2021 APRA Awards is set: Check out Song of the Year contenders

Open your calendars. The 2021 APRA Awards will happen this autumn, rain, hail or COVID.

Following a virtual edition held during the peak of the pandemic, the 2021 APRA Music Awards is tentatively set for a return as a live industry event. 

The annual ceremony will take place 28th April, and — fingers crossed — will be hosted at the International Convention Centre Grand Ballroom on Darling Harbour, organisers said Thursday. 

There’s a chance of glory for Kevin Parker, Tones And I, Kylie Minogue and INXS’ Andrew Farriss, who are in the hunt for Song of the Year, one of the top honours announced each year at the APRAs.

Perth’s psychedelic-rock wizard Parker is the best-placed songwriter, bagging nominations for three Tame Impala songs, ‘Is It True,’ ‘It Might Be Time,’ and ‘Lost In Yesterday,’ all lifted from the ARIA Albums Chart-topping LP The Slow Rush.

Minogue makes her first appearance with ‘Say Something,’ from her hit 2020 album Disco, while Farriss and the late Michael Hutchence are shortlisted for Dua Lipa’s ‘Break My Heart,’ which samples the 1097 INXS single ‘Need You Tonight.’

Kevin Parker photo by Matt Sav

The Song of the Year is peer-voted by APRA members, with the final shortlist of five announced in March.

“As Australia slowly begins recovering from the Coronavirus pandemic, our industry is still largely on pause,” comments Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS.

“After such a difficult year, our sincere hope is that we can stage a traditional live ceremony for the 2021 APRA Music Awards. A physical event would announce that we’re in a new era, one where we can celebrate the Australian songwriters that have excelled despite one of the most challenging years in memory. We hope to see you there in the flesh.”

All APRA songwriter and publisher members who vote on the category are automatically entered into a draw to win $5,000, courtesy of Marsh.

Short List For Peer-Voted APRA Song Of The Year  

BAD CHILD – [TONES AND I] – Toni Watson (Kobalt Music Publishing + Warner Chappell Music)

BOOSTER SEAT – [SPACEY JANE] – Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu / Caleb Harper / Kieran Lama / Peppa Lane (Kobalt Music Publishing obo Dew Process Publishing)

BREAK MY HEART – [DUA LIPA] – Andrew Farriss*^ / Michael Hutchence^ / Dua Lipa^ / Jordan Johnson / Stefan Johnson> / Ali Tamposi# / Andrew Watt> (Warner Chappell Music* / Universal Music Publishing^ / BMG Rights Management+ / Kobalt Music Publishing>/ Mushroom Music#)

 CARRY YOU – [MISSY HIGGINS] – Tim Minchin (Kobalt Music Publishing)

EVERYBODY RISE – [AMY SHARK] – Amy Shark / Joel Little* (Mushroom Music / Sony/ATV Music Publishing*)

GADIGAL LAND – [MIDNIGHT OIL FT DAN SULTAN, JOEL DAVISON, KALEENA BRIGGS & BUNNA LAWRIE] – Rob Hirst* / Joel Davison / Bunna Lawrie^ (Sony/ATV Music Publishing* / Universal Music Publishing^)

GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER – [COLD CHISEL] – Don Walker (Sony/ATV Music Publishing)

GHOSTEEN – [NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS] – Nick Cave / Warren Ellis (Kobalt Music Publishing)

IF I NEVER SAY A WORD – [MATT CORBY] – Matt Corby* / Matthew Neighbour (Sony/ATV Music Publishing*)

I’LL TAKE LONELY TONIGHT – [TIM MINCHIN] – Tim Minchin (Kobalt Music Publishing)

I’M GOOD? – [HILLTOP HOODS] – Barry Francis (DJ Debris)* / Daniel Smith (MC Pressure)* / Matthew Lambert (Suffa)* / John Bartlett / Paul Bartlett (Sony/ATV Music Publishing*)

IS IT TRUE – [TAME IMPALA] – Kevin Parker (Sony/ATV Music Publishing)

IT MIGHT BE TIME– [TAME IMPALA] – Kevin Parker (Sony/ATV Music Publishing)

LOST IN YESTERDAY– [TAME IMPALA] – Kevin Parker (Sony/ATV Music Publishing)

LOVE SONGS – [DARYL BRAITHWAITE] – Michael Fatkin* / Rosalind Crane / David Snyder^ (Universal Music Publishing* / Warner Chappell Music^)

MASOCHIST – [POLARIS] – Jamie Hails/ Daniel Furnari / Rick Schneider / Ryan Siew / Jacob Steinhauser (Kobalt Music Publishing)

MEDITJIN – [BAKER BOY ft JESSB] – Danzal Baker / Jess Bourke* / Dion Brownfield^ / Jerome Farah+ / Dallas Woods^ (Native Tongue Music Publishing* / Kobalt Music Publishing^ / Mushroom Music+)

ON OUR OWN – [LIME CORDIALE] – Louis Leimbach* / Oli Leimbach* / David Haddad^ / Michael Wofford (Universal Music Publishing obo Chugg Music* / Kobalt Music Publishing^)

SAY SOMETHING – [KYLIE MINOGUE] – Kylie Minogue* / Jonathan Green^ / Ashley Howes / Richard Stannard+ (Mushroom Music* / Universal Music Publishing^ / Native Tongue Music Publishing+)

SILVER – [DMAS] – Matthew Mason* / Thomas O’Dell* / John Took* / Thomas Crandles^ / Liam Hoskins* / Joel Flyger (Mushroom Music* / Sony/ATV Music Publishing^)

SITUATION ROOM – [SOMETHING FOR KATE] – Stephanie Ashworth / Paul Dempsey / Clint Hyndman (Sony/ATV Music Publishing)

STANDING WITH YOU – [GUY SEBASTIAN] – Guy Sebastian / Jamie Hartman* / Greg Holden^ (Universal Music Publishing / Mushroom Music* / Warner Chappell Music^)

TELL ME WHY – [ARCHIE ROACH WITH SALLY DASTEY] – Archie Roach (Mushroom Music)

TWO OF US [BIRDS OF TOKYO] – Ian Berney / Ian Kenny / Glenn Sarangapany / Adam Spark / Adam Weston (Mushroom Music)

WHEN WE’RE BOTH OLD AND MAD [PAUL KELLY & KASEY CHAMBERS] – Paul Kelly (Sony/ATV Music Publishing)

The shortlisted playlists can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.