The biggest players in the Australian music industry have gathered to celebrate all the best of the year that was, at the 2022 ARIA Awards.
Held at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion, it was the first "normal" ceremony in several years after multiple COVID-disrupted events.
The night belonged to Yolngu artist Baker Boy who took home wins in five categories — Best Solo Artist, Album of the Year, Best Hip Hop/Rap Release, Best Cover Art (by artist Adnate) and Best Mixed Album (by Pip Norman, Andrei Eremin, Dave Hammer and Michael O'Connell).
But the event was also an opportunity to remember and celebrate the achievements of those we lost this year, with special tributes to Archie Roach, Judith Durham and Olivia Newton-John.
ARIA Hall of Famer Uncle Archie Roach's final record, One Song was named Best Independent Release during the ceremony after an emotional rendition of the song performed by Jessica Mauboy, Thelma Plum and Budjerah.
"I wish he was here with us accepting this award tonight, but I know he'd be here with us in spirit," granddaughter Janaya Roach said while accepting the award on her grandfather's behalf.
"I can just see that cheeky big smile on his face, he'd be so happy right now.
"I'm so proud of you pop, and I hope you're having a good old jam up there with Nanny in the Dreamtime."
Dami Im and Casey Donovan teamed up for a heartfelt tribute to Seekers singer Judith Durham, and Kye, Tones And I and Natalie Imbruglia closed the show with a medley performance in honour of Olivia Newton-John.
Here's the full list of 2022 ARIA Award winners and nominees.
Album of the Year:
- WINNER: Gela — Baker Boy
- Comfort To Me — Amyl and The Sniffers
- Angel In Realtime. — Gang Of Youths
- King Stingray — King Stingray
- Surrender — RÜFÜS DU SOL
Song of the Year:
- WINNER: Cloudy Day — Tones And I
- I Guess I'm In Love — Clinton Kane
- Hurtless — Dean Lewis
- Say Nothing (ft MAY-A) — Flume
- Glimpse of Us — Joji
- Dreams — Jolyon Petch (ft Reigan)
- Down Under — Luude (ft Colin Hay)
- On My Knees — RÜFÜS DU SOL
- Thousand Miles — The Kid LAROI
- Clarity — Vance Joy
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist:
- WINNER: King Stingray
- Beddy Rays
- Bella Taylor Smith
- Harvey Sutherland
- Luude
Best Solo Artist:
- WINNER: Baker Boy
- Budjerah
- Courtney Barnett
- Daniel Johns
- Flume
- Julia Jacklin
- Ruel
- The Kid LAROI
- Thelma Plum
- Vance Joy
Best Group:
- WINNER: Amyl and The Sniffers
- Gang Of Youths
- King Stingray
- Midnight Oil
- RÜFÜS DU SOL
Best Australian Live Act:
- WINNER: The Wiggles
- Amy Shark
- Amyl and The Sniffers
- Baker Boy
- Budjerah
- Gang Of Youths
- Genesis Owusu
- Midnight Oil
- The Kid LAROI
- Thelma Plum
ARIA Music Teacher Award
- WINNER: Matt Orchard — Apollo Bay P-12 College, Gadubanud Territory, VIC
- David Collins-White — Haberfield Public School, Eora Nation, NSW
- Jane Nicholas — Willandra Primary School, Noongar Land, WA
- Kath Dunn — Wollondilly Public School, Gundungurra Land, NSW
Best Independent Release:
- WINNER: One Song — Archie Roach
- Weirder & Weirder — Ball Park Music
- Things Take Time, Take Time — Courtney Barnett
- GTFO — Genesis Owusu
- PRE PLEASURE — Julia Jacklin
Best Soul/R&B Release:
- WINNER: Conversations — Budjerah
- Under These Streets — Emma Donovan & The Putbacks
- SHINE — KIAN
- City Of Angels — Vanessa Amorosi
Best Hip Hop/Rap Release:
- WINNER: Gela — Baker Boy
- Blak Matriarchy — Barkaa
- Family Ties — Chillinit
- MBAPPÉ (ft KAHUKX) — Day1
- Fivio Foreign & The Kid LAROI - Tokyo to Paris — The Kid LAROI
