Pop sensation Troye Sivan sweeps ARIAs yet again
Liz Hobday |
The Australian music industry has something to give pop sensation Troye Sivan – another three big ARIAs.
The global star has dominated the awards for the second year running, taking home three gongs for his album Something To Give Each Other.
After winning best solo artist and best pop release, by the time the singer-songwriter returned to the stage to accept album of the year, he had run out of people to thank.
“What the hell, I literally don’t have anything to say,” he told the audience at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on Wednesday night.
Sivan went with an anecdote, explaining how a one-night stand with a stranger inspired the album, and how he then discovered his one time hook-up was listening to that very same album to get through a break-up.
Sivan won four ARIAs in 2023, taking his total to nine.
Earlier in the evening, he gave a shout-out to his mum in the audience while accepting the gong for best pop album.
“My mum sent me this video of me singing Barbie Girl by Aqua when I was, like, three,” Sivan said.
“It made me aware of the fact that since I was a little kid I knew I was gay and I also knew that I loved pop music.”
The night really belonged to Missy Higgins, who was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame with several standing ovations, and tributes from Paul Kelly, Amy Shark, Tim Minchin and Ben Lee.
The singer-songwriter also won the public-voted award for best live act for The Second Act Tour 2024, and tearily thanked her touring band.
“(If) you’ve just been through a divorce and turned 40 and having an existential crisis, I highly recommend going out on the road with a bunch of amazing human beings,” she said.
Royel Otis won four gongs including best group and best rock album for PRATTS & PAIN, which also won best engineered and best produced release for producer Chris Collins.
The audience was treated to a surprise live performance by US indie stars The Pixies, as well as tunes from Teen Jesus and The Jean Teasers, and Troy Cassar-Daley, winner of best country album, performing with Kasey Chambers and US country star Kane Brown.
Song of the year went to G Flip for The Worst Person Alive, and they thanked their family for putting up with their drums practice growing up.
“The music was really bad at the start and then it slowly got better so thank you for putting up with that,” they said.
Earlier in the night, first nations rap supergroup 3% won best hip-hop and rap release for the album KILL THE DEAD.
Bluey album Dance Mode! won best children’s album, the hit program’s second win after taking out the award in 2021.
Taylor Swift won most popular international artist with her latest release The Tortured Poets Department, and thanked her Australian fans in a recorded message.
“You know, we’ve had some amazing memories together, especially recently, like coming to play for you guys on The Eras Tour in Australia was unbelievable.”
“You guys are so wild, so passionate, so much fun.”
Breakthrough artist went to Canberra punk outfit Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.
“This is epic – we started the band when we were 15 after watching School of Rock at a sleepover,” they laughed.
Best hard rock/heavy metal album went to SPEED for Only One Mode, which features breakout flute solos.
Best dance/electronic release went to Dom Dolla for Saving Up, best jazz album to Mildlife for their release Chorus and best classical album to Sophie Hutchings for A World Outside.
AAP