Aussie indie artists sweep ARIA nominations

COURTNEY Barnett, Hermitude, Tame Impala and Vance Joy lead the roll call of the 2015 ARIA Awards as indie artists dominate nominations.

Courtney Barnett

INDIE rocker Courtney Barnett, pop princess Jessica Mauboy and country sweetheart Catherine Britt may not have much in common musically beyond starring on the 2015 ARIA Awards nominees list.

Barnett tops the honour roll with eight nominations while Mauboy and Britt collected one each at the announcement in Sydney on Wednesday.

What they do share is the hard work and heart each artist has put into realising their musical dreams.

The internationally aclaimed Barnett has worked tirelessly to achieve success for her debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, which reached the top 10 in America and no. 13 in the UK.

World beater ... Courtney Barnett has won global critical acclaim for her debut album. Picture: Adam Elwood.

The witty, wry lyricist and grunge rocker opened her ARIA account with the Best Cover Art award announced at the nominations event in Sydney on Wednesday.

The Melbourne artist, who released her album through her own Milk! Records, leads an impressive lineup of independent artists who have dominated this year’s nominations.

“It feels good to ahcieve this on our own label but it is 24 hours, seven days a week,” Barnett said.

For Britt, her nomination for Best Country Album with Boneshaker just two weeks ahead of her wedding means so much more than her previous ARIA moments.

The beautiful country music artist was disagnosed with breast cancer as she released the album in May.

“I am so stoked ARIA recognised this album because I was worried it would get lost when I had to start the treatment just as it came out. It’s an album I am so proud of,” she said.

“It’s such a bonus.”

For Best Female Artist nominee Mauboy, just being among her peers including Britt was enough to produce her infectious smile.

She recalled first meeting the country music star when she was 14 at a talent contest and wanting to emulate the then rising country music discovery.

“I wanted to be her, she was my country music dream girl,” Mauboy revealed.

“She has always inspired me, even now as she see her strength with what she is going through and getting married soon.

“I love how music brings us all together, the ARIAs is when I feel part of a community, that artists like Courtney Barnett and Catherine Britt can acknowledge each other and just be so proud that music is what we get to do every day.”

Sydney electronic duo Hermitude, who topped the charts with their fifth album Dark Night Sweet Light in May, will contest seven categories, including Album Of The Year and Best Group.

They were shellshocked by their grand haul.

“It’s all about hard work and never giving up on doing what you love. That is the most important thing,” Luke Dubber said.

Independent artists dominate the Album Of The Year award for the second year running with Hermitude nominated alongside Barnett, Vance Joy, troubadour Vance Joy and electronic duo Flight Facilities.

Soul sisters: Courtney Barnett, Catherine Britt and Jessica Mauboy at today’s ARIA nominations announcement. Picture: Sam Ruttyn.

The major label world-beaters Tame Impala complete the final five, finishing with six nominations including the incongruous pair of best Rock Album for Currents and Best Pop Release for the trippy single Let It Happen.

GENE SIMMONS ON HIS LOVE OF TAME IMPALA

Frontman and creative controller Kevin Parker was unable to pick up his first two awards for Producer and Engineer Of The Year as the band is touring in America.

But their schedule indicates they will be available on November 26 when the awards ceremony is held at The Star in Sydney.

They are almost guaranteed a performance slot if they want it.

Vance Joy picked up seveev nominations, with his career propelled internationally by his breakthrough hits Riptide and Georgia and the fangirl appreciation of Taylor Swift, who he is supporting on her world tour.

The 2015 ARIA awards will pit pop queen Swift against her producer DJ boyfriend Calvin Harris, ex-boyfriend Harry Styles and best boy friend Ed Sheeran for Best International Artist.

Sydney rockers Gang Of Youths and Brisbane electronic pop artist Jarry James heralded the onslaught of new artists featuring in the 2015 roll call with five nominations apiece.

While Daniel Johns may have lost some of his Silverchair fan base with his debut solo record Talk, his peers clearly believed in the dramatic electronic departure and he scored four nominations including Best Male Artist.

Solo success ... Daniel Johns picked up four nominations for his debut solo talbum Talk. Picture: Jonathan Ng

This year’s ARIAs features the rare pitting of brother and sister against each other for Conrad Sewell and his sister Grace (You Don’t Own Me feat. G-Eazy), both up for Song Of The Year.

The US-based Sewell put in the hard yards for his soul pop hit Start Again to pick up three nominations including Breakthrough Artist.

The sibling pop stars’ mum Michelle said Conrad’s young sister may be a little miffed he scored three nominations but she couldn’t be more proud of both of her children as they pursue their music careers both in Australia and America.

“He has the years on her but it will be interesting won’t it?” his mum said.

The family and friends of Newcastle artist Szymon Borzestowski were rewarded for their labour of love to release his debut album Tigerapps which was nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album.

The talented young artist put the recording on hold as he battled depression and the 23-year-old took his life in 2012.