Best Pop Release:
- WINNER: Thousand Miles — The Kid LAROI
- Say Nothing (ft MAY-A) — Flume
- On My Knees — RÜFÜS DU SOL
- Meanjin — Thelma Plum
- Clarity — Vance Joy
Best Dance/Electronic Release:
- WINNER: Palaces — Flume
- Tilt — Confidence Man
- Boy — Harvey Sutherland
- Down Under (ft Colin Hay) — Luude
- Surrender — RÜFÜS DU SOL
Best Cover Art:
- WINNER: Gela - Baker Boy — Adnate
- How To Grow A Sunflower Underwater - Alex the Astronaut — Giulia Giannini McGauran
- Palaces - Flume — Jonathan Zawada
- King Stingray - King Stingray — Kayla Flett, Gabi Coulthurst & Dimathaya Burarrwanga
- A Colour Undone - Tasman Keith — Seshanka Samarajiwa, Zain Ayub & Tasman Keith
Best Children's Album:
- WINNER: ReWiggled — The Wiggles
- Benny and Friends — Benny Time
- How to be Creative — Teeny Tiny Stevies
- Let's Go! — The Beanies
- The Princess And The Piano — Van-Anh Nguyen
Best Adult Contemporary Album:
- WINNER: PRE PLEASURE — Julia Jacklin
- How To Grow A Sunflower Underwater — Alex the Astronaut
- Total Control — Missy Higgins
- In Our Own Sweet Time — Vance Joy
- The Wait — Vika & Linda
Best Country Album:
- WINNER: Light It Up — Casey Barnes
- All Or Nothing — Adam Brand
- Living for the Highlights — Amber Lawrence
- Strength of a Queen — Andy Golledge
- In Colour — Georgia State Line
Best Blues & Roots Album:
- WINNER: Water and Dust — William Crighton
- Undone — Charlie Collins
- Hard Up — The Bamboos
- Live At Hamer Hall — The Teskey Brothers with Orchestra Victoria
- Thornbird — Thornbird
Best Rock Album:
- WINNER: Comfort To Me — Amyl and The Sniffers
- Weirder & Weirder — Ball Park Music
- Angel In Realtime. — Gang Of Youths
- King Stingray — King Stingray
- Here Comes Everybody — Spacey Jane
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album:
- WINNER: Get Fucked — The Chats
- Real Rare Whale — Dune Rats
- Obsidian — Northlane
- Old Gods — Shihad
- Heroine — Thornhill
Best Classical Album:
- WINNER: The Enchanted Loom: Orchestral works by Carl Vine — Melbourne Symphony Orchestra & Sir Andrew Davis
- Ross Edwards: Frog and Star Cycle/Symphonies 2 & 3 — Amy Dickson, Colin Currie, Lothar Koenigs, Yvonne Kenny, David Zinman, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Markus Stenz & Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
- Chamber Works, Vol. 2 — Lachlan Skipworth
- All of Us — Luke Howard
- Duet — Tamara-Anna Cislowska & Guests
Best Jazz Album:
- WINNER: Live From South Channel Island — Mildlife
- Precious Energy — Barney McAll
- Another Dance — Mike Nock, Hamish Stuart, Julien Wilson & Jonathan Zwartz
- Oaatchapai — Sam Anning
- Springtime — Springtime
Best World Music Album:
- WINNER: History Has A Heartbeat — Joseph Tawadros with William Barton
- Hand to Earth — Australian Art Orchestra, Daniel Wilfred, Sunny Kim, Peter Knight & Aviva Endean
- Havana Meets Kingston Part 2 — Mista Savona
- Sa — Parvyn
- Heartland — William Barton & Véronique Serret
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album:
- WINNER: River (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) — Australian Chamber Orchestra & Richard Tognetti
- No Mercy, No Remorse (Original Score) — Brett Aplin
- Green Is The New Black — In Hearts Wake
- Akoni (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) — Maria Alfonsine with Itunu Pepper
- A Fire Inside (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) — Matteo Zingales
Best Video:
- WINNER: Every Side Of You — Vance Joy
- Apple Crumble — Lime Cordiale
- Blak Matriarchy — Barkaa
- Down Under (ft Colin Hay) — Luude
