Flume took home the top gong at the Australian Performing Rights Association (Apra) awards on Thursday night, winning song of the year for his track Say Nothing.
Featuring Sydney pop musician May-a and written in 2020 during the peak of the pandemic, Say Nothing also topped the Triple J Hottest 100 in 2022. When the track was released, Flume (real name Harley Streten) said it “is about feelings of post-relationship clarity”. It was performed on the night in a gothic cover by Perth outfit Alter Boy.
Streten has had a big 12 months: Say Nothing is a track on his 2022 album Palaces – an evolution of the warped electronica sound that made him famous around the world, and which features international guests including Caroline Polachek and Damon Albarn. Earlier this year, Streten also put out Things Don’t Always Go The Way You Plan, a 10-track compilation of previously unreleased ideas he had “forgotten” and rediscovered on old laptops.
Streten shared the Apra award with Sarah Aarons, who co-wrote Say Nothing. Both have won multiple Apras in the past: Aarons dominated the 2018 awards with her contribution to Zedd’s global megahit The Middle.
Song of the year is the only peer-voted category at the Apras, where most awards are determined by airplay and royalties. The Apra board of directors does have discretion over a few categories, including songwriter and breakthrough songwriter of the year.
Songwriter of the year award went to dance trio Rüfüs Du Sol, who won best-produced album at last year’s Arias – their only win on the night despite leading the pack with seven nominations. They fared better at the Apras on Thursday, also walking away with the prize for most performed dance/electronic work for their track On My Knees.
Breakthrough songwriter of the year went to Sampa the Great, the Zambian artist who has lived in Australia in the past. Her latest album As Above, So Below documented her triumphant return to her home country where she drew from references as varied as Zamrock, soul and spoken word in a celebration of the freedom she felt away from the Australian music industry.
“I choose to share my culture,” Sampa said in a pre-recorded acceptance speech. “I choose to share stories from my country, and I choose to share them in my language with this album.”
The Kid Laroi, real name Charlton Howard, also continued his winning streak at the Apras. Last year he won three awards that included song of the year for his Justin Bieber collaboration, Stay. That track is still paying dividends: it won Howard both most performed Australian work and most performed pop work on Thursday night.
The Ted Albert award for outstanding services to Australian music went jointly to the late tour promoter Colleen Ironside and Men at Work’s Colin Hay, whose particularly chaotic set of tributes included messages from actor Zach Braff, a long-time collaborator, as well as Ringo Starr.
“Hi everybody. Yes, it’s Ringo here,” said Starr in a video which opened with a 10-second drum riff. “Colin, you deserve it. And I love you. And you’re a great member of the Ringo and the All-Starr Band. It’s always my pleasure being on stage with you … So I say peace and love, peace and love to Australia!”
The Chats won their first Apra for the punchy track Struck By Lighting, which took home most performed rock work – following an Aria win last year for their gonzo punk album, Get Fucked.
In a reasonably subdued evening, frontman Eamon Sandwith accepted in typically deadpan fashion. “Pretty surprising to get an award for anything,” he said in a self-taped video. “So to get this award was pretty cool.”
Also winning for the first time was Anangu and Torres Strait Islander soul singer Miiesha, whose track Still Dream won most performed R&B/soul work.
Tones and I’s indefatigable Dance Monkey took home most performed Australian work overseas for the second year in a row.
Dean Lewis won most performed alternative work for his track Hurtless while Xavier Rudd won in blues and roots for We Deserve to Dream.
Casey Barnes won in most performed country work for God Took His Time On You, while the hip-hop category went to Brothers and Joel Fletcher for their collaboration Let’s Trot!
