APRA Winners: Sia, Courtney Barnett, Tame Impala

Barnett won songwriter of the year for her acclaimed debut album, Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. The Melbourne-based singer-songwriter praised the songwriting and publishers association, explaining, “When I got my APRA membership I felt like a real songwriter. To fast-forward to now blows my mind a little bit.” The win follows a banner 2015 for Barnett where she received a Grammy nomination for best new artist and four ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) awards from eight nominations.

Last month she won the A$30,000 ($22,765) Australian Music Prize for most creative domestic album in the past 12 months. Perth band Tame Impala took song of the year for “Let It Happen,” trumping Barnett’s “Pedestrian At Best.” The band’s triumph followed its best international group win at the 2016 Brit awards, a Grammy nomination and five ARIA awards. Frontman and songwriter Kevin Parker admitted, “When you do something good and people commend you for it, you worry that it’s the last time that you’re going to do something great and it’s such a relief that it’s NOT the last time you do something great.” Sia picked up her seventh APRA triumph, with “Chandelier” scooping most played Australian work overseas, breaking the three-year win by Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” in the category.

Two more U.S.-based Australians also had their moments in the spotlight. Los Angeles-based Alex Hope, the 22-year-old who collaborated with Troye Sivan on his debut album, took breakthrough songwriter of the year. The inaugural Overseas Recognition Award went to Phil Barton who has penned 600 songs ranging from country to kids music since relocating to Nashville 10 years ago. EDM act Peking Duk’s “Take Me Over” was most played Australian work and best dance work. Other wins were by hip-hop trio Hilltop Hoods, singer Jarryd James, rock band Birds of Tokyo, country music multi-platinum seller Lee Kernaghan and folk-blues duo Busby Marou. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” was voted international work of the year by APRA members.

Veteran rock band Cold Chisel, a powerhouse live drawcard for more than four decades with nine Top 10 albums, was awarded outstanding services to Australian music. Cold Chisel didn’t perform at the awards but The Living End finished the night with a tribute rendition of the chart-topping “Khe Sanh” about an Australian soldier in Vietnam during the war. At the start of the awards, APRA chair, singer-songwriter Jenny Morris, reported that more Australians attend live music events than sports. More than 40 million attended contemporary music events, and injected A$2 billion ($1.5 billion) into the economy. “That’s a healthy industry, and live music venues are critical to the future health of that industry.” She emphasised that the association is committed to stemming lockout laws in Sydney, which has destroyed 40 percent of music venues in its entertainment precincts and throughout Queensland and come into effect July 1.