- GTFO — Genesis Owusu
- Hertz — Amyl and The Sniffers
- I Don't Wanna Leave — RÜFÜS DU SOL
- Lydia Wears A Cross — Julia Jacklin
- Say Nothing (ft MAY-A) — Flume
- Wish You Well (ft Bernard Fanning) — Baker Boy
Most Popular International Artist:
- WINNER: Harry Styles
- ABBA
- Adele
- Billie Eilish
- Drake
- Ed Sheeran
- Jack Harlow
- Lil Nas X
- Post Malone
- Taylor Swift
Mix Engineer - Best Mixed Album:
- WINNER: Gela - Baker Boy — Pip Norman, Andrei Eremin, Dave Hammer & Michael O'Connell
- Surrender - RÜFÜS DU SOL — Cassian
- Conversations - Budjerah — Dann Hume & Eric J Dubowsky
- Palaces - Flume — Eric J Dubowsky
- Weirder & Weirder - Ball Park Music — Paul McKercher
Producer - Best Produced Album:
- WINNER: Surrender - RÜFÜS DU SOL — RÜFÜS DU SOL
- Comfort To Me - Amyl and The Sniffers — Amyl and the Sniffers & Dan Luscombe
- Gela - Baker Boy — Pip Norman, Rob Amoruso, Morgan Jones, Carl Dimataga, Willie Tafa, Jerome Farah & Michael O'Connell
- Things Take Time, Take Time - Courtney Barnett — Courtney Barnett & Stella Mozgawa
- Palaces - Flume — Flume
Catch up on all the action from the red carpet, the ceremony and the performances as they happened with our live blog.
Live updates
Thank you for joining tonight's coverage of the 2022 ARIA Awards
By Kelsie Iorio
It's been fantastic having you with us.
Congrats to all the winners and nominees — shout-out to all the fantastic Australian artists we love (remember to support them wherever you can) — we'll see you again soon.
Celebrating the life of 'the magnificent' Olivia Newton-John
By Kelsie Iorio
Singer Margaret Urlich and promoter Glenn Wheatley's contributions to the industry have been recognised by the ARIA Awards via presenter Richard Wilkins, before we launch into a tribute to the late great Olivia Newton-John.
John Travolta sends his love via a video message. Natalie Imbruglia performs a rendition of Hopelessly Devoted To You, Tones And I launches into You're The One That I Want (with help from Peking Duk) and Kye breaks out Xanadu.
WINNER: Baker Boy — Best Solo Artist
By Kelsie Iorio
And Baker Boy takes out the big one!
He takes out a total of FIVE ARIAs tonight (yes it took me a minute to count them).
"I want to dedicate this award to my family back home," he said in a short acceptance speech.
"Especially to the original Baker Boys for making me into who I am."
WINNER: Matt Orchard from Apollo Bay P-12 College — ARIA Music Teacher Award
By Kelsie Iorio
I love this award.
Musician and teacher Matt Orchard has thanked everyone for voting and highlighted the importance of teaching music in schools, particularly for students' mental health:
"I think as musicians we've known this for quite some time, but it's great that it's being recognised on such a huge scale."
Celebrating the life of Judith Durham
By Kelsie Iorio
Geez we've lost some big names this year.
Casey Donovan is singing a rendition of I'll Never Find Another You to pay tribute to The Seekers' Judith Durham, who died earlier this year.
That leads into Dami Im's cover of The Carnival Is Over. Both performances are stunning of course. From Mawunyo on the ground:
"Casey Donovan’s tribute to Judith Durham was so beautiful. Donovan’s incredible vocals soared high, before Dami Im added her gorgeous voice into the mix, also in tribute."
By request — (one of) the engineers behind GELA
By Kelsie Iorio
Can you put a picture up of Pip Norman! Producer for Baker boy
- Ilo
ARIA Award winner Pip Norman, no less! Pictured here holding the ARIA for Best Mixed Album for Baker Boy's GELA.
