Lime Cordiale dominates ARIA award nominations

Last year, Tones and I took home four trophies including best pop release for her record-smashing hit Dance Monkey. This year she has been nominated three times, including for song of the year for her follow-up hit Never Seen the Rain.

In a year where the music industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with thousands of gigs cancelled and many artists pushing back album releases, it is the breakthrough artists who have really dominated in the awards.

Of the five nominees in the breakthrough artist category, four have multiple nominations, including Lime Cordiale, Sydney rapper The Kid Laroi (three nominations) and Brisbane pop singer Mallrat (two nominations). Anangu and Torres Strait Islander singer Miiesha can count a nomination in that category among five she received for her debut album Nyaaringu. She has also earned a nomination for best female artist and will compete against previous ARIA winners Sampa the Great, Amy Shark, Tones and I and Sia.

This year's ARIA Awards will take place at Sydney's The Star on November 25 and be broadcast on Nine (the owner of this masthead). COVID-19 restrictions mean the awards will take place without a live audience for the first time, however a number of performances will go ahead. For the first time in close to a decade the Fine Arts and Artisan Awards, which cover categories like best cover art and best jazz album, will be awarded during the main ceremony.

2020 ARIA Music Award Nominees

Album Of The Year
DMA's – THE GLOW
Jessica Mauboy – Hilda
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You
Sampa The Great – The Return
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

Best Male Artist
Archie Roach – Tell Me Why
Guy Sebastian – Standing With You
Ruel – Free Time
The Kid LAROI – F*ck Love
Troye Sivan – In A Dream

Best Female Artist
Amy Shark – Everybody Rise
Miiesha – Nyaaringu
Sampa The Great – The Return
Sia – Together
Tones And I – Bad Child / Can't Be Happy All the Time

Best Dance Release
Alice Ivy – Don't Sleep
Dom Dolla – San Frandisco
Flume – Rushing Back feat. Vera Blue
Northeast Party House – Shelf Life
Stace Cadet & KLP – Energy

Best Group
5 Seconds Of Summer – CALM
DMA'S – THE GLOW
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
The Teskey Brothers – Live At The Forum

Breakthrough Artist
Alex the Astronaut – The Theory of Absolutely Nothing
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You
Mallrat – Driving Music
Miiesha – Nyaaringu
The Kid LAROI – F*ck Love

Best Pop Release
Amy Shark – Everybody Rise
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You
Sia – Together
Tame Impala – Lost In Yesterday
Troye Sivan – In A Dream

Best Hip Hop Release
Baker Boy – Meditjin feat. JessB
Briggs – Always Was EP
Illy – Last Laugh
Sampa The Great – The Return
The Kid LAROI – F*ck Love

Best Soul/R&B Release
Genesis Owusu – Don't Need You
KIAN – Every Hour
Miiesha – Nyaaringu
Tash Sultana – Pretty Lady
Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird, Vol.2

Best Independent Release
Archie Roach – Tell Me Why
DMA'S – THE GLOW
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen
Sampa The Great – The Return

Best Rock Album
Cold Chisel – Blood Moon
DMA'S – THE GLOW
Ocean Alley – Lonely Diamond
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
Violent Soho – Everything Is A-OK

Best Adult Contemporary Album
Archie Roach – Tell Me Why
Donny Benét – Mr Experience
Gordi – Our Two Skins
Josh Pyke – Rome
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen

Best Country Album
Casey Barnes – Town of A Million Dreams
Fanny Lumsden – Fallow
Jasmine Rae – Lion Side
The McClymonts – Mayhem To Madness
Travis Collins – Wreck Me

Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Chunky Shrapnel
Parkway Drive – Viva The Underdogs
Polaris – The Death Of Me
The Amity Affliction – Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them
The Chats – High Risk Behaviour

Best Blues & Roots Album
Busby Marou – The Great Divide
Frank Yamma – Tjukurpa: The Story
Lucky Oceans – Purple Sky (Songs Originally By Hank Williams)
The Teskey Brothers – Live At The Forum
Tracy McNeil & The GoodLife – You Be The Lightning

Best Children's Album
Diver City – Welcome to Diver City
Teeny Tiny Stevies – Thoughtful Songs for Little People
The Vegetable Plot – Season Two
The Wiggles – Choo Choo Trains, Propeller Planes & Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car!
Tiptoe Giants – Colour the World

