Lime Cordiale lead 2020 ARIA Awards with eight nominations
Lead nominees at the annual ARIA Awards celebrating Australian music excellence include Lime Cordiale, Tame Impala and Sampa The Great.
In a highly disrupted year for the Australian music industry, Sydney indie pop duo Lime Cordiale has led the pool of nominees at the annual ARIA awards with eight nominations including best pop release, best group, song of the year and album of the year.
Founded by brothers Louis and Oli Leimbach on Sydney’s northern beaches, Lime Cordiale’s rise to national prominence has been more than a decade in the making.
“We’ve been doing our thing for almost 11 years now,” Louis Leimbach told The Australian. “It’s been a real slow incline of success, which has probably been good in terms of humbleness and our skill set.”
“There’s definitely been points where you’re just like, ‘Oh man, maybe this isn’t the right thing. Maybe I should do something else’,” said Leimbach. “I’ve worked in cafes, I’ve laboured, dug holes and taught music — lots of different things, and they’re all enjoyable, for sure. But when you’ve got something digging at the back of your mind, it can be hard.”
2020, then, looks to be the year where the Leimbachs truly arrive, despite the difficulties faced by many performers and recording artists across the sector due to the pandemic. The duo’s second album 14 Steps to a Better You debuted at No 1 in July, while the brothers and their three bandmates have also sold out 27 COVID-safe seated concerts in Newcastle, Brisbane and their hometown.
ARIA chief executive Dan Rosen said, “It’s been a year we will never forget. Our industry has taken a hit, but the creativity of our local artists has not. Our artists have shown great resilience and their music has helped many Australians get through these tough times.”
At the ARIA season launch on Tuesday morning, Fremantle-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Tame Impala (aka Kevin Parker) received seven nominations, including album of the year, best pop release, best rock album and producer of the year.
Parker’s fourth album as Tame Impala, The Slow Rush, was released in February and has been the highest selling Australian album so far in 2020; he and his bandmates were set to play a six-date arena tour of capital cities in December, but those dates have been pushed back a year due to the pandemic.
After becoming the first woman of colour to win an ARIA Award for best hip-hop release last year, Melbourne-based hip-hop artist Sampa the Great (aka Sampa Tembo) received six nominations including album of the year, best independent release and best female artist.
As well, R&B artist Miiesha received five nominations including best female artist and best soul/R&B release, while Sydney indie rock group DMA’S also received five nominations ahead of headlining the AFL Grand Final entertainment in Brisbane later this month.
For the first time in its 33 year history, the ARIA Awards will be held as a virtual ceremony, without a live audience. The awards will be broadcast live on YouTube and the Nine Network from The Star Event Centre in Sydney on Wednesday, November 25.
2020 ARIA AWARD NOMINATIONS
Album Of The Year: DMA’s – THE GLOW (I OH YOU); Jessica Mauboy – Hilda (Sony Music); Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd); Sampa The Great – The Return (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music); Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular Recordings / Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Best Male Artist: Archie Roach – Tell Me Why (Bloodlines); Guy Sebastian – Standing With You (Sony Music); Ruel – Free Time (RCA / Sony Music); The Kid LAROI – F..k Love (Columbia / Sony Music); Troye Sivan – In A Dream (EMI Music Australia)
Best Female Artist: Amy Shark – Everybody Rise (Wonderlick Recording Company / Sony Music); Miiesha – Nyaaringu (EMI Music Australia); Sampa The Great – The Return (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music); Sia – Together (Monkey Puzzle, Inc / WEA International); Tones And I – Bad Child / Can’t Be Happy All the Time (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Best Dance Release: Alice Ivy – Don’t Sleep (Dew Process / Universal Music Australia); Dom Dolla – San Frandisco (Sweat It Out / Warner Music); Flume – Rushing Back feat. Vera Blue (Future Classic); Northeast Party House – Shelf Life (Stop Start Music / Sony Music); Stace Cadet & KLP Energy – (Medium Rare Recordings / Sony Music)
Best Group: 5 Seconds Of Summer – CALM (Interscope / EMI Music Australia); DMA’S – THE GLOW (I OH YOU); Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd); Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular Recordings/Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia); The Teskey Brothers – Live At The Forum (Ivy League Records)
Breakthrough Artist: Alex the Astronaut – The Theory of Absolutely Nothing (Minkowski / AWAL Recordings); Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd); Mallrat – Driving Music (Dew Process / Universal Music Australia); Miiesha – Nyaaringu (EMI Music Australia); The Kid LAROI – F..k Love (Columbia / Sony Music)