WINNER: Archie Roach — Best Independent Release
By Kelsie Iorio
Uncle Archie's final record, One Song, has been awarded the ARIA for Best Independent Release.
He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame two years ago, and the award is accepted by his granddaughter Janaya:
"I wish he was here with us accepting this award with us tonight, but I know he's here in spirit.
"He'd be so happy right now."
Presenters Becca Hatch and Troy Cassar-Daley also paid tribute to Uncle Jack Charles, who also passed away earlier this year.
Remembering Archie Roach
By Kelsie Iorio
Jess Mauboy, Thelma Plum and Budjerah are performing a tribute to the great Archie Roach, introduced by Peter Garrett and Briggs, who says:
"I love you Unc, we all do, thank you for everything."
The Gunditjmara and Bundjalung Senior Elder, songman and storyteller died earlier this year at the age of 66 after a long illness.
The trio's performance received a standing ovation.
WINNER: King Stingray — Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist
By Kelsie Iorio
Matt Gudinski — the late Michael Gudinski's son — has presented the Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist award to King Stingray.
The band and their self-titled debut record were nominated for multiple other ARIAs tonight.
From Mawunyo:
"A lot of support in the audience. Some very excited people with that announcement."
WINNER: Every Side Of You by Vance Joy — Best Video
By Kelsie Iorio
William Bleakly directed the video for Vance Joy's Every Side Of You, which has been awarded the ARIA for Best Video.
Omg — Vance Joy started talking about a completely different video directed by a completely different person in his acceptance speech before realising halfway through. Live TV folks!
The award was presented by Brooke Boney from the ARIAs stage and Ellie Goulding, who's beaming in from the UK.
Inside the ARIAs
By Kelsie Iorio
Just in from Mawunyo — if you've ever wondered what the inside of Sydney's Horden Pavillion looks like during the ARIAs, here it is:
ICYMI, Tigerlily is growing a little Tigerlily
By Kelsie Iorio
She said earlier that her pregnancy hasn't slowed down her hectic touring schedule, and I mean, just LOOK at that ensemble. What a queen.
WINNER: The Wiggles — Best Australian Live Act
By Kelsie Iorio
OMG YESSSSSS!!!!!!! The OG Wiggles Reunion/Fruit Salad TV Big Show Tour has won the ARIA for Best Australian Live Act.
Full disclosure — I went to this tour earlier this year and it was an absolute BLAST. I'm not sure what the science is behind Wiggles songs and dances you knew when you were a toddler suddenly coming back to you well into your 20s but it was genuinely brilliant. The perfect combo of original Wiggle goodness, the new Wiggles tearing it up and being able to drink drinks that probably aren't on sale at the kids shows.
This award cements The Wiggles as the group with the most ARIA wins across any category of all time.
The award is accepted by new Wiggle Tsehay Hawkins and OG Wiggle Anthony Field.
Question to the room: Is Ruel giant or is every other presenter on this year's ARIA lineup just very small?
By Kelsie Iorio
WINNER: Budjerah — Best Soul/R&B Release
By Kelsie Iorio
Conversations by the absolutely incredible Budjerah has won the ARIA for Best Soul/R&B Release.
The teenager won the award for Breakthrough Artist last year, so this is his second ARIA in total.
From Mawunyo:
"A standing ovation from some in the crowd when Budjerah won Best Soul/R&B Release for Conversations. His speech was short and sweet. Emphasis on sweet."
'Jumping out of my skin': Music teacher on her nomination
By Shiloh Payne
One of the nominees for the ARIA Music Teacher Award, Jane Nicholas from Willandra Primary School in WA, says music is an opportunity to connect people and build personal and cultural identities.
"You teach what you know, but it's so important for me to go beyond that to really get into what our students need and to show them what they can be and different elements of who they are," she says.
See what she had to say on News Breakfast this morning about her nomination:
WINNER: RÜFÜS DU SOL — Best Produced Album
By Kelsie Iorio
Grammy-nominated RÜFÜS DU SOL take out the win for best producing — they say it's good to be back in Australia.
The group and their record Surrender were nominated for seven awards tonight — the most out of any artist.
