Baker Boy emerged the big winner at the 2022 ARIA Awards, which took place Thursday (November 24) at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
The Yolngu rapper won five trophies, including Album of the Year and Best Solo Artist (a gender-neutral category which was introduced last year). Others with multiple wins were Amyl and the Sniffers, with Best Group and Best Rock Album, and The Wiggles, with Best Children’s Album and Best Australian Live Act presented by Heaps Normal.
Natalie Imbruglia was on hosting duties alongside G Flip and Ruel (who stepped in after Lewis Capaldi dropped out), and the night saw performances by Baker Boy, Flume and MAY-A, Vance Joy, Amyl and the Sniffers, and more.
This year’s ARIA Awards also honoured three titans of Australia’s music industry who passed away this year. Tones and I, Imbruglia, KYE and Peking Duk closed out the ceremony with a performance of some of Olivia Newton-John‘s most beloved hits. Budjerah, Jessica Mauboy and Thelma Plum performed Uncle Archie Roach’s Best Independent Release-winning ‘One Song’, while Casey Donovan and Dami Im covered Judith Durham.
Leading this year’s nominations were electronic powerhouses RÜFÜS DU SOL, who won just one of the seven categories they were nominated in (Producer – Best Produced Album). Flume, who had six noms, and Gang of Youths, who had four, walked away empty-handed. Other winners include Julia Jacklin, who won Best Adult Contemporary Album with ‘Pre Pleasure’, and King Stingray, who were named Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist, and Tones And I, who snagged Song Of The Year for ‘Cloudy Day’.
The 2022 ARIA Award winners are:
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Amyl and the Sniffers – ‘Comfort To Me’
Baker Boy – ‘Gela’ – WINNER
Gang of Youths – ‘Angel In Realtime.’
King Stingray – ‘King Stingray’
RÜFÜS DU SOL – ‘Surrender’
BEST SOLO ARTIST
Baker Boy – ‘Gela’ – WINNER
Budjerah – ‘Conversations’
Courtney Barnett – ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’
Daniel Johns – ‘FutureNever’
Flume – ‘Palaces’
Julia Jacklin – ‘Pre Pleasure’
Ruel – ‘Growing Up Is _____’
The Kid LAROI – ‘Thousand Miles’
Thelma Plum – ‘Meanjin’
Vance Joy – ‘In Our Own Sweet Time’
BEST GROUP
Amyl and the Sniffers – ‘Comfort To Me’ – WINNER
Gang of Youths – ‘Angel In Realtime.’
King Stingray – ‘King Stingray’
Midnight Oil – ‘Resist’
RÜFÜS DU SOL – ‘Surrender’
MICHAEL GUDINSKI BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
Beddy Rays – ‘Beddy Rays’
Bella Taylor Smith – ‘Look Me In The Eyes’
Harvey Sutherland – ‘Boy’
King Stingray – ‘King Stingray’ – WINNER
Luude feat. Colin Hay – ‘Down Under’
BEST INDEPENDENT RELEASE
Archie Roach – ‘One Song’ – WINNER
Ball Park Music – ‘Weirder & Weirder’
Courtney Barnett – ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’
Genesis Owusu – ‘GTFO’
Julia Jacklin – ‘Pre Pleasure’
BEST POP RELEASE
Flume feat. MAY-A – ‘Say Nothing’
RÜFÜS DU SOL – ‘On My Knees’
The Kid LAROI – ‘Thousand Miles’ – WINNER
Thelma Plum – ‘Meanjin’
Vance Joy – ‘Clarity’
BEST HIP-HOP RELEASE
Baker Boy – ‘Gela’ – WINNER
Barkaa – ‘Blak Matriarchy’
Chillinit – ‘Family Ties’
Day1 feat. Kahukx – ‘Mbappé’
Fivio Foreign and The Kid LAROI – ‘Paris to Tokyo’
BEST SOUL/R&B RELEASE
Budjerah – ‘Conversations’ – WINNER
Emma Donovan & the Putbacks – ‘Under These Streets’
Kian – ‘Shine’
Vanessa Amorosi – ‘City Of Angels’
BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC RELEASE
Confidence Man – ‘Tilt’
Flume – ‘Palaces’
Harvey Sutherland – ‘Boy’
Luude feat. Colin Hay – ‘Down Under’ – WINNER
RÜFÜS DU SOL – ‘Surrender’
BEST ROCK ALBUM
Amyl and the Sniffers – ‘Comfort To Me’ – WINNER
Ball Park Music – ‘Weirder & Weirder’
Gang of Youths – ‘Angel In Realtime.’
