Amyl and the Sniffers have claimed the top honor at the Australian Performing Rights Association (Apra) awards for the second year in a row, winning song of the year for their track Jerkin’. The Melbourne punk quartet also took home most performed rock work for Jerkin’ and the songwriter of the year award on Wednesday night.
Jerkin’ Triumphs at Apras
Song of the year is the only peer-voted category at the Apras, where most awards are determined by airplay and royalties. Jerkin’, a proudly profane kiss-off to the band’s detractors, is a single from their third album Cartoon Darkness. That album earned them four Arias in November and has seen the band reckon with a stratospheric rise that includes Grammy and Brit nominations, as well as slots at Glastonbury and Coachella.
Last year, they won song of the year for U Should Not Be Doing That, also from Cartoon Darkness. Accepting the award on stage, frontwoman Amy Taylor said, “You’re probably sick of hearing from us,” a year after winning the same prize.
Guy Sebastian and Sia Shine
Guy Sebastian took home multiple Apras, winning most performed Australian work and most performed pop work for his track Maybe. This marks his third and fourth wins since his first nomination in 2005. Sia became Apra’s most-awarded writer of all time, winning her 14th prize for most performed Australian work overseas for her 2016 single Unstoppable. This is her second consecutive win for the same song.
Sarah Aarons and Emily Wurramara Win Big
Songwriting powerhouse Sarah Aarons won her sixth Apra with the international recognition award, selected by the Apras board. Aarons broke out in 2017 for her collaborations with Zedd on Stay and The Middle, and has since written for BTS, Tame Impala, and Miley Cyrus. Accepting the award, she joked, “My favourite restaurant in LA is the Qantas lounge at LAX … If you know you know.”
Emerging songwriter of the year went to Indigenous and Filipino folk singer Emily Wurramara, her first Apra award after being nominated for the same prize last year.
First-Time Winners
It was a big night for first-time winners. DJ Sonny Fodera won most performed dance/electronic work for Tell Me; Ball Park Music took alternative for Please Don’t Move to Melbourne; Pania won R&B/soul for Pity Party; Karen Lee Andrews won blues and roots for Survival; Rachael Fahim won country for Who You Are; and Ocean Grove won hard rock/heavy metal for Raindrop. In hip-hop/rap, OneFour won for Spinnin, a single from their long-awaited debut album released last year after years of police scrutiny.
Earlier this month, the Ted Albert lifetime achievement award was announced for INXS, who won six Apra awards between 1988 and 1992.
