The Oils, Amy Shark, Tame Impala, Tim Minchin and Guy Sebastian are up for 2021 APRA Song of the Year

Newcomers have stormed the nominations for the 2021 APRA Music Awards alongside some of Australia’s biggest names.

They were the songs which helped Australian music fans find strength and comfort during the pandemic, from Midnight Oil’s mighty return with Gadigal Land to Guy Sebastian’s galvanising Standing With You.

Throw in the soundtrack to your tears from Tim Minchin with Carry You from his stunning Foxtel series Upright, Amy Shark’s ode to love from afar with Everybody Rise and Tame Impala’s dream pop nod to nostalgic regret Lost In Yesterday and you have the five nominees for the 2021 APRA Song of the Year.

Guy Sebastian is up for Song of the Year for Standing With You. Picture: Supplied.

But it’s not just the most famous of Australia’s songwriters who feature in the roll call of the 2021 APRA Music Awards nominations which were released today.

Most of the categories have been stormed by 49 first-time nominees including the Kid Laroi, Lime Cordiale, Miiesha and Mallrat, who are all up for Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year.

Thelma Plum, who was also nominated for the Breakthrough award last year, completes the final five in that category.

Sebastian said it was inevitable songwriters would address mental health issues in their works over the past 12 months as Australia endured the bushfire crisis and then the pandemic shutdowns.

“There’s obviously a lot of attention to mental health in this song. People are already alone, they’re already isolated and suffering and the pandemic made it so much worse,” he said.

“To be honest, I think this song is more about not having the answers and just being there for somebody.”

Tim Minchin got Missy Higgins to sing his beautiful Carry You song. Picture: Kevin Patrick Robbins

Minchin, who enlisted Missy Higgins to sing Carry You, said the song was inspired by “the bittersweet burden of loss.”

“For me it’s very much about the fact that when you have lost someone, they’re not gone from your experience of the world. And sometimes that’s great, and sometimes it feels heavy and you wish they weren’t so present and it wasn’t so burdensome,” he said.

The Oils’ Rob Hirst, who enlisted revered First Nations artist Bunna Lawrie and emerging poet Joel Davison to contribute to Gadigal Land, said he had spent years trying to finish the song which would be released as the band’s first new single in 17 years.

“That song had been around for so long, it was a real jigsaw puzzle or putting all the parts together and of course Joel and Uncle Bunna’s parts were the final parts of this long journey for this song,” Hirst said.

“And Dan Sultan does this scream in the middle of it, which felt like 223 years of dispossession and injustice all in that one scream.”

Tame Impala's Kevin Parker. Picture: Iain Gillespie, The West Australian

Everybody Rise, which Shark wrote with Grammy winning producer Joel Little, is Shark’s fourth nomination for Song of the Year in five years while Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker is also a regular in the category and has won twice.

A smash hit from British pop superstar Dua Lipa could be the surprise winner at the Australian songwriters’ big night, thanks to INXS legends Andrew Farriss and the late Michael Hutchence.

Will Dua Lipa add an Australian APRA to her trophy cabinet? Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy.

Her Break My Heart banger had to credit the INXS songwriters because its guitar hook was similar to Need You Tonight which makes it eligible for the Most Performed Australian Work and Most Performed Pop Work award.

The recent Grammys winner also picked up a nomination for her disco-flavoured chart-topper Don’t Start Now for Most Performed International Work.

The 2021 APRA Awards are scheduled to be held in Sydney on April 28 with organisers remaining hopeful they can go ahead with a live celebration at International Convention Centre rather than a repeat of last year’s virtual event.

THE 2021 APRA AWARDS NOMINEES

Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year

Carry You, Tim Minchin

Everybody Rise, Amy Shark

Gadigal Land, Midnight Oil

Lost In Yesterday, Tame Impala

Standing With You, Guy Sebastian

The Kid Laroi has been nominated for Breakthrough Songwriter Of The Year. Picture: Supplied.

Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year

The Kid LAROI

Mallrat

Miiesha

Louis and Oli Leimbach (Lime Cordiale)

Thelma Plum

Lime Cordiale brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach are first time APRA nominees. Picture: John Feder/The Australian

Most Performed Australian Work

Break My Heart, Dua Lipa

Live in Life, The Rubens

Never Seen The Rain, Tones And I

Rushing Back, Flume feat. Vera Blue

Used to Love, Martin Garrix & Dean Lewis

Most Performed Alternative Work

Live in Life, The Rubens

Lost in Yesterday, Tame Impala

Robbery, Lime Cordiale

Silver, DMA’s

Two of Us, Birds of Tokyo

Most Performed Blues & Roots Work

Ain’t My Problem, Ash Grunwald ft. The Teskey Brothers

Give Me Honey, Dope Lemon

Over Drinking Over You, Busby Marou

Pretty Lady, Tash Sultana

Together, Ziggy Alberts

Most Performed Country Work

A Little More, Casey Barnes

Diamonds, Morgan Evans

Give Me Tonight, Brad Cox

I Got This, The McClymonts

Memphis T-shirt, Melanie Dyer

Most Performed Dance Work

All of Us, PNAU ft. Ollie Gabriel

Head & Heart, Joel Corry & MNEK

Rushing Back, Flume feat. Vera Blue

San Frandisco, Dom Dolla

Used to Love, Martin Garrix & Dean Lewis

Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work

Boss, Day1

German, No Money Enterprise

I’m Good? Hilltop Hoods

In The Beginning, ONEFOUR

Misunderstood, Youngn Lipz

Most Performed R & B / Soul Work

2560, Becca Hatch

Nobodylikeyou, Winston Surfshirt

Rain, The Teskey Brothers

Say To Me, Milan Ring

Twisting Words, Miiesha

Most Performed Pop Work

Break My Heart, Dua Lipa

Everybody Rise, Amy Shark

Let Me Drink, Guy Sebastian

Never Seen The Rain, Tones And I

Selfish, Jessica Mauboy

Most Performed Rock Work

Chase The Feeling, Wolfmother ft Chris Cester

Getting The Band Back Together, Cold Chisel

Good For You, Spacey Jane

I Missed Out, Hockey Dad

Soak Me In Bleach, The Amity Affliction

Most Performed International Work

Adore You, Harry Styles

Before You Go, Lewis Capaldi

Blinding Lights, The Weeknd

Don’t Start Now, Dua Lipa

Memories, Maroon 5

Originally published as The Oils, Amy Shark, Tame Impala, Tim Minchin and Guy Sebastian are up for 2021 APRA Song of the Year