Winner already ... Tame Impala creative controller Kevin parker won producer and Engineers awards. Picture: Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)

An eclectic crew of artists who have previously featured on the ARIA honour roll picked up three nominations including Lee Kernaghan, Paul Kelly, The Preatures, Sia and the Waifs.

Contesting two awards are 5 Seconds Of Summer, The Veronicas, Meg Mac, Alison Wonderland, Peking Duk and Shane Nicholson.

Organisers will now finalise the performance slots and continue courting the international nominees who will be in Australia on awards night, including Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

A public vote decides four of the awards — Song Of The Year (nominees are the highest selling singles of the year), Best Video, Best Australian Live Act (to be decided via Twitter hashtag votes) and Best International Artist.

Swift, Harris, Sheeran and One Direction line up against a raft of other honorary Aussies for the night’s only international award including Foo Fighters, Hozier, James Bay, Mark Ronson. Meghan Trainor and Sam Smith.

The Fine Arts awards were also bestowed at the nominations event to Gurrumul for Best World Music Album, Triple J’s Beat The Drum for Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album, Barney McAll for Best Jazz Album and Tamara-Anna Cislowska and Peter Sculthorpe, the revered composer who passed away last year.

The 2015 ARIA Awards on November 26 will be broadcast on Ten with Sydney Confidential broadcasting live from the red carpet.

Album Of The Year

Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit (Milk! Records/Remote Control)

Flight Facilities — Down To Earth (Future Classic)

Hermitude — Dark Night Sweet Light (Elefant Traks)

Tame Impala — Currents (Modular / Universal Music Australia)

Vance Joy — Dream Your Life Away (Liberation Music)

Best Adult Contemporary Album

John Farnham & Olivia Newton-John — Two Strong Hearts (Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Megan Washington — There There (Mercury Australia / Universal Music Australia)

Oh Mercy — When We Talk About Love (EMI)

Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions — Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions (Gawd Aggie Recordings / Universal Music Australia)

Szymon — Tigersapp (EMI / Eloper Music)

Best Blues And Roots Album

C.W. Stoneking — Gon’ Boogaloo (King Hokum Records / Caroline Australia)

Marlon Williams — Marlon Williams (Caroline Australia)

The Black Sorrows — Endless Sleep (Head Records)

The Waifs — Beautiful You (Jarrah Records / MGM)

Tim Rogers & The Bamboos — The Rules of Attraction (Warner Music Australia)

Best Children’s Album

Giggle and Hoot — Hootastic Tunes (ABC Music / Universal Music Australia)

Play School — Favourite Things — Songs and Nursery Rhymes from Play School (ABC Music / Universal Music Australia)

Rhys Muldoon — Perfect Is The Enemy Of Good (ABC Music / Universal Music Australia)

Sam Moran — Play Along With Sam: BOO! (6 Degrees Records / MGM)

The Wiggles — Rock & Roll Preschool (ABC Music / Universal Music Australia)

Best Comedy Release

Bondi Hipsters — Fuhck The Bahnks (ABC Music / Universal Music Australia)

Buddy Goode — Songs To Ruin Every Occasion (ABC Music / Universal Music Australia)

Matt Okine — Live at the Enmore Theatre (Century Entertainment)

Ronny Chieng — Chieng Reaction (Century Entertainment)

Sammy J & Randy — Live (Head Records)

Best Country Album

Catherine Britt — Boneshaker (Lost Highway Australia / Universal Music Australia)

Lee Kernaghan — Spirit Of The Anzacs (ABC Music / Universal Music Australia)

Mustered Courage — White Lies and Melodies (Lost Highway Australia / Universal Music Australia)

Shane Nicholson — Hell Breaks Loose (Lost Highway Australia / Universal Music Australia)

Troy Cassar-Daley — Freedom Ride (Liberation Music)

Best Dance Release

Alison Wonderland — Run (EMI)

Flight Facilities — Down To Earth (Future Classic)

Hayden James — Something About You (Future Classic)

Peking Duk — Take Me Over feat. SAFIA (Vicious Bitch / Universal Music Australia)

Rüfüs — You Were Right (Sweat It Out / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Best Female Artist

Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit (Milk! Records / Remote Control)

Jessica Mauboy — Can I Get A Moment? (Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Meg Mac — MEGMAC EP (littleBIGMAN / Inertia)

Megan Washington — There There (Mercury Australia / Universal Music Australia)

Sia — Elastic Heart (Inertia Recordings)

Best Group

5 Seconds of Summer — LiveSOS (EMI)

AC/DC — Rock Or Bust (Alberts / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Hermitude — Dark Night Sweet Light (Elefant Traks / Inertia Music)

Tame Impala — Currents (Modular / Universal Music Australia)

The Preatures — Blue Planet Eyes (Mercury Australia / Universal Music Australia)

Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album

Born Lion — Final Words (FOUR|FOUR / Universal Music Australia)

In Hearts Wake — Skydancer (UNFD)

King Parrot — Dead Set (EVP Recordings / Rocket Distribution)

