Hit maker to the stars Sarah Aarons, Amy Shark, Dean Lewis and 5SOS win songwriter awards
Amy Shark’s deeply personal song about triumph over rejection has struck a resounding chord with Australia’s songwriters to take out the APRA Song of the Year.
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Amy Shark’s deeply personal song about triumph over rejection I Said Hi has struck a resounding chord with Australia’s songwriters to win the APRA Song of the Year.
It was the third year in a row Shark had been nominated for the prestigious award, with previous hits Adore and Weekends missing out before she proved third time lucky with I Said Hi.
The award caps a watershed year for the Australian singer and songwriter who spent more than a decade trying to break into the industry.
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The 2019 APRA Music Awards, which acknowledge composers, have been dominated by the Los-Angeles based hit maker Sarah Aarons who has become one of the most sought after songwriters in the world.
Aarons was named the Songwriter of the Year and also won two awards for her co-write on the Zedd, Maron Morris and Grey smash hit The Middle and shared Rock Work of the Year for the Rubens song Never Ever which also features her vocals.
The 24-year-old writer, who was told she would never have a “normal” job because of a crippling auto-immune disease, has worked with some of the biggest pop stars in the world including Khalid, Dua Lipa, Demi Lovato, Camila Cabello and Australian chart stars Peking Duk.
Another breakout Australian musical export Dean Lewis was recognised for his conquering of the global airwaves and streaming services with his single Be Alright, named the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year.
He also shared an Outstanding International Achievement Award with 5 Seconds of Summer who were at the top of the charts worldwide with their inescapable banger Youngblood last year.
Other Australian artists who won APRA Awards at the Melbourne Town Hall ceremony on Tuesday were hip hop champions Hilltop Hoods, Nashville favourite Morgan Evans and sibling songsmiths Angus and Julia Stone.
Sia’s Cheap Thrills picked up the Most Played Australian Work Overseas for the second year running while Ed Sheeran also made it two years running for International Work of the Year, this time with Perfect.
APRA chief executive Dean Ormston said it had been an exceptional year for Australian songwriters on the world stage, with our songs now earning over $420 million in the last financial year.
He said there is a huge buzz for Australian writers such as Aarons, Alex Hope and Jon Hume, who co-wrote Lewis’s hit Be Alright.
“What we are starting to see is the rise of the song as an export product,” he said.
“While the band and artist has always been recognised for their export potential now we are starting to see cut-through of the song on an international level and the songwriter themselves as an exciting export.”
APRA Song of the Year — I Said Hi, Amy Shark
Songwriter of the Year — Sarah Aarons
Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year — Dean Lewis
Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music — Rob Potts
Overseas Recognition Award, Lindsay Rimes
Outstanding International Achievement Award — Youngblood, 5 Seconds of Summer
Outstanding International Achievement Award — Be Alright, Dean Lewis
Most Played Australian Work — The Middle, Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey (Sarah Aarons, co-writer)
Dance Work of the Year — The Middle, Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey (Sarah Aarons, co-writer)
Rock Work of the Year — Never Ever, The Rubens feat. Sarah Aarons
Pop Work of the Year — I Said Hi, Amy Shark
Urban Work of the Year — Clark Griswold, Hilltop Hoods feat. Adrian Eagle.
Country Work of the Year — Day Drunk, Morgan Evans
Blues & Roots Work of the Year — Chateau, Angus & Julia Stone
Most Played Australian Work Overseas — Cheap Thrills, Sia
International Work of the Year — Perfect, Ed Sheeran
Originally published as Hit maker to the stars Sarah Aarons, Amy Shark, Dean Lewis and 5SOS win songwriter awards