Barnett wins top songwriter APRA Award
Courtney Barnett has been named the Songwriter Of The Year at the prestigious APRA Awards.
The Melbourne songwriter knocked Adelaide-born Sia off her perch at the awards in Sydney last night.
Sia had won the top gong for the past three years but she didn’t leave empty-handed, with her song “Chandelier” winning the Most Played Australian Work Overseas.
Barnett has been on a winning streak this year, especially at home where she’s been recognised for her debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. She won the Australian Music Prize for the album, took home four ARIA Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist.
But it wasn’t just Barnett’s night.
Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker won the Song Of The Year Award for “Let It Happen”, off the band’s third album Currents, while Adelaide hip-hop group Hilltop Hoods’ “Cosby Sweater” was named Urban Work of the Year.
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The APRAs, which honour songwriting, are decided by the APRA AMCOS Board of Publisher and Writer Directors.
Many local musicians stepped up to perform songs written by nominated Aussies. Among the highlights were Delta Riggs performing Tame Impala’s “Let It Happen”, San Cisco playing Courtney Barnett’s “Pedestrian at Best”, Guy Sebastian covering blues artist C.W. Stoneking’s “The Zombie” and The Living End ending the night with “Khe Sanh” as a tribute to Cold Chisel.
Chisel were presented the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music by artist Ben Quilty.
APRA MUSIC AWARD WINNERS:
Song Of The Year – Let it Happen, Tame Impala
Songwriter of the Year – Courtney Barnett
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Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music – Cold Chisel
Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year – Alex Hope
Overseas Recognition Award – Phil Barton
Most Played Australian Work Overseas – Chandelier, Sia
Most Played Australian Work – Take Me Over, Peking Duk feat. Safia
Country Work of the Year – Spirit of the ANZACs, Lee Kernaghan
Blues & Roots Work of the Year – Days of Gold, Busby Marou
Dance Work of the Year – Take Me Over, Peking Duk feat. Safia
Rock Work of the Year – Anchor, Birds of Tokyo
Pop Work of the Year – Do You Remember, Jarryd James/Joel Little
Urban Work of the Year – Cosby Sweater, Hilltop Hoods
International Work of the Year – Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
-AAP