Northlane — Node (UNFD)

Thy Art Is Murder — Holy War (UNFD)

Best Independent Release

Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit (Milk! Records / Remote Control)

Hermitude — Dark Night Sweet Light (Elefant Traks / Inertia Music)

Jarryd James — Do You Remember (Jarryd James Music / Dryden Street Limited)

Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions — Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions (Gawd Aggie Recordings)

Vance Joy — Dream Your Life Away (Liberation Music)

Best Male Artist

#1 Dads — Nominal (Pieater / Inertia)

Daniel Johns — Talk (Eleven / EMI)

Guy Sebastian — Tonight Again (Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Jarryd James — Do You Remember (Jarryd James Music / Dryden Street Limited)

Vance Joy — Dream Your Life Away (Liberation Music)

Best Pop Release

Conrad Sewell — Start Again (300 Entertainment / Warner Music Australia)

Jarryd James — Do You Remember (Jarryd James Music / Dryden Street Limited)

Sia — Elastic Heart (Inertia Recordings)

Tame Impala — Let It Happen (Modular / Universal Music Australia)

Vance Joy — Dream Your Life Away (Liberation Music)

Best Rock Album

Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit (Milk! Records / Remote Control)

Dead Letter Circus — Aesthesis (UNFD)

Gang of Youths — The Positions (Verge / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Tame Impala — Currents (Modular / Universal Music Australia)

The Preatures — Blue Planet Eyes (Mercury Australia / Universal Music Australia)

Best Urban Album

Citizen Kay — Democracy (Asphalt Records / MGM)

Hiatus Kaiyote — Choose Your Weapon (Flying Buddha / Sony Music Masterworks)

Seth Sentry — Strange New Past (High Score Records / Inertia)

The Meeting Tree — R U A Cop (Verge / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Tuka — Life Death Time Eternal (EMI)

Breakthrough Artist

Conrad Sewell — Start Again (300 Entertainment / Warner Music Australia)

Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit (Milk! Records / Remote Control)

Gang of Youths — The Positions (Verge / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Jarryd James — Do You Remember (Jarryd James Music / Dryden Street Limited)

Meg Mac — Never Be (littleBIGMAN / Inertia)

PUBLICLY VOTED AWARDS

Best Australian Live Act

5 Seconds Of Summer — Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour

Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit Album Tour

Gang of Youths — Gang of Youths National Tour

Hermitude — Dark Night Sweet Light Tour

Hilltop Hoods — Cosby Sweater Australian Tour

Nick Cave — Nick Cave Australian Tour

Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions — Paul Kelly Presents The Merri Soul Sessions Tour

Sheppard — The Bombs Away Tour

The Preatures — The Cruel Tour (Mercury Australia / Universal Music Australia)

Vance Joy — Dream Your Life Away Tour (Liberation Music)

Best International Artist

Calvin Harris — Motion (Columbia / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Ed Sheeran — X (Atlantic UK / Warner Music)

Foo Fighters — Sonic Highways (RCA / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Hozier — Hozier (Columbia / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

James Bay — Chaos And The Calm (Universal / Universal Music Australia)

Mark Ronson — Uptown Special (Columbia / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Meghan Trainor — Title (Epic Records / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

One Direction — Four (Syco / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Sam Smith — In The Lonely Hour (Capitol / EMI)

Taylor Swift — 1989 (Big Machine Records / Universal Music Australia)

Best Video

Prad Senanayake for Alison Wonderland — U Don’t Know feat. Wayne Coyne (EMI)

Charlie Ford for Courtney Barnett — Pedestrian At Best (Milk! Records / Remote Control)

Lorin Askill for Daniel Johns — Aerial Love (Eleven / EMI)

Anthony Rose for Delta Goodrem — Wings (Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Clemens Habicht for Flume — Some Minds feat. Andrew Wyatt (Future Classic)

Kess Broekman-Dattner for Hermitude — Through The Roof feat. Young Tapz (Elefant Traks / Inertia Music)

Duncan Toombs for Lee Kernaghan — Spirit Of The Anzacs (ABC Music / Universal Music Australia)

Filmery for Shane Nicholson — Secondhand Man (Lost Highway Australia)

Luci Schroder for Vance Joy — Georgia (Liberation Music)

Matt Sharp & Daniel James for The Veronicas — You Ruin Me (Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Song Of The Year

Conrad Sewell — Start Again (300 Entertainment / Warner Music Australia)

Grace — You Don’t Own Me feat. G-Eazy (RCA / Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Iggy Azalea — Trouble feat. Jennifer Hudson (Mercury Australia / Universal Music Australia)

Jarryd James — Do You Remember (Jarryd James Music / Dryden Street Limited)

Marlisa — Stand By You (Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Nathaniel — Live Louder (Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Peking Duk — Take Me Over feat. SAFIA (Vicious Bitch/Universal Music Australia)

Sia — Elastic Heart (Inertia Recordings)

The Veronicas — You Ruin Me (Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Vance Joy — Georgia (Liberation Music)