“It was so special to have everyone together again at the iconic Hordern Pavilion celebrating the best of Aussie music and the joy that it brings to audiences here and around the world.”
Baker Boy, aka Danzal James Baker OAM, has dominated the 2022 ARIA Awards, claiming five wins tonight for his critically acclaimed album Gela and also putting on a stunning performance.
The Indigenous rapper picked up the coveted Album Of The Year award alongside Best Hip Hop/Rap Release and Best Solo Artist, while Gela secured Best Cover Art via Adnate and Best Mixed Album, the latter of which was secured thanks to the efforts of album engineers Pip Norman, Andrei Eremin and Dave Hammer.
Other big winners at tonight's ceremony held at the Hordern Pavilion on Gadigal land included Amyl & The Sniffers, who won Best Group and Best Rock Album and also performed Guided By Angels during the event, and Tones & I, with Cloudy Day being crowned Song Of The Year.
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The Wiggles also picked up two titles, scoring Best Children's Album and Best Australian Live Act, while recent Grammy nominees RÜFÜS DU SOL claimed Best Produced Album for Surrender.
Hosted by Natalie Imbruglia, G Flip and Ruel and broadcast across Channel 9, 9Now and YouTube, the first live and in-person ARIA Awards since 2019 saw attendees and viewers at home treated to some stunning performances, including various tributes throughout the night.
As previously reported, the ARIA Hall of Fame was suspended this year in favour of tributes to Olivia Newton-John, Archie Roach and Judith Durham.
Budjerah, Thelma Plum and Jess Mauboy performed One Song in memory of beloved Gunditjmara and Bundjalung Elder and singer Archie Roach, while Casey Donovan and Dami Im performed I'll Never Find Another You and The Carnival Is Over in tribute to Durham.
The tributes were rounded out with performances of Hopelessly Devoted To You, Xanadu, and You're The One That I Want by Imbruglia, KYE, Peking Duk and Tones & I, the latter of whom was the musical director of the tribute.
"It was so special to have everyone together again at the iconic Hordern Pavilion, celebrating the best of Aussie music and the joy that it brings to audiences here and around the world," ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said.
"Huge congratulations to all the winners from across Australia, in particular Baker Boy, whose success with five ARIAs this year is absolutely inspiring. No one can deny that the talent, energy, and world-class creativity we have in Australian music deserves to be celebrated.
"Thank you so much to our hosts Nat, Ruel and G Flip, our sponsors, the amazing ARIAs team, and all the artists, nominees and their teams. We are so thankful to all those who were involved with making tonight so special and for everyone who is a part of this amazing industry. Heading into 2023, the future of Aussie music is looking very bright."
Album of the Year
Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records/Universal Music Australia)
Best Solo Artist
Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records/Universal Music Australia)
Best Group
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Virgin Music Australia)
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist
King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl/The Orchard)
Best Pop Release
The Kid LAROI – Thousand Miles (Columbia/Sony Music)
Best Dance/Electronic Release
Luude – Down Under (ft. Colin Hay) (Sweat It Out/Warner Music)
Best Hip Hop/Rap Release
Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records/Universal Music Australia)
Best Soul/R&B Release
Budjerah – Conversations (Warner Music Australia)
Best Independent Release
Archie Roach – One Song (Bloodlines/Mushroom Group)
Best Rock Album
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Virgin Music Australia)
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Julia Jacklin – PRE PLEASURE (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Country Album
Casey Barnes – Light It Up (Casey Barnes Entertainment/Chugg Music)
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
The Chats – Get Fucked (Bargain Bin Records/The Chats via Ingrooves)
Best Blues & Roots Album
William Crighton – Water and Dust (ABC Music)
Best Children's Album
The Wiggles – ReWiggled (ABC Music)
Best Video
Every Side Of You – Vance Joy, William Bleakley (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Australian Live Act
The Wiggles – The OG Wiggles Reunion/Fruit Salad TV Big Show Tour (ABC Music)
Song of the Year
Tones And I – Cloudy Day (Bad Batch Records/Sony Music)
Most Popular International Artist
Harry Styles – Harry's House (Columbia/Sony Music)
Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award
Matt Orchard – Apollo Bay P-12 College, Apollo Bay, Gadubanud Territory, VIC
Best Cover Art
Adnate for Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Mix Engineer - Best Mixed Album
Pip Norman, Andrei Eremin & Dave Hammer for Baker Boy – Gela(Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Producer - Best Produced Album
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Best Classical Album
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra & Sir Andrew Davis – The Enchanted Loom: Orchestral works By Carl Vine (ABC Classic)
Best Jazz Album
Mildlife – Live From South Channel Island ([PIAS] Australia/Inertia Music)
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album
Australian Chamber Orchestra & Richard Tognetti – River (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (ABC Classic)
Best World Music Album
Joseph Tawadros with William Barton – History Has A Heartbeat (Independent/The Planet Company)