King Stingray – ‘King Stingray’
Spacey Jane – ‘Here Comes Everybody’
BEST HARD ROCK/HEAVY METAL ALBUM
Dune Rats – ‘Real Rare Whale’
Northlane – ‘Obsidian’
Shihad – ‘Old Gods’
The Chats – ‘Get Fucked’ – WINNER
Thornhill – ‘Heroine’
BEST ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
Alex the Astronaut – ‘How To Grow A Sunflower Underwater’
Julia Jacklin – ‘Pre Pleasure’ – WINNER
Missy Higgins – ‘Total Control’
Vance Joy – ‘In Our Own Sweet Time’
Vika & Linda – ‘The Wait’
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
Adam Brand – ‘All Or Nothing’
Amber Lawrence – ‘Living For The Highlights’
Andy Golledge – ‘Strength Of A Queen’
Casey Barnes – ‘Light It Up’ – WINNER
Georgia State Line – ‘In Colour’
BEST BLUES & ROOTS ALBUM
Charlie Collins – ‘Undone’
The Bamboos – ‘Hard Up’
The Teskey Brothers with Orchestra Victoria – ‘Live At Hamer Hall’
Thornbird – ‘Thornbird’
William Crighton – ‘Water And Dust’ – WINNER
BEST CHILDREN’S ALBUM
Benny Time – ‘Benny And Friends’
Teeny Tiny Stevies – ‘How To Be Creative’
The Beanies – ‘Let’s Go!’
The Wiggles – ‘Rewiggled’ – WINNER
Van-Anh Nguyen – ‘The Princess And The Piano’
BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM
Amy Dickson, Colin Currie, Lothar Koenigs, Yvonne Kenny, David Zinman, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Markus Stenz & Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – ‘Ross Edwards: Frog and Star Cycle / Symphonies 2 & 3’
Lachlan Skipworth – ‘Chamber Works Vol. 2’
Luke Howard – ‘All Of Us’
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Sir Andrew Davis – ‘The Enchanted Loom: Orchestral Works By Carl Vine’ – WINNER
Tamara-Anna Cislowska and Guests – ‘Duet’
BEST JAZZ ALBUM
Barney McAll – ‘Precious Energy’
Mike Nock, Hamish Stuart, Julien Wilson and Jonathan Zwartz – ‘Another Dance’
Mildlife – ‘Live From South Channel Island’ – WINNER
Sam Anning – ‘Oaatchapai’
Springtime – ‘Springtime’
BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK OR MUSICAL THEATRE CAST ALBUM
Australian Chamber Orchestra and Richard Tognetti – ‘River (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)’ – WINNER
Brett Aplin – ‘No Mercy, No Remorse (Original Score)
In Hearts Wake – ‘Green Is The New Black’
Maria Alfonsine with Itunu Pepper – ‘Akoni (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)’
Matteo Zingales – ‘A Fire Inside (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’)
BEST WORLD ALBUM
Australian Art Orchestra, Daniel Wilfred, Sunny Kim, Peter Knight & Aviva Endean – ‘Hand To Earth’
Joseph Tawadros with William Barton – ‘History Has A Heartbeat’ – WINNER
Mista Savona – ‘Havana Meets Kingston Part 2’
Parvyn – ‘Sa’
William Barton and Véronique Serret – ‘Heartland’
BEST VIDEO
Joe Neathway – ‘Apple Crumble’ (Lime Cordiale and Idris Elba)
Selina Miles – ‘Blak Matriarchy’ (Barkaa)
