SA artists in the running for top Australian music awards
Adelaide musicians are not missing out on this year’s ARIA Awards, with a handful of SA artists today getting nods for their craft.
Amongst the many nominees for the 40th annual ARIA Awards – Australia’s top music prize – South Australians have picked up some nominations with Aleksiah, Any Young Mechanic, Paul Kelly, Tkay Maidza, and The Hilltop Hoods all getting a nod.
Along with the musicians nominated, Laneway Festival is up for Best Musical Festival.
The long-running festival made its Adelaide stop back in February; however, the festival organisers have cut Adelaide from their 2027 circuit.
Pop star-to-be, Aleksiah, has been nominated for the Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist Award.
After releasing her first EP in 2024, she released her third EP Good On Paper in May, paired with a run of shows around the country.
After receiving the news of the nomination she posted her reaction on social media, saying “I’m gonna throw up im nominated for an [ARIA] breakthrough artist!!!!,” also posting on her Instagram story with the simple caption of: “holy shit”.
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Good On Paper also made it to number two on the Top 10 Aus Albums chart in June, and number seven overall, cementing the rocket-fuelled trajectory her new EP has given her career.
Any Young Mechanic is not just any young Aussie band. The five-piece band, whose name is a reference to Altman’s The Long Goodbye, has been nominated for Best Blues & Roots Album for their debut album The Modern Shoe is Ruining The Foot.
The album blends the charms of folk music with energetic rhythms and roots instrumentation to bring folk rock into the modern age.
Paul Kelly getting an ARIA nomination is like drinking a Southwark Stout on a crisp Winter’s afternoon – it just feels right.
The South Australian legend has won 14 ARIA awards, been nominated 60 times, and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997.
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This year, his album Seventy has been nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album and Best Australian Live Act for his 2025 Australian Tour.
Seventy, named after Kelly’s own age, is his 30th studio album, and is an introspective dive into storytelling, focusing on ideas of age, memory, mortality, and desire.
Tkay Maidza has been nominated for Best Soul / R&B Release for her song Romanticize.
Originally from Zimbabwe, the artist moved to Australia as a child, ending up in Adelaide.
As a teen, she released her first album Brontosaurus, and soon went on to guest on Troye Sivan’s first album.
Finding inspiration in her African Australian Heritage, her music has a unique rhythmic sensibility, dabbling in genres of alt-rap, electronic, funk, and R&B.
Earning her first ARIA nomination in 2017, she has gone on to many more nominations and two wins in 2021 and 2024.
Similarly to Paul Kelly, the Hilltop Hoods are no strangers to the ARIA Awards.
Nominated for Best Australian Live Act with their Never Coming Home Tour, and Best Hip Hop / Rap Release for their song Never Coming Home.
The song focuses on themes of ambition and pushing the limits to achieve greatness, something the band is certainly familiar with, with 10 ARIA Awards under their belt and many more nominations.
This year’s ARIA’s will take place Wednesday November 18 at The Hordern Pavillion in Sydney.
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