Winners announced for 2016 APRA Awards

Courtney Barnett’s welcome hold on the Australian public and industry continued last night as the singer-songwriter took out the coveted Songwriter of the Year Award at last night’s 2016 APRA Music Awards.

Barnett praised copyright collective APRA AMCOS during her acceptance speech: "When I got my APRA membership I felt like a real songwriter,” she said. 

The win follows Barnett’s banner 2015 where she received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist and four ARIA Awards from eight nominations – all off the back of her debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.

Fellow Grammy nominee Kevin Parker took out the Song of the Year APRA Award for the Tame Impala single Let It Happen. The Perth band has also had a momentour 12 months winning International Group at the 2016 BRIT Awards; five ARIA Awards for their third studio album, Currents; and receiving a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Alternative Album category. 

22-year-old Alex Hope is this year’s Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year. Her work includes writing and production credits on releases by Troye Sivan, Broods, Jessie Ware, Tove Lo, Joel Little, Jack Antonoff, Astrid S, Ryn Weaver, Tina Arena, Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Taylor Henderson and Tuka, among others.

The inaugural Overseas Recognition Award was presented to Phil Barton. Included in his 800-strong co-writes are releases for Lee Brice, Sara Evans, David Nail, Dustin Lynch, Cassadee Pope, Jana Kramer, Mickey Guyton, Kristian Bush and Tate Stevens as well as Jai Waetford, Busby Marou, Amber Lawrence, Baylou and The McClymonts. 

Peking Duk (band members Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles with producer Styalz Fuego and SAFIA’s Ben Woolner) took out two Awards (Dance Work of the Year and Most Played Australian Work) for their track Take Me Over.

Meanwhile Lee Kernaghan, Colin Buchanan and Garth Porter took out the Country Work of the Year award for ARIA #1 Spirit of the ANZACs; Jarryd James won his first APRA award when his triple-platinum selling Do You Remember took out Pop Work of the Year; Sia’s Chandelier again took out the Most Played Australian Work Overseas, marking her seventh APRA Award; and notching up their third win, Hilltop Hoods, along with writers Barry Francis, Matthew Lambert and Daniel Smith took home the Urban Work of the Year award for Cosby Sweater.

Archibald Prize-winning artist, Ben Quilty presented the 2016 Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music to the legendary Cold Chisel (Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Steve Prestwich, Phil Small and Don Walker).

Performers on the night included Urthboy feat. Kira Puru and Bertie Blackman; The Delta Riggs who took on Tame Impala’s Let It Happen; San Cisco covered Courtney Barnett’s Pedestrian at Best; Gang of Youths teamed up with Montaigne to perform Jarryd James’ Do You Remember; D.I.G. performed Anchor by Birds of Tokyo featuring Ngaiire and newly discovered 13-year-old singer/songwriter, Ruel; Guy Sebastian took on C.W. Stoneking’s The Zombie and The Living End ended the night performing Khe Sanh as a tribute to Cold Chisel.

COMPLETE LIST OF 2016 APRA MUSIC AWARD WINNERS

Song of the Year
 
Title:           Let it Happen
Artist:          Tame Impala       
Writer:         Kevin Parker
Publisher:    Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia)
 
Songwriter of the Year
 
Writer:        Courtney Barnett   
Publisher:    Native Tongue Music Publishing
 
Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music
 
Cold Chisel
 
Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year
 
Writer:        Alex Hope
Publisher:    Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia)
 
Overseas Recognition Award

Writer:         Phil Barton
Publisher:    Warner/Chappell Music Australia
 
Most Played Australian Work Overseas
 
Title:           Chandelier

Artist:          Sia
Writers:       Sia Furler and Jesse Shatkin
Publisher:    Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia)
 
Most Played Australian Work 
 
Title:           Take Me Over
Artist:          Peking Duk feat. Safia    
Writers:       Adam Hyde*/ Reuben Styles* / Styalz Fuego^ / Ben Woolner
Publishers:  Universal Music Publishing*/ Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia)^
 
Country Work of the Year
 
Title:           Spirit of the ANZACs
Artist:          Lee Kernaghan     
Writers:       Lee Kernaghan / Colin Buchanan / Garth Porter*    
Publishers:  Universal Music Publishing / Perfect Pitch Publishing*
          
Blues & Roots Work of the Year
 
Title:            Days of Gold
Artist:           Busby Marou        
Writers:        Thomas Busby / Phil Barton* / Lindsay Rimes
Publishers:   Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia) / Warner/Chappell Music Australia
 
Dance Work of the Year
 
Title:            Take Me Over
Artist:           Peking Duk feat. Safia    
Writers:        Adam Hyde*/ Reuben Styles* / Styalz Fuego^ / Ben Woolner
Publishers:    Universal Music Publishing*/ Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia)^
 
Rock Work of the Year
 
Title:           Anchor
Artist:          Birds of Tokyo
Writers:       Ian Berney / Ian Kenny / Glenn Sarangapany / Adam Spark / Adam Weston
Publisher:    Mushroom Music
 
Pop Work of the Year
 
Title:            Do You Remember
Artist:           Jarryd James
Writers:        Jarryd James / Joel Little
Publishers:    Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia)
 
Urban Work of the Year
 
Title:            Cosby Sweater
Artist:           Hilltop Hoods
Writers:        DJ Debris / MC Pressure / Suffa / Demitris Christopoulos* /John Kelman*
Publishers:    Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia) / J Albert and Son*
 
International Work of the Year
 
Title:           Uptown Funk
Artist:          Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
Writers:       Jeffrey Bhasker* / Devon Gallaspy* / Philip Lawrence^ / Bruno Mars+ / Mark Ronson~ / Lonnie Simmons# / Rudy Taylor# / Nicholaus Williams~ / Charlie Wilson# / Robert Wilson# Ronnie Wilson#
Publishers:   Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia)* / Universal/MCA Music Publishing^ / Warner/Chappell Music Australia+ / Native Tongue Music Publishing~ / New Songs Administration Australia#