Australia’s premier music awards, the ARIAs, have come under scrutiny for the second time this month as Brisbane-based artist Mallrat slams the country’s peak music body over its lack of diversity.
The 24-year-old singer and rapper, whose real name is Grace Shaw, made the remarks in response to this year’s ARIA nominations, that were released this week.
Mallrat has spoken out this week, saying women are under-represented in the ARIA Awards.Credit: Louie Douvis
“Everyone wants the ARIA Awards to be reflective of all the amazing things going on in Australian music,” Shaw told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. “There are so many incredible nominees this year, but it doesn’t feel like the full picture.
“This is not specific to one awards ceremony, this is representative of a culture ... and what this industry deems as credible is overwhelmingly indie rock and rock fronted by men.”
Three of the 10 ARIA nominees in 2022’s best solo artist category are women. And in the best group and album of the year categories only Amyl and the Sniffers have at least one non-male member.
There were 40 female ARIA Award nominees announced for 2022, 71 male nominees and one non-binary nominee. The number of women nominated was slightly up on last year – 36 per cent compared to 35 per cent in 2021.
“Australia doesn’t really understand pop music and dance music ... or music that’s enjoyed by, or made by young women, queer people and black people,” Shaw said.
Mallrat’s debut album Butterfly Blue was released in May and follows three EPs she has put out since 2016.
“When I looked at the list of nominees ... my initial reaction was to feel personally underestimated and misunderstood by my album being snubbed,” she said on Instagram.
“Then I took a deep breath, and I realised it’s not about me. Approximately one in five of the nominees are non-male. And in categories like heavy rock there are no non-male artists at all.”
On Friday, she said what began as “a throwaway comment” had resonated strongly with other artists, including those who had received ARIA nominations this year.
“It’s been encouraging to get phone calls and messages from so many women in Australian music.”
Other musicians have also publicly criticised the awards this week including Melbourne-based rapper Allday, who said the ARIAs are ultimately about picking “an employee of the month” from the major labels.
In response to Shaw’s criticism, ARIA chief executive officer Annabelle Herd said: “If we are not getting enough success for female artists or non-binary artists we need to tackle that at [the] source. We agree that it is frustrating to see non-male artists underrepresented.”
“The awards and the charts are reflections of the music released in a year and how Australians engage with it.”
Earlier this month rapper and Gumbaynggirr man Tasman Keith also raised concerns that the nominee selection process – which favours physical album sales – benefits major labels and contributes to an under-representation of artists from diverse backgrounds.
Keith, an independent artist, was overlooked in the ARIA best hip hop category. His album, which performed well on streaming platforms, was not released in a physical format due to the prohibitive cost of printing vinyl albums and CDs.
Rapper Tasman Keith says he prioritises music videos and touring over physical albums. Credit: Peter Rae
To be eligible for an ARIA nomination, a release must also meet a threshold of chart performance. His album, A Colour Undone, peaked at number 18 on the album chart, outside the top 10 placement threshold on the Australian hip hop and R&B album charts.
“Not only do I deserve a nom, but once I found out why I couldn’t get a nom I was like, OK, that’s messed up,” Keith told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Herd said that the nominees and winners are not chosen by the Australian Recording Industry Association or the ARIA board, adding that “since last year we have been reviewing the [judging] panels to ensure balance and representation across gender, First Nations, POC, and other criteria.”
“That process showed that there is rebalancing work to do, something we have made good progress on but haven’t completed,” she said.
The 2022 ARIA Awards will be held at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on November 24.
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