After the disorientating cringe-fest that was last year’s telecast, the ARIAs graduated from weird to bland with a gaffe free ceremony dominated by that one song by Gotye and the debut album from Sydney quintet Boy & Bear. The former took home three “pointy things” for Single Of The Year, Best Pop Release and Best Male Artist, adding to three previously awarded technical gongs for Producer of the Year, Best Video and Engineer of the Year. The latter took home five gongs including Best Adult Contemporary Album, Breakthrough Artist – Single, Breakthrough Artist – Album, Best Group and the coveted Album of the Year for which Gotye was ineligible. Gotye = Australian music’s Brian Cranston.
Elsewhere, Cut Copy won Best Dance Release, Art Vs Science Best Independent Release, The Living End Best Rock Album, Drapht Best Urban Release, and New Zealand native Kimbra Best Female Artist. Apparently a Gotye duet grants you instant Australian citizenship. Full list of winners below…
2011 ARIA AWARD WINNERS
Album of the Year
Boy & Bear – Moonfire
(Island Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Single of the Year
Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra)
(Samples ‘n’ Seconds Records/Eleven: A Music Company)
Best Male Artist
Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra)
(Samples ‘n’ Seconds Records/Eleven: A Music Company)
Best Female Artist
Kimbra – Cameo Lover
(Warner Music Australia)
Best Group
Boy & Bear – Moonfire
(Island Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Breakthrough Artist – Album
Boy & Bear – Moonfire
(Island Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Breakthrough Artist – Single
Boy & Bear – Feeding Line
(Island Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Best Independent Release
Art vs Science – The Experiment
(Green/MGM Distribution)
Best Adult Alternative Album
Boy & Bear – Moonfire
(Island Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Billy Thorpe – Billy Thorpe’s Tangier
(Sony Music Entertainment Australia)
Best Blues & Roots Album
The Audreys – Sometimes the Stars
(ABC Music)
Best Children’s Album
The Wiggles – Ukulele Baby!
(ABC Music)
Best Comedy Release
Hamish & Andy – Celebrating 50 Glorious Years
(Roadshow Music)
Best Country Album
Kasey Chambers – Little Bird
(Liberation Music)
Best Dance Release
Cut Copy – Zonoscope
(Modular Recordings)
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
Front End Loader – Ritardando
(Weeping Anus Records/MGM Distribution)
Best Pop Release
Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra)
(Samples ‘n’ Seconds Records/Eleven: A Music Company)
Best Rock Album
The Living End – The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating
(Dew Process/Universal Music Australia)
Best Urban Album
Drapht – The Life of Riley
(The Ayems/Sony Music Entertainment Australia)
Highest Selling Album
Altiyan Childs – Altiyan Childs
(Sony Music Entertainment Australia)
Highest Selling Single
Guy Sebastian – Who’s that Girl (feat. Eve)
(Sony Music Entertainment Australia)
Best Classical Album
Sally Whitwell – Mad Rush: Piano Music of Philip Glass
(ABC Classics)
Best Jazz Album
Elixir featuring Katie Noonan – First Seed Ripening
(ABC Music)
Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album
Chris Lilley – Angry Boys – Official Soundtrack Album
(ABC Music)
Best World Music Album
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Rrakala
(Skinnyfish Music/MGM Distribution)
Best Music DVD
AC/DC – AC/DC – Live at River Plate
(Albert Productions)
Best Cover Art
Alter – Cut Copy, Zonoscope
(Modular Recordings)
Best Video
Natasha Pincus for Starkraving Productions – Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra)
(Samples ‘n’ Seconds Records/Eleven: A Music Company)
Engineer of the Year
Francois Tetaz – Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra)
(Samples ‘n’ Seconds Records/Eleven: A Music Company)
Producer of the Year
Wally De Backer – Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra)
Samples ‘n’ Seconds Records/Eleven: A Music Company)
2011 PUBLIC VOTED ARIA AWARD WINNERS
Most Popular Australian Artist
Birds of Tokyo
(EMI Music Australia)
Most Popular International Artist
P!nk
(La Face/Sony Music Australia)
Most Popular Australian Live Artist
The Living End
(Dew Process/Universal Music Australia)
