Soiza (Warner Music Australia)
Love Songs Ain’t for Us – Amy Shark, James Chappell (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Missing Piece – Vance Joy, Annelise Hickey (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
The Divine Chord – The Avalanches, Jonathan Zawada (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
Won’t Sleep – Tones and I, Nick Kozakis, Liam Kelly (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Best Australian Live Act
Amy Shark – Cry Forever Tour 2021 (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Ball Park Music – The Residency (Prawn Records/ Inertia Music)
Budjerah – Budjerah 2021 Aus Tour (Warner Music Australia)
Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth Album Tour (OURNESS / AWAL)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Micro Tour (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard/Virgin Music)
Lime Cordiale – Relapse Tour (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Midnight Oil and First Nations Collaborators – Makarrata Live (Sony Music)
The Avalanches – The Avalanches Live (Modular / EMI Music Australia)
The Teskey Brothers – The Teskey Brothers (Headline Shows + Festivals) (IVY LEAGUE/MUSHROOM)
Thelma Plum – Homecoming Queen Tour (Warner Music Australia)
Song of the Year
Amy Shark Feat. Keith Urban – Love Songs Ain’t For Us (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Dean Lewis – Falling Up (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Hooligan Hefs – Send It! (db Music / Warner Music Australia)
Keith Urban & Pink – One Too Many (CAPITOL – NASHVILLE / EMI Music Australia)
Masked Wolf – Astronaut In The Ocean (Teamwrk Records/ADA/Warner Music)
Sam Fischer & Demi Lovato – What Other People Say (Sony Music)
Spacey Jane – Booster Seat (AWAL Recordings)
The Kid LAROI with Miley Cyrus – Without You (Columbia/Sony Music)
Tones and I – Fly Away (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Vance Joy – Missing Piece (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Most Popular International
Ariana Grande – Positions (Universal Records USA / Universal Music Australia)
Doja Cat – Planet Her (RCA Records / Sony Music)
Justin Bieber – Justice (Def Jam / Universal Music Australia)
Kanye West – Donda (Def Jam / Universal Music Australia)
Luke Combs – What You See Ain’t Always What You Get (Columbia Nashville / Sony Music)
Machine Gun Kelly – Tickets To My Downfall (Interscope / Universal Music Australia)
Miley Cyrus – Plastic Hearts (RCA Records / Sony Music)
Olivia Rodrigo – Sour (Geffen / Universal Music Australia)
Pop Smoke – Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon (Universal Records USA / Universal Music Australia)
Taylor Swift – Evermore (Universal Music Australia)
Music Teacher Award
Aaron Silver – Wodonga Primary School, Regional VIC
Ashley Baxter – Pimlico State High School, Townsville QLD
Daniel Wilson – Star Struck, Newcastle NSW
Zoë Barry – Sacred Heart School, Melbourne VIC
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