The Kid Laroi takes top gong at APRA Awards

At 18, The Kid Laroi has become the youngest songwriter to claim the prestigious Song of the Year prize at the APRA Music Awards.

At just 18, pop phenomenon The Kid Laroi has become the youngest songwriter to claim the prestigious Song of the Year prize at the APRA Music Awards.

Laroi, whose streaming smash Stay with mate Justin Bieber made him a global superstar, was also named Songwriter of the Year at the APRAs’ 40th anniversary celebrations in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Ahead of his return to Australia for his first arena headlining tour later this month, Laroi completed a hat-trick of trophies with his 2020 hit Without You winning the Most Performed Hip Hop Work.

The Kid Laroi has taken out the prestigious Song of the Year prize at the APRA Music Awards. Picture: Michael Tran/Getty Images

A bleary-eyed Laroi appeared live via video link from his Los Angeles base in the early hours of the morning to accept the prestigious top award and after thanking APRA, his Australian collaborators and family, paid tribute to global superstar and Stay co-writer Justin Bieber for convincing him to release the song.

“Of course I have to thank Justin, for co-writing this record and helping to make it what it is,” Laroi said. “I had this record sitting around for almost a year and I didn’t really know what I was going to do with it and when I finally sent it to him he said ‘yeah, you have to put this out’. He basically made it simple for me because I probably wasn’t going to do anything with it.

“I’m coming back home this month and I’m really excited to be kicking off this tour. It’s been a while and I miss all you guys.”

The Aussie star will return to Australia for his first arena headlining tour later this month. Picture: Michael Tran/Getty Images

Tones and I, another Aussie music export hero, collected two prizes at the songwriters’ awards including Most Performed Australian Work Overseas for the unstoppable smash Dance Monkey, which she then promised not to sing on the night.

That song continues to add thousands of streams daily to its five billion song and video plays, which accounts for why it won the Most Performed gong three years after its initial release in May 2019. She also won the Most Performed Pop Work for Fly Away, and later in the night took to the stage for a full choral version of punk act Amyl and the Sniffers’ Guided By Angels.

In accepting the award for Fly Away, an overwhelmed Tones and I paid tribute to her years of struggle before making it big in Australia and overseas.

“I wanted to write a song that I would have listened to when I was younger and that inspired me to keep following my dream and that other kids would connect to,” she said. “In doing that I took myself to a very vulnerable place … and I have to say I am more proud of that song than any of my other songs.

Perhaps the most baffling win of the night was the Most Performed Australian Work going to Head & Heart by British DJ Joel Corry, featuring MNEK.

The song, which also claimed Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work, was eligible because it was co-written by rising Australian composer John Courtidis.

And who would ever have predicted that Amy Shark and Ed Sheeran would win a country songwriting prize?

Amy Shark on the APRA Awards red carpet. Picture: Josie Hayden

Their composition Love Songs Ain’t For Us, which Shark recorded with the wildly popular Voice coach Keith Urban, was the Most Performed Country Work. In accepting the award, Shark was incredulous she had won in the category and paid tribute to the late, great promotor Michael Gudinski who had arranged the connection with his good friend Sheeran.

“Never in my life did I think I would win anything under the country music category,” she said. “But I love that for me, so we’re going to take it. I guess I am going to move to Nashville, like tonight. ”

The biggest cheer and a well-deserved standing ovation came when the original Wiggles – Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt and Greg Page were awarded the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian music.

A visibly moved Field, the only original member still playing with the beloved children’s act 31 years after forming in 1991, paid tribute to his alma mater, Sydney’s Macquarie University, where he met bandmates Cook and Page when they were all studying to become preschool teachers.

The original Wiggles (from left) Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field, Greg Page and Murray Cook. Picture: Josie Hayden

Field thanked their teachers for explaining the importance of music in children’s education and paid tribute to the ABC records executive who took a chance on them – and warned they would be lucky to sell 300 copies.

After quickly donning his famous blue skivvy, Field then joined the latest iteration of the Wiggles on stage for a wildly received mash-up of the band’s early hits.

It wouldn’t be an Australian awards ceremony without the spectacular talent of rising star Genesis Owusu being recognised; he was named the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year.

Other winners at the Melbourne Town Hall ceremony included the mighty Angus Young and his late brother Malcolm for their song Shot In The Dark, Vance Joy for Missing Piece and Budjerah for Higher.

Aussie rock legend Tim Rogers closed out the night with veteran punk band The Hard Ons for a tribute to the late front man of The Saints, Chris Bailey, with a stomping version of the Brisbane punk trailblazers’ song Know Your Product.

While the Song of the Year prize is voted by more than 2700 APRA songwriters, the Most Performed categories are determined by broadcast data collected by APRA.

The 2022 APRA Music Awards winners

Song of the Year – Stay, The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber

Songwriter of the Year – The Kid Laroi

Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year – Genesis Owusu

Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music – The Wiggles

Most Performed Australian Work – Head & Heart, Joel Corry feat. MNEK

Most Performed Alternative Work – Missing Piece, Vance Joy

Most Performed Blues & Roots Work – Letting Go, Ziggy Alberts

Most Performed Country Work – Love Songs Ain’t For Us, Amy Shark feat. Keith Urban

Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work – Head & Heart, Joel Corry feat. MNEK

Most Performed Hip Hop/Rap Work – Without You, The Kid Laroi

Most Performed Pop Work – Fly Away, Tones and I

Most Performed R & B/Soul work – Higher, Budjerah

Most Performed Rock Work – Shot In The Dark, AC/DC

Most Performed Australian Work Overseas – Dance Monkey, Tones and I

Most Performed International Work – Lasting Lover, Sigala and James Arthur.