ARIA Awards 2022: Baker Boy wins five ARIAs, as Olivia Newton-John honoured
Baker Boy added to his ARIA haul, as the night’s final tribute was a medley performance in honour of Olivia Newton-John. Watch the video.
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Yolngu star Baker Boy fronted a First Nations takeover of the 2022 ARIA Awards, winning five of the big music prizes on Thursday.
Danzal Baker, known as the acclaimed singer, rapper, dancer and didgeridoo player Baker Boy, picked up major awards including Album of the Year, Best Solo Artist and Best Hip Hop Rap for his debut album Gela.
Baker Boy accepted his early awards in Yolngu language before dedicating his fifth and final award to his Arnhem Land family and the original Baker Boys which featured his father.
“I want to dedicate this award to my family at home…in Arnhem Land and the original Baker Boys for making me who I am,” Baker said.
“I want to say thank you to all you mob, you beautiful people.”
The wildly entertaining artist is at the vanguard of a new generation of Indigenous artists influencing the pop sound of now, with his big wins and those of his First Nations peers heralding a pivotal cultural moment in Australian music.
Kamilaroi global chart-topper The Kid Laroi took out Best Pop Release for the second year, this time for his solo streaming hit Thousand Miles.
Soulful Coodjinburra pop artist Budjerah made it two winning nights in a row. He was named the 2022 Breakthrough Musician at the GQ Men of the Year awards on Wednesday and won the ARIA for Best Soul/R&B Release on Thursday.
Other Indigenous artists to be recognised at the awards held at the iconic Hordern Pavilion in Sydney included Yolngu surf rockers King Stingray (Breakthrough Artist) who said they would make good use of the dangerously pointed trophy.
“This is really good at getting oysters off the rocks,” band cofounder Roy Kellaway said about the weapon-like trophy.
The adored Archie Roach was posthumously recognised with the award for Best Independent Release.
Thelma Plum, Budjerah and Jessica Mauboy delivered a moving tribute to Roach, performing the anthemic One Song, the final single he released before he died in July.
“Love you Uncle Archie,” Mauboy said before the three artists enveloped each other in an emotional hug.
The first in-person ARIAs since 2019 struck an emotional chord as organisers dedicated a big chunk of the night to pay tribute to the Australian superstars we lost this year.
Host Natalie Imbruglia teamed with Song of the Year winner Tones and I, electronic party starters Peking Duk and new r&b artist KYE to perform a medley of Olivia Newton-John fan favourites including Hopelessly Devoted To You, Xanadu and You’re The One That I Want.
Dami Im and Casey Donovan saluted the music of late The Seekers singer Judith Durham.
The Wiggles have been coolest “kids” in Australian music all year and capped their resurgence with two ARIAs, including Best Australian Live Act for their joyous sold-out tour The OG Wiggles Reunion/Fruit Salad TV Big Show.
Unapologetic and wildly entertaining punk groups also proved popular among the ARIA voters this year, with Melbourne’s Amyl and the Sniffers winning Best Group and Rock Album for Comfort Me and The Chats taking home the Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album.
Electronic music trio Rufus Du Sol may have led the leaderboard this year with seven nominations but in a shock result, the recent 2022 Grammys nominees took home just one award, the Producer of the Year for their Surrender album.
There was much discontent about electronic heroes Rufus Du Sol and Flume having to pre-record their performances instead of playing live considering they are two of the biggest Aussie acts on the world stage this year.
STAR’S ARIA GAFFE
Vance Joy confused which film clip he won the ARIA award for Video of The Year, thanking the wrong director and team before someone in the audience shouted out the right video being Every Side Of You.
“Oops wait, that was another video,” he said.
Times and I and Peking Duk joked about the number of people using the facilities.
“You must be hydrated because the bathrooms are packed,” Peking Duk’s Adam Hyde said.
Strangely major performances from Flume and RUFUS DU SOL were pre recorded, made to look live as part of the broadcast.
Richard Wilkins was even filmed fist pumping as Flume’s pre record played out despite the fact the segment was filmed much earlier.
Amyl and the Sniffers however smashed it with their performance, which was actually live.
‘THIS IS CRAZY’: BAKER BOY ON ARIA WINS
Baker Boy showed why he has become sought after for the big his from AFL grand finals to Commonwealth Games closing ceremonies with his energetic choreography for his performance of Meditjin (Medicine), closing with a blast of didgeridoo.
He had to catch his breath quickly to return to the stage to collect the Best Hip Hop Release, his fourth ARIA for the night.
“This is crazy; I’ve got to catch my breath after that!” he said before thanking the crew of collaborators and dedicating the gong to Indigenous youth.
“You can make it, you can have success…and I know you mob can do as well.”
He was quickly followed by another First Nations artist win for the Kid Laroi for Best Pop Release, who didn’t offer a video acceptance speech which has become the default for overseas-based artists.
