2021 AIR Awards | |
---|---|
Date | 5 August 2021 [1] |
Venue | Freemasons Hall, Adelaide, Australia |
Hosted by |
|
Most awards | DMA's (3) |
Most nominations |
|
Website | https://air.org.au/air-awards/ |
Television/radio coverage | |
Network | YouTube |
The 2021 AIR Awards is the fifteenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards ceremony (generally known as the AIR Awards). It took place virtually on 5 August 2021 in Adelaide.
The nominations were revealed on 2 June 2021 with all material being released in 2020. [4]
At the virtual event, AIR CEO, Maria Amato said "Congratulations to all the nominees and winners tonight. In a year of continued lockdowns and enormous challenges it was great to see Australian independent artists continue to create new music and connect with engaged audiences." [5]
Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni said "Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. You all richly deserve the recognition after what has been a challenging year for the music industry. The South Australian Government is proud to support these awards, showcasing the amazing artists that we have in this country across a wide range of diverse genres of music." [2]
Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface; other final nominees are listed alphabetically. [1] [6]
Independent Album of the Year | Independent Song of the Year |
---|---|
| |
Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year | Best Independent Blues and Roots Album or EP |
| |
Best Independent Children's Album or EP | Best Independent Classical Album or EP |
|
|
Best Independent Country Album or EP | Best Independent Dance or Electronica Album or EP |
|
|
Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single | Best Independent Heavy Album or EP |
| |
Best Independent Hip Hop Album or EP | Best Independent Jazz Album or EP |
| |
Best Independent Pop Album or EP | Best Independent Punk Album or EP |
|
|
Best Independent Rock Album or EP | Best Independent Soul/R&B Album or EP |
|
|
Best Independent Label | 2021 Outstanding Achievement Award |
| |
Katie Anne Noonan is an Australian singer and songwriter. In addition to a successful solo career encompassing opera, jazz, pop, rock and dance, she was the singer in the band George and remains the singer in the band Elixir; performs with her mother Maggie Noonan; and plays with her band The Captains. Noonan was the musical director of and performed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games' opening and closing ceremonies.
The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) is an Australian orchestra focused on chamber music based in Sydney.
Daniel Leo Sultan is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, actor and author. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 he won Best Male Artist and Best Blues & Roots Album for his second album, Get Out While You Can. At the 2014 ceremony he won Best Rock Album for Blackbird, which had reached number four on the ARIA Albums Chart. In 2017, Sultan's record Killer was nominated for three ARIA awards: Best Male Artist, Best Rock Album, and Best Independent Release. Sultan's debut children's music album Nali & Friends was named Best Children's Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019.
Big Scary is an Australian musical duo formed in Melbourne in 2006, by Tom Iansek and Joanna Syme. The pair have released several EPs and five studio albums.
Casey Barnes is an Australian country rock singer-songwriter from Tasmania, Australia, who is best known as a contestant on the seventh season of Australian Idol in 2009. Barnes won the ARIA Award for Best Country Album in 2022.
Harley Edward Streten, known professionally as Flume, is an Australian musician, DJ, and record producer. He is regarded as a pioneer of future bass who helped popularise the genre. His self-titled debut studio album, Flume, was released in 2012 to positive reviews, topping the ARIA Albums Chart and reaching double-platinum accreditation in Australia.
Rüfüs Du Sol is an Australian alternative dance group from Sydney, that consists of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt.
Mojo Ruiz de Luzuriaga, known professionally as Mo'Ju and previously as Mojo Juju, is an Australian musician, best known for their 2018 album Native Tongue and the lead single of the same title. The single won the Best Independent Single category in the 2019 AIR Awards. They play guitar and piano, write songs and sing, and have created music in a number of genres.
DMA's are an Australian rock band formed in 2012 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band is composed of lead vocalist Tommy O'Dell, lead guitarist Matt Mason, and rhythm guitarist Johnny Took. They originally gained popularity for their debut single "Delete" and for their self-titled EP, which were both released in 2014. The band have since gone on to release four studio albums: Hills End (2016), For Now (2018), The Glow (2020) and How Many Dreams? (2023). All four albums have peaked within the top 10 of the ARIA Albums Chart, with the latter two also reaching the top five in the UK and Scotland.
Julia Jacklin is an Australian singer-songwriter from the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. Jacklin's musical style has been described as indie pop, indie folk, and alternative country. She has released three studio albums, Don't Let the Kids Win (2016), Crushing (2019) and Pre Pleasure (2022). Jacklin has also performed with the band Phantastic Ferniture, with whom she released the debut single "Fuckin 'n' Rollin" and a self-titled album in 2018, followed by subsequent singles.
Margaret Edwina Lumsden, professionally known as Fanny Lumsden, is an Australian country music singer and songwriter. She has released 4 albums and 3 EPs.
Alexandra Lahey is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Her debut album I Love You Like a Brother was released on 6 October 2017 and peaked at number 15 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Her second album, The Best of Luck Club followed in 2019, peaking at number 30. Following an EP issued during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she released her third record, The Answer Is Always Yes, in May 2023.
Stella Donnelly is a Welsh-Australian indie rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. After the success of her debut EP Thrush Metal in 2017, she signed with Secretly Canadian in 2018. She released her debut studio album Beware of the Dogs to critical acclaim in March 2019, peaking at number 15 on the ARIA Album Charts, and winning Independent Album of the Year at the AIR Awards. Her second studio album, Flood, was released in August 2022, debuting at number 29 on the ARIA Charts.
Georgia Claire Flipo, known professionally as G Flip, is an Australian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Melbourne, Victoria. Their debut studio album, About Us, was released on 30 August 2019. Its follow-up, Drummer, followed almost four years later on 11 August 2023.
Lime Cordiale are an Australian pop rock group formed in 2009. It consists of brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach, with additional members James Jennings, Felix Bornholt and Nicholas Polovineo. They released their debut studio album Permanent Vacation in 2017. The group have performed at Groovin' the Moo and South by Southwest (SXSW). At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards they were nominated in eight categories and won Breakthrough Artist – Release for their second album, 14 Steps to a Better You.
The Teskey Brothers are an Australian blues rock band from Melbourne, named after the two brothers who formed the group in 2008: Josh Teskey and Sam Teskey. In 2019, they signed with Glassnote Records and Ivy League Records. They have released three albums: Half Mile Harvest (2017), Run Home Slow (2019) and The Winding Way (2023). At the 2019 ARIA Music Awards, The Teskey Brothers were nominated for seven awards. They won three categories for the album Run Home Slow, Best Group, Best Blues and Roots Album and Engineer of the Year.
The Australian Independent Record Awards is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
The Glow is the third studio album by Australian indie rock band DMA's. It was released on 10 July 2020.
Mildlife are a Melbourne-based, Australian psychedelic jazz fusion group formed in 2013. The group have released three albums.