Here Are Your 2021 SAM Award Finalists!

The 2021 South Australian Music Awards have unveiled the massive payoff of their months-long campaign to recognise the best in the local music scene.

With a record-breaking number of votes cast for this years shortlist, the final nominees across all categories have been revealed, with over 11,000 votes coming in.

Acts from all across the musical landscape got a look in including Teenage Joans, Bermuda Bay, The Empty Threats, Siberian Tiger and stacks more - including nods to industry heads, behind-the-scenes legends and venues and production houses across SA.

Chair of Music SA Anne Wiberg said of the event, "Another difficult year for SA’s live music industry has inspired an incredible amount of creativity and perseverance from musicians and industry workers – from outstanding new music releases to COVID-safe events such as Summer Sounds and One12 Festival.”

General Manager Kim Roberts added, “The continual challenges brought on due to the COVID-19 pandemic have had a devastating impact on local musicians, industry workers and live music venues over the past twelve months. It is so important that we can get together safely to celebrate the many wins that our incredible industry has had this year. Congratulations to all of the finalists! I can’t wait to celebrate with you!”

The award ceremony will kick off 18 November at the Old Adelaide Gaol. With imposed travel restrictions, original host Bridget Hustwaithe is now no longer able to make proceedings. However,  South Australian media personality and presenter Shanelle Franklin is set to fill the role.

“I’m gutted that I am unable to make it as your MC for the SA Music Awards but I’ll still be cheering on from Victoria," Hustwaithe stated. 

"I look forward to celebrating with everybody next year when hopefully, border restrictions are nothing but a distant memory!”

Check out the full list of nominees below.

2021 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MUSIC AWARDS FINALISTS

MAJOR/INDUSTRY VOTED AWARDS FINALISTS 

BEST STUDIO (Presented by Adelaide Music Collective)

Chapel Lane Studios
Electric Ant Records
Stone Shed Studio
Wizard Tone Studios
Wundenberg’s Recording Studio

BEST STUDIO ENGINEER/PRODUCER (Presented by SAE Institute Adelaide)

Cactus Cactus Sound (Ryan Martin John)
Jarred Nettle
Kiah Gossner
Lewis Wundenberg
Suture Mastering

BEST LIVE TECHNICIAN (Presented by Novatech)

Dagger’s Production (Nathan D’Agostino)
Lisa Lane Collins
Luke Hancock
Michael Wickens
Patrick Lockwood
Peter Wing

BEST MAJOR FESTIVAL/EVENT (Presented by MOSHTIX)

Adelaide Guitar Festival
Beer & BBQ Homebrewed
Summer Sounds Festival
The Local
WOMADelaide

BEST SMALL FESTIVAL/EVENT (Presented by Pirate Life)

Folkloria Festival
Garden Daze
One12 Festival
Space Jams South Coast Tour
Utopian State

BEST VENUE (Presented by AHA)

Grace Emily Hotel
Jive
Lion Arts Factory
The Wheatsheaf Hotel
Unibar ADL
Vintage Vulture

BEST COVER ART (Presented by Version Design)

Wolf & Cub - Nil (Luke Byrne)
The Mondays – No Sugar Sprite (Arkadia Visuals)
Kaurna Cronin – Aloft In Blue (Julia Thornberg – Thorsoee)
Heaps Good Friends – Up Close & Personal (Ashley Giles)
Holas May – Block Letter (Angus Smith/Angvs)
Teenage Joans – Taste Of Me (Samuel Graves & Eve Burner)

BEST MANAGER (Presented by Association of Artist Managers)

Planet Shhh
Rachel Whitford
Sebastian James
Sian Walden (Little Acorn Music)
Diana Sautelle

BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Presented by Alpha Box & Dice)

Slowmango – Thairaide (Kaspar Schmidt Mumm & Emmaline Zanelli)
Teenage Joans – Something About Being Sixteen (Jack Bielby & Thomas Schaefer)
TOWNS – Swimming (Thomas Schaefer & Jack Bielby)
Neofix – Freedom (Neofix)
Glowing – Poppy (Harry Nathan) 

BEST SONG (Presented by APRA AMCOS)

George Alice – Teenager
Motez – Reset
Stellie – 22 Pieces
Teenage Joans – Something About Being Sixteen
Wolf & Cub – Blue State

BEST NEW ARTIST (Presented by WOMADelaide)

Teenage Joans
Mum Friends
Rocky’s Pride & Joy
Tilly Tjala Thomas
Jess Johns
MARLON X RULLA

BEST GROUP (Presented by Derringers Music)

Bermuda Bay
Teenage Joans
The Empty Threats
TOWNS
The Mondays

BEST ABORIGINAL/TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER ARTIST (Presented by Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music – CASM)

Dem Mob
MARLON X RULLA
Rob Edwards
Tilly Tjala Thomas

BEST SOLO ARTIST (Presented by Media Arts Lawyers)

George Alice
MANE
Motez
Stellie
Tom West 

BEST RELEASE (Presented by theMusic.com.au)

MANE – Coping Mechanisms
Motez – Reset
Pinkish Blu – People Just Do Good Things Sometimes
Stellie – Stellie
Teenage Joans – Taste Of Me
Tom West – I’m Livin’

BEST MUSIC EDUCATOR (Presented by SAMII)

Abbey Howlett
Alison Hams
Ben Smith
Jess Day
Julian Ferraretto
Paige Court

BEST INNOVATION (Presented by CityMag)

Against The Grain – ATG Sessions
Play/Pause/Play – The Sounds Of South Australia podcast
Summer Sounds Festival
WOMADelaide x NSS Academy
Carclew Music At Work – BLKMPIRE

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS FINALISTS

BLUES & ROOTS (Presented by UniBar)

Cal Williams Jr
Mojo Dingo
Sean Kemp
Sturt Avenue
Trav Collins

COUNTRY (Presented by Grace Emily Hotel)

Jimmybay
Mark Curtis & The Flannelettes
Matt Ward
Michaela Jenke
Ricky Albeck & The Belair Line Band

ELECTRONIC (Presented by Fat Controller)

Jack Truant
Kelly Matejcic, Krunk & Restricted
Motez
Stace Cadet
V O E

EXPERIMENTAL (Presented by The Lab)

Georgia Oatley
Slowmango
SODA
Sons Of Zoku
The Empty Threats

FOLK (Presented by The Wheatsheaf Hotel)

Alison Newman
BS Roberts
Jess Johns
Siberian Tiger
Trent Worley

HEAVY (Presented by ARMI)

alt.
Dirty Pagans
Kitchen Witch
No No No No No
SIGNV/S

HIP HOP (Presented by The Gov)

Boffa
Dem Mob
EAST AV3
GOLDN
Stefan Rossi

JAZZ (Presented by the Gilbert St Hotel)

Chelsea Lee
Christina Guala Saxophone Quartet
ER@SER DESCRIPTION
Max Grynchuk

POP (Presented by Lion Arts Factory)

G-Nation
George Alice
Kyan Burns
Lilac Cove
Rachael Leahcar

PUNK (Presented by Three D Radio)

AGAPANTHER
Bitchspawn
LOLA
Teenage Joans
Wing Defence

ROCK (Presented by Jive)

Druid Fluids
LILY ROSE
Oscar The Wild
TOWNS
Wolf & Cub

SOUL/FUNK/R&B (Presented by Woodville Town Hall)

Dino Jag
Dojo Rise
LilyMay
Mum Thinks Blue
Wanderers