Aussie hip hop artists steal the show at Aria Awards
AUSTRALIAN hip hop finally came of age at the 2021 ARIA Awards, with critically acclaimed Genesis Owusu and global teen sensation The Kid Laroi leading this year’s winners list.
Owusu’s stunning debut record, Smiling With No Teeth, has been scoring rave reviews around the world, and won four ARIAs during the ceremony streamed from Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.
It is the first hip hop release to win the prized Album of the Year in the ARIA Awards’ 35year history.
The Kid Laroi, who has reigned as the world’s new pop prince this year with Stay, his collaboration with “brother” Justin Bieber, picked up Best Pop Release.
“Wow, I guess this is a great start to the night, Best Pop Release,”
he said. “I just wanted to give a big shout out to everyone in this category and everyone that has supported this song and taken it to what it is.
“Big shout out to my brother Justin Bieber for being part of this record and helping me make it so special. I love you guys, thank you.”
And on the same day he was nominated for Best New Talent for next year’s Grammys, Laroi was named as ARIA’s first-ever Best Artist award recipient, a combination of the Best Male and Best Female categories.
“It’s incredible that I’m getting this much love especially from home, that means the world to me,” Laroi said in the prerecorded video acceptance speech.
The 19-year-old teen soul sensation Budjerah was presented with the inaugural Michael Gudinski Breakthrough
Artist award by the late music entrepreneur’s close friend Ed Sheeran.
Meanwhile, Indie group Spacey Jane was the surprise winner of the publicly voted Song of the Year, and Australian electronic outfit Rufus Du Sol – which also scored a 2022 Grammys nomination on Wednesday – won Best Group from a field of rock and pop bands including AC/DC and Midnight Oil.