Lords of the dance floor Rufus Du Sol lead 2022 ARIA Award nominations
Globally known for a dance floor-filling electronic sound anchored in emotion, chart-topping Sydney trio Rufus Du Sol is up for seven ARIA Awards next month.
After selling out stadium concerts overseas and winning a Grammy Award in recent years, Sydney alternative dance trio Rufus Du Sol clocked another major career milestone on Wednesday by leading nominations for the annual ARIA Awards for excellence in Australian music.
Globally known for a dance floor-filling electronic sound anchored in emotion, the chart-topping three-piece act is up for seven awards including best group, best pop release and album of the year for Surrender, its fourth album, which was released last October.
Composed of musicians James Hunt, Tyrone Lindqvist and Jon George, Rufus Du Sol won the Grammy Award for best dance/electronic recording at a ceremony in Las Vegas in April for Alive, a single which also won best dance release and best group at last year’s ARIA Awards.
Established in Sydney in 2010 under the name Rufus – before expanding the group’s moniker in 2018 to avoid confusion with an existing funk band by that name – the trio has become one of the nation’s most popular music exports, with fans streaming songs from Surrender more than 1.5 billion times in the past year.
Its dazzling stage production plays to huge crowds at festivals and headline shows, particularly in the United States, where Rufus Du Sol last week performed for about 22,000 fans at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington.
Although absent from the Australian touring schedule in recent years due to the pandemic, its homeland return will include seven big outdoor shows next month. Ticket sales across Australia and New Zealand are currently in excess of 150,000, a figure that will make it one of the year’s biggest tours by an Australian act.
Its first date is in Brisbane on November 26, and the trio might well be toasting to more than a return to its home country: they might also add more pointy silver ARIA Awards to their carry-on luggage.
Two days earlier, artists, industry workers and music fans will gather at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion in what will be ARIA’s first full-scale live awards event with an audience since 2019, following several Covid interruptions.
Also announced on Wednesday in a live-streamed event, other lead ARIA nominees for the 2022 awards include Amyl & the Sniffers, the Melbourne punk rock act led by Amy Taylor, who are up for six awards including best group and album of the year for Comfort To Me.
Sydney electronic artist Flume, aka Harley Streten, also has six nominations including best solo artist and best dance/electronic release for Palaces, his third album. Streten, 30, is another globally known dancefloor-filler who is touring next month, with a string of large concerts beginning in Perth on November 11.
Hip-hop artists Baker Boy and The Kid Laroi are both nominated for five awards, with the lively performers set to go head-to-head in three categories including best solo artist and best Australian live act.
First Nations representation is stronger than it has ever been among the ARIA finalists, with 22 per cent of all nominations featuring artists from an Indigenous Australian background.
Sixty per cent of nominees in the best hip-hop/rap release category are First Nations artists, while 40 per cent of the album of the year category; it includes Baker Boy and Arnhem Land rock band King Stingray, which is nominated for four ARIAs including best group and best rock album for its self-titled debut, released in August.
A shade over half of all nominees appear on independent record labels, with 54 per cent of all nominees – or 60 of 112 – working outside the major label system.
In the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist category, only Bella Taylor Smith is represented by a major in EMI Music; the remaining four nominees – King Stingray, Beddy Rays, Harvey Sutherland and Luude – are all indies.
The ARIA Awards will be held at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on November 24 and broadcast on Channel 9 and YouTube, with hosting duties to be shared by pop singer-songwriter and eight-time ARIA Award-winner Natalie Imbruglia alongside Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi.
2022 ARIA AWARD NOMINATIONS
Album of the Year presented by Neumann
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Virgin Music Australia)
Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records/Universal Music Australia)
Gang Of Youths – Angel In Realtime. (Mosy Recordings/Sony Music)
King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl/The Orchard)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Best Solo Artist
Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records/Universal Music Australia)
Budjerah – Conversations (Warner Music Australia)
Courtney Barnett – Things Take Time, Take Time (Milk! Records/Remote Control Records)
Daniel Johns – FutureNever (BMG/ADA)
Flume – Palaces (Future Classic)
Julia Jacklin – Pre Pleasure (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Ruel – Growing Up Is____ (RCA/Sony Music)
The Kid LAROI – Thousand Miles (Columbia/Sony Music)
Thelma Plum – Meanjin (Warner Music Australia)
Vance Joy – In Our Own Sweet Time (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Group
