The 2021 APRA Awards went down last night at the Sydney International Convention Centre as the first major Australian music awards show in a live format since the beginning of the pandemic.
Tame Impala‘s Kevin Parker was awarded the night’s top honour as Songwriter of the Year, presented virtually by collaborator Mark Ronson.
“When you think of the music of Kevin Parker and Tame Impala it’s very easy to get caught up in the atmosphere and the sonics and the waviness of it all. And it has all those things and I love those things,” Ronson said from his studio in London.
“But really what I love the most at the root of it is the songs… You think of The Less I Know The Better – it’s one of the most iconic basslines of the past 20 years.”
Parker responded in his own acceptance speech with a wink. “Mark Ronson once called me the laziest genius you’ve ever met. Which he called me in frustration in the [Lady] Gaga sessions.”
The Kid LAROI beat out Mallrat, Miiesha, Lime Cordiale, Thelma Plum to win Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year, accepting the award virtually from his home in Los Angeles. The rapper – real name Charlton Howard – said the win was “crazy”, and promised to see his Australian fans again soon.
Midnight Oil‘s ‘Gadigal Land’ notched the Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year Award, with Rob Hirst, Joel Davison and Bunna Lawrie accepting it in person. In Hirst’s speech, he paid tribute to the late Bones Hillman who played bass on the track, and noted his life spent on Gadigal land.
Tones And I was the only artist to go home with two awards last night, winning Most Performed Australian Work and Most Performed Pop Work, both for ‘Never Seen The Rain’.
The late Helen Reddy and Joy McKean were both honoured last night, receiving the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music. Reddy’s award was accepted by her daughter Traci Donat, who said “in the final years of her life, [Reddy] was incredibly optimistic and moved to see so many young women passionately carrying the torch”.
The night was also filled out with musical performances. The Mushroom Group-signed The Teskey Brothers and Jimmy Barnes paid tribute to the late Michael Gudinski with an emotional cover of Matt Taylor’s ‘I Remember When I Was Young’.
Sycco, Stevan and Hauskey performed a chilled-out version of Tame Impala’s ‘Lost In Yesterday’, which Parker later said made him and his wife “emotional”.
The winners of the 2021 APRA Music Awards are:
Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year
Missy Higgins – ‘Carry You’ (Tim Minchin)
Amy Shark – ‘Everybody Rise’ (Amy Shark / Joel Little)
Midnight Oil feat. Dan Sultan, Joel Davison, Kaleena Briggs & Bunna Lawrie – ‘Gadigal Land’ (Joel Davison / Rob Hirst / Bunna Lawrie) – winner
Tame Impala – ‘Lost In Yesterday’ (Kevin Parker)
Guy Sebastian – ‘Standing With You’ (Guy Sebastian / Jamie Hartman / Greg Holden)
Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year
Charlton Howard (The Kid LAROI) – winner
Grace Shaw (Mallrat)
Miiesha Young (Miiesha)
Louis and Oli Leimbach (Lime Cordiale)
Thelma Plum
Most Performed Australian Work
Dua Lipa – ‘Break My Heart’ (Andrew Farriss / Michael Hutchence / Dua Lipa / Jordan Johnson / Stefan Johnson / Ali Tamposi / Andrew Watt)
The Rubens – ‘Live In Life’ (Scott Baldwin / Elliott Margin / Sam Margin / Zaac Margin / William Zeglis)
Tones And I – ‘Never Seen The Rain’ (Toni Watson) – winner
Flume feat. Vera Blue – ‘Rushing Back’ (Harley Streten / Celia Pavey / Eric Dubowsky / Sophie Cates)
Martin Garrix & Dean Lewis – ‘Used To Love’ (Dean Lewis / Martijn Garritsen / Kristoffer Fogelmark / Albin Nedler)
Most Performed Alternative Work
The Rubens – ‘Live In Life’ (Scott Baldwin / Elliott Margin / Sam Margin / Zaac Margin / William Zeglis) – winner
Tame Impala – ‘Lost in Yesterday’ (Kevin Parker)
Lime Cordiale – ‘Robbery’ (Louis Leimbach / Oli Leimbach / Shane Abrahams / Daniel Choder / Jonathan Pakfar)
