ARIA Awards ceremony 2023: Winners, speeches, highlights

Troye Sivan and Genesis Owusu won big, we got a surprise Taylor Swift cameo - and co-host Brooke Boney debuted a daring new look.

TV presenter Brooke Boney and comedian Tommy Little co-hosted this year’s ARIA Awards - and Boney revealed before the show that the plunging gown she wore was actually a tribute to an Aussie icon.

Speaking on the red carpet, she said she’d wanted to pay homage to Kylie Minogue’s look at the very same awards, back in 2002.

Brooke Boney and Tommy Little open the awards.

Boney explained before the awards that she wanted to channel Kylie.

Kylie hits the ARIAs red carpet in 2002.

Singer G Flip opened the show with a stirring performance and earlier, celebs walked the red carpet outside Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.

Aussie international pop sensation Troye Sivan was on hand to announce the night’s first award: G Flip won for Good Enough, the song they’d just performed.

Later on, Sivan picked up one of the night’s biggest awards, winning the fan-voted Song of the Year for his inescapable hit Rush. He was left speechless when, shortly after,he also won Best Solo Artist.

“I swear I’m not bragging... but Kylie and I are nominated in the same category at the Grammys and it makes me so, so proud,” he told the audience, referencing the two Aussie pop exports’ recent Grammy nominations for Best Pop Dance Recording.

Troye Sivan and producer Styalz Fuego cleaned up for Troye’s hit rush. Picture: Hanna Lassen/Getty Images

Taylor Swift was another early winner, for the fan-voted International Artist award - and she recorded a video message especially, telling her Aussie fans she was excited to see them at her sell-out February tour.

Taylor Swift accepts the International Artist award.

Another video message came from Kylie Minogue, who won the Best Pop Release award for her global viral hit Padam Padam but couldn’t make it to the awards, busy in the US with her first Las Vegas residency.

Kylie Minogue won Best Pop Release.

And the final award of the night, for Best Album, went to Genesis Owusu for Struggler. He wasn’t present, but said via video link that he was amazed an album he’d made “about a cockroach” had taken out the night’s biggest award.

He ended his Album of the Year acceptance speech with a message about the worsening situation in the Middle East, telling viewers: “Ceasefire now, free Palestine.”

Genesis Owusu, seen here at last year’s awards, accepted a slew of gongs this year remotely. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Winner for Best Cover Art, artist Jeremy Koren aka Grey Ghost, made a surprise admission when he took to the stage to accept his award: He claimed he hadn’t actually scored an invite to the ceremony, so used his “best design skills” to mock up a fake ticket to gain entry.

Another video ring-in was country music icon Dolly Parton, who presented the Best Country Album award via pre-recorded video - in a scene carefully arranged with copies of her new book in shot:

Handed out an award AND got a book plug in, she’s a pro.

Here are all the night’s big winners:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Genesis Owusu, Struggler

DMA’S, How Many Dreams?

G Flip, Drummer

Matt Corby, Everything’s Fine

The Teskey Brothers, The Winding Way

BEST SOLO ARTIST

WINNER: Troye Sivan

Budjerah

Dan Sultan

Dom Dolla

G Flip

Genesis Owusu

Jen Cloher

Kylie Minogue

Meg Mac

The Kid LAROI

Troye Sivan

BEST GROUP

WINNER: DMA’S

Cub Sport

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Parkway Drive

The Teskey Brothers

MICHAEL GUDINSKI BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST AWARD

WINNER: Teenage Dads

Charley

grentperez

Pacific Avenue

Royel Otis

BEST POP RELEASE

WINNER: Kylie Minogue, Padam Padam

Amy Shark, Can I Shower At Yours?

Budjerah, Therapy

Peach PRC, Perfect For You

Troye Sivan, Rush

BEST DANCE RELEASE

WINNER: MK & Dom Dolla, Rhyme Dust

FISHER & Aatig, Take It Off

Golden Features, Sisyphus

Lastlings, Perfect

PNAU & Troye Sivan, You Know What I Need

Aussie DJ Dom Dolla wins for Best Dance Release. Picture: Getty

BEST HIP HOP / RAP RELEASE

WINNER: Genesis Owusu, Struggler

Kahukx, Nothing To Something

Kerser, A Gift & A Kers

OneFour Feat. CG, Comma’s

Tkay Maidza & Flume, Silent Assassin

BEST SOUL / R&B RELEASE

WINNER: Forest Claudette, Mess Around (feat. EarthGang)

Chanel Loren, Rollin’

Jada Weazel, Skin

Kye, Ribena

Pania, P Stands 4 Playa

BEST INDEPENDENT RELEASE

WINNER: Genesis Owusu, Struggler

Cub Sport, Jesus At The Gay Bar

Dan Sultan, Dan Sultan

G Flip, Drummer

Kylie Minogue, Padam Padam

BEST ROCK ALBUM

WINNER: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Bad//Dreems, Hoo Ha!

