Amy Shark, Dean Lewis and more win big.
Melbourne-born, LA-based songwriter Sarah Aarons has cleaned up at the 2019 APRA Music Awards, taking out the coveted Songwriter of the Year gong alongside three others for her contributions to local works over the past 12 months.
Named Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year in 2018, Aarons, who has written songs for or with Khalid, Dua Lipa, Demi Lovato and more recently, also took home Most Played Australian Work and Dance Work of the Year for her efforts on Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey’s Grammy-nominated single The Middle and Rock Work of the Year for The Rubens’ Never Ever, on which she is a featured artist.
Meanwhile, Amy Shark claimed the Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year award and Pop Work of the Year for I Said Hi, while Dean Lewis picked up Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year and the Outstanding International Achievement Award, the latter of which was also bestowed to 5 Seconds Of Summer.
Presented by Brian Nankervis tonight at Melbourne Town Hall, the ceremony returned to Melbourne for the first time since 2013, with musical director Kate Miller-Heidke putting together a stunning live music program that featured The Rubens and Aarons performing Never Ever, Middle Kids and multi-instrumentalist JP Shilo reinterpreting Paul Kelly’s With The One I Love, electro-pop duo Electric Fields performing I Said Hi and more.
The evening also featured the likes of Tina Arena, Briggs, Tim Rogers, Dallas Frasca, Megan Washington, G Flip and more as special presenters.
Here’s the full list of 2019 winners:
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Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year
I Said Hi - Amy Shark
Songwriter of the Year
Sarah Aarons
Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year
Dean Lewis
Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music
Rob Potts
Overseas Recognition Award
Lindsay Rimes
Outstanding International Achievement Award
Youngblood - 5 Seconds of Summer
Outstanding International Achievement Award
Be Alright - Dean Lewis
Most Played Australian Work
The Middle - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey
Dance Work of the Year
The Middle - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey
Rock Work of the Year
Never Ever - The Rubens feat. Sarah
Pop Work of the Year
I Said Hi - Amy Shark
Urban Work of the Year
Clark Griswold - Hilltop Hoods feat. Adrian Eagle
Country Work of the Year
Day Drunk - Morgan Evans
Blues & Roots Work of the Year
Chateau - Angus & Julia Stone
Most Played Australian Work Overseas
Cheap Thrills - Sia
Licensee of the Year
Clancy’s Fish Pub, WA
International Work of the Year
Perfect - Ed Sheeran