Best Pop Release: Amy Shark – Everybody Rise (Wonderlick Recording Company / Sony Music); Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd); Sia – Together (Monkey Puzzle, Inc / WEA International); Tame Impala – Lost In Yesterday (Modular Recordings/Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia); Troye Sivan – In A Dream (EMI Music Australia)
Best Hip Hop Release: Baker Boy – Meditjin feat. JessB (Danzal Baker / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia); Briggs – Always Was EP (Adam Briggs / Island Records Australia); Illy – Last Laugh (Sony Music); Sampa The Great – The Return (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music); The Kid LAROI – F..k Love (Columbia / Sony Music)
Best Soul/R&B Release: Genesis Owusu – Don’t Need You (OURNESS / AWAL); KIAN – Every Hour (EMI Music Australia); Miiesha – Nyaaringu (EMI Music Australia); Tash Sultana – Pretty Lady (Lonely Lands Records / Sony Music); Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird, Vol.2 (Dew Process / Universal Music Australia)
Best Independent Release: Archie Roach – Tell Me Why (Bloodlines); DMA’S – THE GLOW (I OH YOU); Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd); Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen (Ghosteen / AWAL Recordings)
Sampa The Great – The Return (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music)
Best Rock Album: Cold Chisel – Blood Moon (Cold Chisel / Universal Music Australia); DMA’S – THE GLOW (I OH YOU); Ocean Alley – Lonely Diamond (Independent / Unified Music Group); Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular Recordings / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia); Violent Soho – Everything Is A-OK (I OH YOU)
Best Adult Contemporary Album: Archie Roach – Tell Me Why (Bloodlines); Donny Benét – Mr Experience (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records); Gordi – Our Two Skins (Liberation Records); Josh Pyke – Rome (Wonderlick Recording Company); Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen (Ghosteen / AWAL Recordings)
Best Country Album: Casey Barnes – Town of A Million Dreams (Chugg Music Pty Ltd); Fanny Lumsden – Fallow (Cooking Vinyl Australia); Jasmine Rae – Lion Side (ABC Music / Universal); The McClymonts – Mayhem To Madness (Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia); Travis Collins – Wreck Me (ABC Music / Universal)
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Chunky Shrapnel (Flightless Records); Parkway Drive – Viva The Underdogs (Resist / Cooking Vinyl Australia); Polaris – The Death Of Me (Resist / Cooking Vinyl Australia); The Amity Affliction – Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them (The Amity Affliction / Warner Music Australia); The Chats – High Risk Behaviour (Bargain Bin / Cooking Vinyl Australia)
Best Blues & Roots Album: Busby Marou – The Great Divide (Warner Music Australia Pty Ltd); Frank Yamma – Tjukurpa: The Story (Wantok Musik / MGM); Lucky Oceans – Purple Sky (Songs Originally By Hank Williams) (ABC Music / Universal); The Teskey Brothers – Live At The Forum (Ivy League Records); Tracy McNeil & The GoodLife – You Be The Lightning (Cooking Vinyl Australia)
Best Children’s Album: Diver City – Welcome to Diver City (ABC Music / Universal); Teeny Tiny Stevies – Thoughtful Songs for Little People (ABC Music / Universal); The Vegetable Plot – Season Two (ABC Music / Universal); The Wiggles – Choo Choo Trains, Propeller Planes & Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car! (ABC Music / Universal); Tiptoe Giants – Colour the World (Tiptoe Tunes / ABC Music)
Best Comedy Release: Anne Edmonds – What’s Wrong With You? (Guesswork Television); Bev Killick – Crummy Mummy (Rivershack Records / MGM); Celia Pacquola – All Talk (Guesswork Television); Megan Washington – Just Jesus (feat. Chris Ryan) (ABC Music / Universal); Tom Gleeson – Joy (Guesswork Television)
PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS
Best Video: Baker Boy – Meditjin feat. JessB (Danzal Baker / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia); Guy Sebastian – Standing With You (Sony Music); Lime Cordiale – Robbery (Chugg Music Pty Ltd); PNAU feat. Vlossom – Lucky (etcetc Music); Sampa The Great – Time’s Up (feat. Krown) (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music); Tame Impala – Is It True (Modular Recordings/Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia); The Chats – The Clap (Bargain Bin/Cooking Vinyl Australia); Tones And I – Ur So F**kInG cOoL (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music); Troye Sivan – Easy (EMI Music Australia); Violent Soho – Pick It Up Again (I OH YOU)
Best Australian Live Act: Amy Shark – Amy Shark Regional Tour (Wonderlick Recording Company / Sony Music); Baker Boy – Falls Festival (Danzal Baker/Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia); Cold Chisel – Blood Moon Tour (Cold Chisel / Universal Music Australia); DMA’S – Unplugged & Intimate | Laneway Festival (I OH YOU); King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – St Jerome’s Laneway Festival (Flightless Records); Paul Kelly – Paul Kelly – Making Gravy 2019 (GAWD AGGIE / EMI Music Australia); PNAU – All Of Us Australian Tour (etcetc Music); RÜFÜS DU SOL – 2019 Summer Festival Tour (Rose Avenue Records under exclusive license to Reprise Records.); Sampa The Great – The Return Australian Tour 2019 (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music); The Teskey Brothers – Run Home Slow (Ivy League Records)