Best Comedy Release
Anne Edmonds – What's Wrong With You?
Bev Killick – Crummy Mummy
Celia Pacquola – All Talk
Megan Washington – Just Jesus (feat. Chris Ryan)
Tom Gleeson – Joy

Public voted awards

Best Video presented by YouTube Music
Baker Boy – Meditjin feat. JessB
Guy Sebastian – Standing With You
Lime Cordiale – Robbery
PNAU feat. Vlossom – Lucky
Sampa The Great – Time’s Up (feat. Krown)
Tame Impala – Is It True
The Chats – The Clap
Tones And I – Ur So F**kInG cOoL
Troye Sivan – Easy
Violent Soho – Pick It Up Again

Best Australian Live Act
Amy Shark – Amy Shark Regional Tour
Baker Boy – Falls Festival
Cold Chisel – Blood Moon Tour
DMA'S – Unplugged & Intimate | Laneway Festival
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – St Jerome's Laneway Festival
Paul Kelly – Paul Kelly - Making Gravy 2019
PNAU – All Of Us Australian Tour
RÜFÜS DU SOL – 2019 Summer Festival Tour
The Teskey Brothers – Run Home Slow

Song of the Year
5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
Flume Feat. Vera Blue – Rushing Back
Hilltop Hoods Feat. Illy & Ecca Vandal – Exit Sign
Lime Cordiale – Robbery
Mallrat – Charlie
Ruel – Painkiller
Sam Fischer – This City
The Jungle Giants – Heavy Hearted
The Rubens – Live In Life
Tones and I – Never Seen the Rain

Best International Artist
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Eminem – Music To Be Murdered By
Halsey – Manic
Harry Styles – Fine Line
Juice WRLD – Legends Never Die
Justin Bieber – Changes
Lewis Capaldi – Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent
Lizzo – Cuz I Love You
Taylor Swift – Folklore
The Weekend – After Hours

Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award
CJ Shaw – Palmerston District Primary School, Canberra ACT
Kathryn McLennan – Virginia State School, Virginia QLD
Sarah Donnelley – Wilcannia Central School, Wilcannia NSW
Thomas Fienberg – Evans High School, Blacktown, NSW

Artisan Awards

Best Cover Art
Donny Benét – Mr Experience
Jessica Mauboy – Hilda
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You
Violent Soho – Everything Is A-OK
WASHINGTON – Batflowers

Engineer Of The Year

Alice Ivy – Don't Sleep
IAMMXO (aka Mohamed Komba) for Miiesha – Nyaaringu
Eric J Dubowsky for Ruel – Free Time
Kevin Parker for Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
Greg Wales for Violent Soho – Everything Is A-OK

Producer Of The Year
Kevin Shirley for Cold Chisel – Blood Moon
DNA & Louis Schoorl for Jessica Mauboy – Hilda
IAMMXO (aka Mohamed Komba) for Miiesha – Nyaaringu
M-Phazes for Ruel – Free Time
Kevin Parker for Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

Fine Arts Awards

Best Classical Album
Alicia Crossley – Muse
David Greco & Erin Helyard – Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin
Jayson Gillham, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Carter – Beethoven Piano Concertos
Richard Tognetti & Erin Helyard – Beethoven & Mozart Violin Sonatas
Slava & Sharon Grigoryan – Our Place: Duets For Cello And Guitar

Best Jazz Album
Katie Noonan – The Sweetest Taboo
Luke Howard – All That Is Not Solid
Mike Nock; Hamish Stuart; Julien Wilson; Jonathan Zwartz – This World
Nat Bartsch – Forever More
Paul Kelly & Paul Grabowsky – Please Leave Your Light On

Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album
Chelsea Cullen – I Am Woman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Dan Golding – Untitled Goose Game (Original Soundtrack)
Grigoryan Brothers – A Boy Called Sailboat
Matteo Zingales & Antony Partos - Mystery Road (Original Score: Seasons 1-2)
Sally Seltmann & Darren Seltmann – The Letdown (Music from Seasons 1+2)

Best World Music Album
Grace Barbe – FANM:WOMAN
Joseph Tawadros – Live at the Sydney Opera House
Melbourne Ska Orchestra – Live At The Triffid
The Crooked Fiddle Band – Another Subtle Atom Bomb
Xylouris White – The Sisypheans