The most nominated artist of the year Rufus Du Sol took out Producer of the Year, an award which usually doesn’t get televised.
ONJ DAUGHTER THANKED MUSIC INDUSTRY
Josh Teskey and Montaigne presented the award for Best Group, that went to Amyl and the Sniffers.
The group took home Best Rock Album earlier in the night.
The band’s Amy Taylor said: “to everyone watching back home, I know there’s a couple of drinking games going on so enjoy the champers.”
Chloe Lattanzi recorded a video message from the US thanking the industry and fans for remembering her late mum, Olivia Newton John.
“Thank you so much for doing this beautiful tribute for my mum,” she said.
“I just want to thank you so much for remembering her so beautifully.”
Tones and I took out the hotly contested first televised and publicly voted song of the year award with her uplifting pop anthem Cloudy Day, her fifth ARIA.
“It’s really cool to see the future of Australian music representing tonight,” she said wearing her signature tracksuit.
THE WIGGLES ADD ANOTHER ARIA TO THEIR HAUL
The Wiggles are going to need a bigger trophy cabinet, adding yet another Best Children’s Album gong to their haul with their historic No.1 record ReWiggled.
They were among the early winners in the “premiere” pre-TV awards ceremony with those lucky artists having to make their acceptance speeches as the industry crew slowly took their seats. It’s hard to herd pop stars and their minders.
Casey Barnes continued his shake up of the country music establishment winning his first Best Country Album.
“Holy s***!” Barnes said when asking if he was allowed to swear on the ARIAs stage. Allowed? It’s obligatory.
Surprisingly, Amyl and the Sniffers demonstrated admirable restraint as the winners of Best Rock Album, the second time they’ve taken the title.
“I was having a shot of vodka backstage and then I heard my name called out,” frontwoman Amy Taylor said.
World conquering DJ Luude was the wildly enthusiastic and shouty winner of Best Dance/Electronic Album with his remix of the Men At Work classic Down Under, paying tribute to his “vocalist” Colin Hay.
Multi nominee Baker Boy opened his ARIA account with Best Cover Art and Best Mixed Album for his debut record Gela.
He revealed he has a wall-sized replica of the cover hanging in his home.
NATALIE IMBRUGLIA’S TRIBUTE TO ONJ
2022 ARIA Awards host Natalie Imbruglia’s performance to honour Olivia Newton-John was an all-too-rare gig on a big Australian stage for the Torn pop star as she calls on local promoters to back her for a homecoming tour next year.
Imbruglia returned home to host the annual music industry awards and perform with Andrea Bocelli at three of his recent concerts after six shows in the UK celebrating the 25th anniversary of her hit debut album Left of the Middle.
Imbruglia said she lost money on that mini-tour as she was unable to book more venues due to the global post-pandemic tour logjam and had not received an offer to bring those concerts to Australia.
The last time the multi-platinum artist toured Australia was in 2016.
“I really want to do it and it’s important the fans know that, but it’s expensive so, to the promoters out there, I want to tour Australia,” she said.
“We’re looking at some opportunities next year where I can come as a support and do my own shows around that; if there’s a way that I can do it and even (just) break even, I’m here.”
Imbruglia has remained a pop culture presence even after taking several years off to have her son Max and recalibrate her music career.
This year, she made a cameo in the Neighbours finale with Holly Valance, won the UK’s Masked Singer as the beloved Panda, and has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in her music as the ’90s nostalgia wave sweeps social media and festival stages.
“I keep making this joke it’s like an old pair of shoes. If you hang on to them long enough, (the industry) starts calling again. It’s like I’m ’90s cool again and I’ll take that,” she said.
Imbruglia paid tribute to Newton-John shortly after her passing in August, when her good mate Chris Martin invited her to sing Summer Nights at Coldplay’s Wembley Stadium concert.
“He sent me a message saying we should do one of her songs at Wembley and thanked me for introducing him to her years ago,” Imbruglia explained.
“He was in Australia and asked me did I know any way that he could speak with her because his dad really loves her, so I reached out to her.
“What I admired about Olivia was her grace, in an industry that even years later when I was coming up through the ranks was misogynistic in so many ways; to handle herself with such grace and remain untainted and hit those heights is not an easy thing to do.”
All-star tributes to Newton-John, directed by Tones and I, the late Seekers singer Judith Durham and First Nations legend Archie Roach, were memorable moments at the awards on Thursday but have upset some members of the industry as it has led to no ARIA Hall of Fame inductee this year.
ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said the prestigious award will return next year.
“Having lost three iconic Australian artists and ARIA Hall of Fame inductees in the last 12 months, we have chosen to pay due respect and properly celebrate them through three very special tribute performances, rather than including a Hall of Fame induction. The ARIA Hall of Fame will return in 2023,” Herd said in a statement.
The 2022 ARIA Awards on Thursday from 7.30pm on Nine
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