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Virgin Music Australia)
Gang Of Youths – Angel in Realtime. (Mosy Recordings/Sony Music)
King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl/The Orchard)
Midnight Oil – Resist (Sony Music)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist
Beddy Rays – Beddy Rays (Independent/Ditto Music)
Bella Taylor Smith – Look Me In The Eyes (EMI Music Australia)
Harvey Southerland – Boy (Clarity Recordings/Virgin Music Australia)
King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl/The Orchard)
Luude – Down Under (ft. Colin Hay) (Sweat It Out/Warner Music)
Best Pop Release
Flume – Say Nothing (feat. May-A) (Future Classic)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – On My Knees (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
The Kid LAROI – Thousand Miles (Columbia/Sony Music)
Thelma Plum – Meanjin (Warner Music Australia)
Vance Joy – Clarity (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Dance / Electronic Release
Confidence Man – Tilt (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
Flume – Palaces (Future Classic)
Harvey Southerland – Boy (Clarity Recordings/Virgin Music Australia)
Luude – Down Under (ft. Colin Hay) (Sweat It Out/Warner Music)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Best Hip Hop / Rap Release
Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records/Universal Music Australia)
Barkaa – Blak Matriarchy (Bad Apples Music/Island Records Australia)
Chillinit – Family Ties (420 Family / Virgin Music Australia)
Day 1 – MBAPPÉ (feat. KAHUKX) (db Music / Warner Music Australia)
The Kid LAROI & Fivio Foreign – Tokyo to Paris (Columbia/Sony Music)
Best Soul / R&B Release
Budjerah – Conversations (Warner Music Australia)
Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Under These Streets (Cooking Vinyl Australia/The Orchard)
KIAN – SHINE (EMI Music Australia)
Vanessa Amorosi – City Of Angels (Scream Louder/MGM)
Best Independent Release presented by PPCA
Archie Roach – One Song (Bloodlines/Mushroom Group)
Ball Park Music – Weirder & Weirder (Prawn Records/Inertia Music)
Courtney Barnett – Things Take Time, Take Time (Milk! Records/Remote Control Records)
Genesis Owusu – GTFO (Ourness)
Julia Jacklin – Pre Pleasure (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Rock Album
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Virgin Music Australia)
Ball Park Music – Weirder & Weirder (Prawn Records/Inertia Music)
Gang Of Youths – Angel in Realtime. (Mosy Recordings/Sony Music)
King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl/The Orchard)
Spacey Jane – Here Comes Everybody (AWAL Recordings)
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Alex the Astronaut – How To Grow A Sunflower Underwater (Warner Music Australia)
Julia Jacklin – Pre Pleasure (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Missy Higgins – Total Control (Eleven: A Music Company / Universal Music Australia)
Vance Joy – In Our Own Sweet Time (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Vika & Linda – The Wait (Bloodlines/Mushroom Group)
Best Country Album
Adam Brand – All Or Nothing (ABC Music)
Amber Lawrence – Living for the Highlights (ABC Music)
Andy Golledge – Strength of a Queen (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
Casey Barnes – Light It Up (Casey Barnes Entertainment/ Chugg Music)
Georgia State Line – In Colour (Cheatin Heart Records/Virgin Music Australia)
Best Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Album
Dune Rats – Real Rare Whale (BMG/ADA)
Northlane – Obsidian (Believe/Rocket)
Shihad – Old Gods (Warner Music NZ)
The Chats – Get F..ked (Bargain Bin Records / The Chats via Ingrooves)
Thornhill – Heroine (UNFD/The Orchard)
Best Blues & Roots Album
Charlie Collins – Undone (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
The Bamboos – Hard Up (BMG/ADA)
The Teskey Brothers with Orchestra Victoria – Live At Hamer Hall (Ivy League Records/Mushroom Group)
Thornbird – Thornbird (Thornbird/MGM)
William Crighton – Water and Dust (ABC Music)
Best Children’s Album
Benny Time – Benny and Friends (Independent)
Teeny Tiny Stevies – How To Be Creative (ABC Music)
The Beanies – Let’s Go! (ABC Music)
The Wiggles – ReWiggled (ABC Music)
Van-Anh Nguyen – The Princess And The Piano (Universal Music Australia)
PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS
Best Video presented by YouTube
Apple Crumble – Lime Cordiale, Joe Neathway (Chugg Music)
Blak Matriarchy – Barkaa, Selina Miles (Bad Apples Music/Island Records Australia)
Down Under (ft. Colin Hay) – Luude, Peter Hume (Sweat It Out / Warner)
Every Side Of You – Vance Joy, William Bleakley (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
GTFO – Genesis Owusu, Uncle Friendly (Rhett Wade-Ferrell) (Ourness)
Hertz – Amyl and The Sniffers, John Angus Stewart (Virgin Music Australia)
I Don’t Wanna Leave – RÜFÜS DU SOL, Katzki (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Lydia Wears A Cross – Julia Jacklin (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Say Nothing (feat. MAY-A) – Flume (Future Classic)
Wish You Well (feat. Bernard Fanning) – Baker Boy, Macario De Souza (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Best Australian Live Act presented by Heaps Normal
Amy Shark – See U Somewhere Australia Tour 2022 (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me Tour 2022 (Virgin Music Australia)