DMA’S – ‘Silver’ (Matt Mason / Tommy O’Dell / Johnny Took / Thomas Crandles / Joel Flyger / Liam Hoskins)
Birds Of Tokyo – ‘Two Of Us’ (Ian Berney / Ian Kenny / Glenn Sarangapany / Adam Spark / Adam Weston)
Most Performed Blues & Roots Work
Ash Grunwald feat. The Teskey Brothers – ‘Ain’t My Problem’ (Ash Grunwald)
Dope Lemon – ‘Give Me Honey’ (Angus Stone)
Busby Marou – ‘Over Drinking Over You’ (Thomas Busby / Jeremy Marou / Ivy Adara / Jon Hume / Lindsey Jackson) – winner
Tash Sultana – ‘Pretty Lady’ (Tash Sultana / Matt Corby / Dann Hume)
Ziggy Alberts – ‘Together’ (Ziggy Alberts)
Most Performed Country Work
Casey Barnes – ‘A Little More’ (Casey Barnes / Michael Delorenzis / Michael Paynter)
Morgan Evans – ‘Diamonds’ (Morgan Evans / Evan Bogart / Chris de Stefano) – winner
Brad Cox – ‘Give Me Tonight’ (Brad Cox / Joseph Mungovan)
The McClymonts – ‘I Got This’ (Brooke McClymont / Mollie McClymont / Samantha McClymont / Andy Mak)
Melanie Dyer – ‘Memphis T-Shirt’ (Melanie Dyer / Emma-Lee / Karen Kosowski)
Most Performed Dance Work
PNAU feat. Ollie Gabriel – ‘All Of Us’ (Nick Littlemore / Sam Littlemore / Peter Mayes / Oli Gabriel)
Joel Corry & MNEK – ‘Head & Heart’ (Jonathan Courtidis / Neav Applebaum / Joel Corry / Daniel Dare / Robert Harvey / MNEK / Kasif Siddiqui / Lewis Thompson)
Flume feat. Vera Blue – ‘Rushing Back’ (Harley Streten / Celia Pavey / Eric Dubowsky / Sophie Cates) – winner
Dom Dolla – ‘San Frandisco’ (Dominic Matheson)
Martin Garrix and Dean Lewis – ‘Used To Love’ (Dean Lewis / Martijn Garritsen / Kristoffer Fogelmark / Albin Nedler)
Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work
Day1 – ‘Boss’ (Bailey Rawiri / Tuhi Montell)
No Money Enterprise – ‘German’ (Junior Leaupepe)
Hilltop Hoods – ‘I’m Good?’ (Barry Francis (DJ Debris) / Matthew Lambert (Suffa) / Daniel Smith (Pressure) / Paul Bartlett / John Bartlett)
ONEFOUR – ‘In The Beginning’ (Spencer Magalogo / Jerome Misa / Pio Misa / Salec Su’a)
Youngn Lipz – ‘Misunderstood’ (Filipo Faaoloii) – winner
Most Performed R&B / Soul Work
Becca Hatch – ‘2560’ (Becca Hatch / Maribelle Anes / Jamie Muscat / Willie Tafa / Solo Tohi)
Winston Surfshirt – ‘Nobodylikeyou’ (Jack Hambling / Lachlan McAllister / Brett Ramson)
The Teskey Brothers – ‘Rain’ (Josh Teskey / Sam Teskey / Liam Gough / Brendan Love) – winner
Milan Ring – ‘Say To Me’ (Milan Ring / Blessed Joe-Andah)
Miiesha – ‘Twisting Words’ (Miiesha Young / Stephen Collins / Mohamed Komba)
Most Performed Pop Work
Dua Lipa – ‘Break My Heart’ (Andrew Farriss / Michael Hutchence / Dua Lipa / Jordan Johnson / Stefan Johnson / Ali Tamposi / Andrew Watt)
Amy Shark – ‘Everybody Rise’ (Amy Shark / Joel Little)
Guy Sebastian – ‘Let Me Drink’ (Guy Sebastian / M-Phazes / Olubowale Akintimehin)
Tones & I – ‘Never Seen The Rain’ (Toni Watson) – winner
Jessica Mauboy – ‘Selfish’ (Jessica Mauboy / Antonio Egizii / Isabella Kearney-Nurse / David Musumeci)
Most Performed Rock Work
Wolfmother feat Chris Cester – ‘Chase The Feeling’ (Andrew Stockdale / Chris Cester / Jason Hill)
Cold Chisel – ‘Getting The Band Back Together’ (Don Walker) – winner
Spacey Jane – ‘Good For You’ (Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu / Caleb Harper / Kieran Lama / Peppa Lane)
Hockey Dad – ‘I Missed Out’ (Will Fleming / Zach Stephenson)
The Amity Affliction – ‘Soak Me In Bleach’ (Joel Birch / Ahren Stringer / Daniel Brown / Joseph Longobardi)
Most Performed International Work
Harry Styles – ‘Adore You’ (Harry Styles / Amy Allen / Thomas Hull / Tyler Johnson)
Lewis Capaldi – ‘Before You Go’ (Lewis Capaldi / Thomas Barnes / Peter Kelleher / Benjamin Kohn / Philip Plested)
The Weeknd – ‘Blinding Lights’ (Abel Tesfaye / Ahmad Balshe / Oscar Holter / Max Martin / Jason Quenneville)
Dua Lipa – ‘Don’t Start Now’ (Dua Lipa / Caroline Ailin / Ian Kirkpatrick / Emily Schwartz) – winner
Maroon 5 – ‘Memories’ (Adam Levine / Jonathan Bellion / Vincent Ford / Jacob Hindlin / Jordan Johnson / Stefan Johnson / Michael Pollack)