DMA’S, How Many Dreams?

G Flip, Drummer

Pacific Avenue, Flower

Jess Mauboy performed during the ceremony. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty

BEST ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM

WINNER: Dan Sultan, Dan Sultan

Alex Lahey, The Answer Is Always Yes

Kate Ceberano, My Life Is A Symphony

Mo’Ju, Oro, Plata, Mata

Tina Arena, Love Saves

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

WINNER: Fanny Lumsden, Hey Dawn

Brad Cox, Acres

Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley, Up, Down & Sideways

Henry Wagons, South Of Everywhere

The Wolfe Brothers, Livin’ The Dream

BEST HARD ROCK / HEAVY METAL ALBUM

WINNER: Parkway Drive, Darker Still

DZ Deathrays, R.I.F.F

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet

The Amity Affliction, Not Without My Ghosts

These New South Whales, TNSW

BEST BLUES & ROOTS ALBUM

WINNER: The Teskey Brothers, The Winding Way

Cash Savage and the Last Drinks, So This Is Love

Katie Wighton, The End

The Bamboos, Live at Hamer Hall With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Ziggy Alberts, Dancing In The Dark

BEST CHILDREN’S ALBUM

WINNER: Emma Memma, Emma Memma

Peter Combe, Planet Earth

Play School, Very Jazzy Street Party

The Wiggles, Ready, Steady, Wiggle!

Whistle & Trick, Bananas and Other Delicious Things

Emma accepts the Best Children’s Album release. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty

BEST PRODUCED RELEASE

WINNER: Rush, Troye Sivan - Styalz Fuego

4th Wall - Ruel, M-Phazes

Eat Your Man - Dom Dolla, Dom Dolla

Everything’s Fine - Matt Corby, Matt Corby, Chris Collins, Nat Dunn, Alex Henriksson

STRUGGLER - Genesis Owusu, Andrew Klippel & Dave Hammer

BEST ENGINEERED RELEASE

WINNER: Rush, Troye Sivan - Styalz Fuego

Eat Your Man, Dom Dolla - Dom Dolla

Everything’s Fine, Matt Corby - Dann Hume, Chris Collins, Matt Corby

STRUGGLER, Genesis Owusu - Simon Cohen, Dave Hammer, Julian Sudek

The Winding Way, The Teskey Brothers - Eric J Dubowsky, Sam Teskey, Wayne Connolly

Troye Sivan and Styalz Fuego picked up a couple of awards for their banger Rush. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty

BEST COVER ART

WINNER: Everything Was Green, Forest Claudette - Jeremy Koren (Grey Ghost) & Michelle Grace Hunder

370HSSV 0773H, Private Function - Harry Allan Studio Balcony

Acres, Brad Cox - Connor Dewhurst

Jesus At The Gay Bar, Cub Sport - Sam Netterfield, Mia Rankin

Manic Dream Pixie, Peach PRC - Peach PRC, Billy Zammit

PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS

BEST VIDEO

WINNER: Good Enough, G Flip

Can I Shower At Yours? Amy Shark

Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend, DMA’S

Gila Monster, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Give You Love, Jessica Mauboy (feat. Jason Derulo)

Lola, MAY-A

Lookin’ Out, King Stingray

Manic Dream Pixie, Peach PRC

Stay Blessed, Genesis Owusu

Therapy, Budjerah

BEST AUSTRALIAN LIVE ACT

WINNER: G Flip

Baker Boy

Brad Cox

Budjerah

DMA’S

Dom Dolla

Julia Jacklin

King Stingray

RÜFÜS DU SOL

Tame Impala

SONG OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Troye Sivan, Rush

Budjerah, Therapy

Day1 Feat. Kahukx, MBAPPÉ

Dean Lewis, How Do I Say Goodbye

Joji, Die For You

Kylie Minogue, Padam Padam

Luude & Mattafix, Big City Life

MK & Dom Dolla, Rhyme Dust

R3hab & Amy Shark, Sway My Way

The Kid LAROI, Love Again

MOST POPULAR INTERNATIONAL ARTIST

WINNER: Taylor Swift

Beyonce

Drake & 21 Savage

Ed Sheeran

Luke Combs

Metro Boomin

Morgan Wallen

Nicki Minaj

P!nk

SZA

Originally published as ARIA Awards ceremony 2023: Winners, speeches, highlights