Peter Hume – ‘Down Under’ (Luude feat. Colin Hay)
William Bleakley – ‘Every Side Of You’ (Vance Joy) – WINNER
Uncle Friendly (Rhett Wade-Ferrell) – ‘GTFO’ (Genesis Owusu)
John Angus Stewart – ‘Hertz’ (Amyl and the Sniffers)
Katzki – ‘I Don’t Wanna Leave’ (RÜFÜS DU SOL)
Julia Jacklin – ‘Lydia Wears A Cross’ (Julia Jacklin)
Michael Hili – ‘Say Nothing’ (Flume feat. MAY-A)
Macario De Souza – ‘Wish You Well’ (Baker Boy feat. Bernard Fanning)
BEST AUSTRALIAN LIVE ACT
Amy Shark – See U Somewhere Australia Tour 2022
Amyl and the Sniffers – Comfort To Me Tour 2022
Baker Boy – Gela Tour
Budjerah – Conversations Australian Tour
Gang of Youths – Angel In Realtime. Tour
Genesis Owusu – Genesis Owusu and the Black Dog Band
Midnight Oil – Resist: The Final Tour 2022
The Kid LAROI – End Of The World Tour
The Wiggles – The OG Wiggles Reunion / Fruit Salad TV Big Show Tour – WINNER
Thelma Plum – Meanjin Tour
SONG OF THE YEAR
Clinton Kane – ‘I Guess I’m In Love’
Dean Lewis – ‘Hurtless’
Flume feat. MAY-A – ‘Say Nothing’
Joji – ‘Glimpse Of Us’
Joylon Petch feat. MAY-A – ‘Dreams’
Luude feat. Colin Hay – ‘Down Under’
RÜFÜS DU SOL – ‘On My Knees’
The Kid LAROI – ‘Thousand Miles’
Tones and I – ‘Cloudy Day’ – WINNER
Vance Joy – ‘Clarity’
MOST POPULAR INTERNATIONAL ARTIST
ABBA – ‘Voyage’
Adele – ’30’
Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’
Drake – ‘Certified Lover Boy’
Ed Sheeran – ‘=’
Harry Styles – ‘Harry’s House’ – WINNER
Jack Harlow – ‘Come Home The Kids Miss You’
Lil Nas X – ‘Montero’
Post Malone – ‘Twelve Carat Toothache’
Taylor Swift – ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’
MUSIC TEACHER AWARD
David Collins-White (Haberfield Public School)
Jane Nicholas (Willandra Primary School)
Kath Dunn (Wollondilly Public School)
Matt Orchard (Apollo Bay P-12 College) – WINNER
BEST COVER ART
Adnate – ‘Gela’ (Baker Boy) – WINNER
Giulia Giannini McGauran – ‘How To Grow A Sunflower Underwater’ (Alex the Astronaut)
Jonathan Zawada – ‘Palaces’ (Flume)
Kayla Flett, Gabi Coulthurst and Dimathaya Burarrwanga – ‘King Stingray’ (King Stingray)
Seshanka Samarajiwa, Zain Ayub and Tasman Keith – ‘A Colour Undone’ (Tasman Keith)
BEST MIXED ALBUM
Cassian – ‘Surrender’ (RÜFÜS DU SOL)
Dann Hume, Eric J Dubowsky – ‘Conversations’ (Budjerah)
Eric J Dubowsky – ‘Palaces’ (Flume)
Paul McKercher – ‘Weirder & Weirder’ (Ball Park Music)
Pip Norman, Andrei Eremin & Dave Hammer – ‘Gela’ (Baker Boy) – WINNER
BEST PRODUCED ALBUM
Amyl and the Sniffers, Dan Luscombe – ‘Comfort To Me’ (Amyl and the Sniffers)
Courtney Barnett, Stella Mozgawa – ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’ (Courtney Barnett)
Flume – ‘Palaces’ (Flume)
Pip Norman, Rob Amoruso, Morgan Jones, Carl Dimataga, Willie Tafa & Jerome Farah – ‘Gela’ (Baker Boy)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – ‘Surrender’ (RÜFÜS DU SOL) – WINNER