Song of the Year: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth (Interscope / EMI Music Australia); Flume Feat. Vera Blue – Rushing Back (Future Classic); Hilltop Hoods Feat. Illy & Ecca Vandal – Exit Sign (Hilltop Hoods / Island Records Australia/UMA); Lime Cordiale – Robbery (Chugg Music Pty Ltd); Mallrat – Charlie (Dew Process / Universal Music Australia; Ruel – Painkiller (RCA / Sony Music); Sam Fischer – This City (Sony Music); The Jungle Giants – Heavy Hearted (Amplifire Music / Together We Can Work Together / The Orchard); The Rubens – Live In Life (Ivy League Records); Tones and I – Never Seen the Rain (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Best International Artist: Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia (Warner Music Australia Pty Ltd); Eminem – Music To Be Murdered By (Interscope / Universal Music Australia); Halsey – Manic (Capitol/EMI Music Australia); Harry Styles – Fine Line (Columbia / Sony Music); Juice WRLD – Legends Never Die (Interscope / Universal Music Australia); Justin Bieber – Changes (Def Jam Recordings / Universal Music Australia); Lewis Capaldi – Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (Universal Music Group / Universal Music Australia); Lizzo – Cuz I Love You (Atlantic / Warner Music Australia Pty Ltd); Taylor Swift – Folklore (Republic Records / Universal Music Australia); The Weeknd – After Hours (Universal Music Group / Universal Music Australia)
Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award: CJ Shaw – Palmerston District Primary School, Canberra ACT; Kathryn McLennan – Virginia State School, Virginia QLD; Sarah Donnelley – Wilcannia Central School, Wilcannia NSW; Thomas Fienberg – Evans High School, Blacktown, NSW
ARTISAN AWARDS
Best Cover Art: Donny Benét – Mr Experience (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records); Jessica Mauboy – Hilda (Sony Music); Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd); Violent Soho – Everything Is A-OK (I OH YOU); WASHINGTON – Batflowers (Washington / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
Engineer Of The Year: Alice Ivy – Don’t Sleep (Dew Process / Universal Music Australia); IAMMXO (aka Mohamed Komba) for Miiesha – Nyaaringu (EMI Music Australia); Eric J Dubowsky for Ruel – Free Time (RCA / Sony Music); Kevin Parker for Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular Recordings / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia); Greg Wales for Violent Soho – Everything Is A-OK (I OH YOU)
Producer Of The Year: Kevin Shirley for Cold Chisel – Blood Moon (Cold Chisel / Universal Music Australia); DNA & Louis Schoorl for Jessica Mauboy – Hilda (Sony Music); IAMMXO (aka Mohamed Komba) for Miiesha – Nyaaringu (EMI Music Australia); M-Phazes for Ruel – Free Time (RCA / Sony Music); Kevin Parker for Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular Recordings / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
FINE ARTS AWARDS
Best Classical Album: Alicia Crossley – Muse (Move); David Greco & Erin Helyard – Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin (ABC Classic / Universal); Jayson Gillham, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Carter – Beethoven Piano Concertos (ABC Classic / Universal); Richard Tognetti & Erin Helyard – Beethoven & Mozart Violin Sonatas (ABC Classic / Universal); Slava & Sharon Grigoryan – Our Place: Duets For Cello And Guitar (ABC Classic / Universal)
Best Jazz Album: Katie Noonan – The Sweetest Taboo (ABC Jazz / Universal); Luke Howard – All That Is Not Solid (Live At Tempo Rubato, Australia / 2020) (Mercury KX / Universal Music Australia); Mike Nock; Hamish Stuart; Julien Wilson; Jonathan Zwartz – This World (Lionsharecords / The Planet Company); Nat Bartsch – Forever More (ABC Jazz / Universal); Paul Kelly & Paul Grabowsky – Please Leave Your Light On (GAWD AGGIE / EMI Music Australia)
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album: Chelsea Cullen – I Am Woman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Sony Masterworks); Dan Golding – Untitled Goose Game (Original Soundtrack) (House House / Decca Classics Australia / Universal Music Australia); Grigoryan Brothers – A Boy Called Sailboat (ABC Classic / Universal); Matteo Zingales & Antony Partos – Mystery Road (Original Score: Seasons 1-2) (ABC Music / Universal); Sally Seltmann & Darren Seltmann – The Letdown (Music from Seasons 1+2) (ABC Music / Universal)
Best World Music Album: Grace Barbe – FANM; WOMAN (Afrotropik / MGM); Joseph Tawadros – Live at the Sydney Opera House (ABC Music / Universal): Melbourne Ska Orchestra – Live At The Triffid (ABC Music / Universal); The Crooked Fiddle Band – Another Subtle Atom Bomb (Bird’s Robe Records / MGM); Xylouris White – The Sisypheans (ABC Music / Universal)
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