Amy Shark up for nine ARIA awards

Thomas Tobler
Entertainment

Pnau, Tash Sultana, Dean Lewis, Peking Duk and Amy Shark are among the Australian artists nominated today (Thursday) for this year’s ARIA Awards. 

Amy Shark is leading the tally with nine nominations including Best Female Artist and Apple Music Album of the Year. Shark could pull off big back-to-back wins at the ARIAs after winning two awards from six nominations at last year’s event.

Courtney Barnett follows closely with eight nominations that come from the release of her second album Tell Me How You Really Feel.

Nominations were announced at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where ARIA CEO Dan Rosen spoke of the transformation that the Australian music industry has undergone in recent years.

“Five years ago the Australian music industry was on its knees,” Mr Rosen said. The industry was suffering from piracy and lack of government support, he said, until streaming came along, boosting the industry back to growth.

That development could explain the ARIA Awards’ partnership with streaming giant Apple Music, which sponsors two of the biggest awards of the night: Apple Music Song Of The Year and Apple Music Album Of The Year.

The former will be decided by a public vote for the third consecutive year. The artist who gets the highest number of streams on Apple Music’s Song Of The Year playlist will take out the award. Fans should note that you only need to listen to the first 30 seconds of a song for it to count as one stream.

There are several other awards up for public vote including: Best Video, Best Australian Live Act, Best International Artist and Music Teacher Of The Year. Voting has opened on the official ARIA website.

It was also announced that Zane Lowe will make the journey back to Australia for the awards again this year. Last year the UK-based Creative Director and DJ for Apple Music’s radio station, Beats 1, spent a week streaming his radio show from Sydney.

He broadcast three shows exposing Australian artists such as Gang of Youths and Winston Surfshirt to a worldwide audience in over 100 countries.

ARIA Awards for the Fine Arts, Artisan and Comedy categories were awarded at today’s event, including Best World Music Album and Best Cover Art, which were both awarded posthumously to Gurrumul Yunupingu for his album Djarimirri (Child Of The Rainbow).

This year’s awards will return to the Nine Network on 28 November and will be hosted by Keith Urban.

Rosen also confirmed that the awards will stay in Sydney until 2020 thanks to support from the NSW Government.

2018 ARIA Award Nominees

Apple Music Album Of The Year

Amy Shark – Love Monster
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
Gurrumul Yunupingu – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)
Pnau – Changa
Troye Sivan – Bloom

Best Male Artist

Dan Sultan – Killer Under A Blood Moon
Dean Lewis – Be Alright
Gurrumul Yunupingu – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)
Troye Sivan – Bloom
Vance Joy – Nation Of Two

Best Female Artist

Alison Wonderland – Awake
Amy Shark – Love Monster
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
Sia – Flames
Tash Sultana – Flow State

Best Dance Release

Alison Wonderland – Awake
Fisher – Losing It
Peking Duk – Fire
Pnau – Go Bang
RÜFÜS DU SOL – No Place

Best Group

5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
DMA’S – For Now
Peking Duk – Fire
Pnau – Go Bang
RÜFÜS DU SOL – No Place

Breakthrough Artist

Alex Lahey – I Love You Like A Brother
Jack River – Sugar Mountain
Mojo Juju – Native Tongue
Odette – To A Stranger
Ruel – Dazed & Confused

Best Pop Release

5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
Amy Shark – Love Monster
Dean Lewis – Be Alright
Jack River – Sugar Mountain
Troye Sivan – Bloom

Best Urban Album

360 – Vintage Modern
Esoterik – My Astral Plane
Hilltop Hoods – Clark Griswold (feat. Adrian Eagle)
Kerser – Engraved In The Game
Mojo Juju – Native Tongue

Best Independent Release

Angus & Julia Stone – Snow
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
DMA’S – For Now
Gurrumul Yunupingu – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)
Pnau – Go Bang

Best Rock Album

Camp Cope – How To Socialise & Make Friends
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
DMA’S – For Now
Luca Brasi – Stay
Middle Kids – Lost Friends

Best Adult Contemporary Album

Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice
Dan Sultan – Killer Under A Blood Moon
Missy Higgins – Solastalgia
Odette – To A Stranger
Vance Joy – Nation Of Two

Best Country Album

Adam Eckersley & Brooke McClymont – Adam & Brooke
Fanny Lumsden – Real Class Act
Kasey Chambers & The Fireside Disciples – Campfire
The Wolfe Brothers – Country Heart
Travis Collins – Brave & The Broken

Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album

DZ Deathrays – Bloody Lovely
King Parrot – Ugly Produce
Parkway Drive – Reverence
Polaris – The Mortal Coil
West Thebarton – Different Beings Being Different

Best Blues & Roots Album

Angus & Julia Stone – Snow
Emily Wurramara – Milyakburra
Mama Kin Spender – Golden Magnetic
Ruby Boots – Don’t Talk About It
Tash Sultana – Flow State

Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album

Evelyn Ida Morris – Acute Misfortune (Original Soundtrack)
Jessica Mauboy – The Secret Daughter Season Two (Songs for the Original 7 Series)
Jimmy Barnes – Working Class Boy: The Soundtracks
LIARS – 1/1 (Original Soundtrack)
Various Artists – Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical (The Original Cast Recording)

Best Children’s Album

Justine Clarke – The Justine Clarke Show!
Lah-Lah – 10th Birthday Party
Sam Moran – Santa’s Coming!
Teeny Tiny Stevies – Helpful Songs For Little People
The Wiggles – Wiggle Pop!

PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS

Apple Music Song Of The Year

5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
Amy Shark – I Said Hi
Angus & Julia Stone – Chateau
Conrad Sewell – Healing Hands
Dean Lewis – Be Alright
Peking Duk – Fire/Reprisal
Pnau – Go Bang
Sheppard – Coming Home
Troye Sivan – My My My!
Vance Joy – Lay It On Me

Best Video

Amy Shark – I Said Hi
Client Liaison – Survival In The City
Courtney Barnett – Need A Little Time
Dean Lewis – Be Alright
Gang Of Youths – The Heart Is A Muscle
Mojo Juju – Native Tongue
Peking Duk – Fire
Pnau – Go Bang
Tash Sultana – Salvation
The Presets – Do What You Want

Best Australian Live Act

5 Seconds Of Summer – Meet You There Tour
Amy Shark – Love Monster Tour
Client Liaison – Expo Liaison
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel National Tour
Dean Lewis – 2017 National Tour
Gang Of Youths – 2017 National Tour
Paul Kelly – Life Is Fine Tour 2017
Peking Duk – The Wasted Tour
Pnau – Pnau Changa Australian Tour
Tash Sultana – Homecoming Tour

Best International Artist

Camila Cabello – Camila
Drake – Scorpion & More Life
Ed Sheeran – ÷
Eminem – Revival & Kamikaze
Imagine Dragons – Evolve
Khalid – American Teen
P!nk – Beautiful Trauma
Post Malone – Beerbongs & Bentleys & Stoney
Sam Smith – The Thrill Of It All
Taylor Swift – Reputation

Music Teacher of the Year

Becky Hall – Education Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne VIC
Scott Maxwell – Grant High School, Mount Gambier SA
Dean Harawira – Nerang State High School, Gold Coast QLD
Deborah Skelton – Caladenia Primary School, Canning Vale WA

2018 ARIA Award Artisan Nominations

Best Cover Art

Steve Wyper for Amy Shark – Love Monster
Dean Hanson for Ball Park Music – Good Mood
Caiti Baker for Gurrumul Yunupingu – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) — WINNER
Ben Lopez for Tash Sultana – Flow State
Jonathan Zawada for The Presets – Hi Viz

Engineer Of The Year

Dann Hume & M Phazes for Amy Shark – I Said Hi
Sam Cromack for Ball Park Music – Good Mood
Burke Reid for Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel  — WINNER
Ted Howard, Robin Mai & Matthew Cunliffe for Gurrumul Yunupingu – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)
Holly Rankin, Xavier Dunn, John Castle for Jack River – Sugar Mountain

Producer Of The Year

Dann Hume & M Phazes for Amy Shark – I Said Hi  — WINNER
Ball Park Music for Ball Park Music – Good Mood
Courtney Barnett, Dan Luscombe & Burke Reid – Tell Me How You Really Feel
Michael Hohnen for Gurrumul Yunupingu – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)
Tash Sultana for Tash Sultana – Flow State

2018 ARIA Award Fine Arts Nominations

Best Classical Album

Greta Bradman, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Chamber Singers, Luke Dollman – Home
Ray Chen – The Golden Age
Sally Whitwell – Philip Glass: Complete Etudes For Solo Piano
Slava Grigoryan – Bach Cello Suites Volume II  — WINNER
Tamara-Anna Cislowska, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Johannes Fritzsch – Into Silence: Part|Vasks|Gorecki|Pelecis

Best Jazz Album

Barney McAll – Hearing The Blood
Elixir feat. Katie Noonan – Gratitude And Grief
Jake Mason Trio – The Stranger In The Mirror
James Morrison, Patti Austin, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra/Benjamin Northey – Ella And Louis
Jonathan Zwartz – Animarum  — WINNER

Best World Music Album

Gurrumul Yuupingu – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) — WINNER
Joseph Tawadros – The Bluebird, The Mystic and The Fool
Melbourne Ska Orchestra – Ska Classics
Mista Savona – Havana Meets Kingston
Xylorious White – Mother

Best Comedy Release

Akmal Saleh – Transparent
Aunty Donna – Aunty Donna The Album
Lawrence Moony – Moonman
Luke Heggie – Tipra
Bridie and Wyatt, Tonightly with Tom Ballard – Sex Pest — WINNER