Baker Boy – Gela Tour (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Budjerah – The Conversations Australian Tour (Warner Music Australia)
Gang Of Youths – Angel in Realtime. (Mosy Recordings/Sony Music)
Genesis Owusu – Genesis Owusu & The Black Dog Band (Ourness)
Midnight Oil – RESIST. THE FINAL TOUR. 2022 (Sony Music)
The Kid LAROI – End Of The World Tour (Columbia/Sony Music)
The Wiggles – The OG Wiggles Reunion / Fruit Salad TV Big Show Tour (ABC Music)
Thelma Plum – The Meanjin Tour (Warner Music Australia)
Song of the Year presented by YouTube
Clinton Kane – I Guess I’m In Love (Columbia/Sony Music)
Dean Lewis – Hurtless (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Flume – Say Nothing (feat. MAY-A) (Future Classic)
Joji – Glimpse Of Us (88rising/Warner Records)
Jolyon Petch feat. Reigan – Dreams (TMRW)
Luude – Down Under (ft. Colin Hay) (Sweat It Out/Warner)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – On My Knees (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
The Kid LAROI – Thousand Miles (Columbia/Sony Music)
Tones And I – Cloudy Day (Bad Batch Records/Sony Music)
Vance Joy – Clarity (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Most Popular International Artist
ABBA – Voyage (Universal Music Group/Polar Music International)
Adele – 30 (Columbia/Sony Music)
Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever (Darkroom/Interscope Records/Universal Music Group)
Drake – Certified Lover Boy (OVO/Republic/Universal Music Group)
Ed Sheeran – = (Atlantic Records/Warner Music)
Harry Styles – Harry’s House (Columbia/Sony Music)
Jack Harlow – Come Home The Kids Miss You (Atlantic Records/Warner Music)
Lil Nas X – Montero (Columbia/Sony Music)
Post Malone – Twelve Carat Toothache (Mercury/Republic/Universal Music Group)
Taylor Swift – Red (Taylor’s Version) (Republic/Universal Music Group)
Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award
David Collins-White – Haberfield Public School, Haberfield, Eora Nation, NSW
Jane Nicholas – Willandra Primary School, Seville Grove, Noongar Land, WA
Kath Dunn – Wollondilly Public School, Goulburn, Gundungurra Land, NSW
Matt Orchard – Apollo Bay P-12 College, Apollo Bay, Gadubanud Territory, VIC
ARTISAN AWARDS
Best Cover Art
Adnate for Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Giulia Giannini McGauran for Alex the Astronaut – How To Grow A Sunflower Underwater (Warner Music Australia)
Jonathan Zawada for Flume – Palaces (Future Classic)
Kayla Flett, Gabi Coulthurst & Dimathaya Burarrwanga for King Stingray – King Stingray (Cooking Vinyl Australia/The Orchard)
Seshanka Samarajiwa, Zain Ayub & Tasman Keith for Tasman Keith – A Colour Undone (AWAL Recordings Ltd)
Mix Engineer – Best Mixed Album
Cassin for RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Dann Hume & Eric J Dubowsky for Budjerah – Conversations (Warner Music Australia)
Eric J Dubowsky for Flume – Palaces (Future Classic)
Paul McKercher for Ball Park Music – Weirder & Weirder (Prawn Records/Inertia Music)
Pip Norman, Andrei Eremin & Dave Hammer for Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Producer – Best Produced Album presented by Neumann
Amyl and the Sniffers & Dan Luscombe for Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Virgin Music Australia)
Courtney Barnett & Stella Mozgawa for Courtney Barnett – Things Take Time, Take Time (Milk! Records/Remote Control Records)
Flume – Palaces (Future Classic)
Pip Norman, Rob Amoruso, Morgan Jones, Carl Dimataga, Willie Tafa & Jerome Farah for Baker Boy – Gela (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
FINE ARTS AWARDS
Best Classical Album
Amy Dickson, Colin Currie, Lothar Koenigs, Yvonne Kenny, David Zinman, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Markus Stenz & Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – Ross Edwards: Frog and Star Cycle / Symphonies 2 & 3 (ABC Classic)
Lachlan Skipworth – Chamber Works, Vol. 2 (Cygnus Arioso)
Luke Howard – All Of Us (Mercury KX/Universal Music Australia)
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra & Sir Andrew Davis – The Enchanted Loom: Orchestral works By Carl Vine (ABC Classic)
Tamara-Anna Cislowska & Guests – Duet (ABC Classic)
Best Jazz Album
Barney McAll – Precious Energy (Extra Celestial Arts)
Mike Nock, Hamish Stuart, Julien Wilson & Jonathan Zwartz – Another Dance (Lionsharecords/The Planet Company)
Mildlife – Live From South Channel Island ([PIAS] Australia/Inertia Music)
Sam Anning – Oaatchapai (Earshift Music/The Planet Company)
Springtime – Springtime (Virgin Music Australia)
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album
Australian Chamber Orchestra & Richard Tognetti – River (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (ABC Classic)
Brett Aplin – No Mercy, No Remorse (Original Score) (Independent)
In Hearts Wake – Green Is The New Black (UNFD/The Orchard)
Maria Alfonsine with Itunu Pepper – Akoni (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (MADBS Composing Palace)
Matteo Zingales – A Fire Inside (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (ABC Music)
Best World Music Album
Australian Art Orchestra, Daniel Wilfred, Sunny Kim, Peter Knight & Aviva Endean – Hand To Earth (AAO Recordings/The Planet Company)
Joseph Tawadros with William Barton – History Has A Heartbeat (Independent/The Planet Company)
Mista Savona – Havana Meets Kingston Part 2 (ABC Music)
William Barton & Véronique Serret – Heartland (ABC Classic)
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