Staff picks

ARIA AWARDS

Among the local music stars due to perform at the 32nd ARIA Awards (airs Wed., Nov. 28, 7.30pm; Nine) are Dean Lewis, 5 Seconds of Summer, Courtney Barnett and Amy Shark, who leads the race with nine nominations, including for Album of the Year and Song of the Year. Other highlights: Gurrumul is posthumously nominated for seven awards and country performer Kasey Chambers will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the event hosted by Keith Urban.

I USED TO BE NORMAL

Elif, 16, remembers having a “normal” life before discovering One Direction. As a teen, Dara, 33, knew to keep her Take That worship secret from her Green Day–loving peers. Sadia, 25, tells how a boyfriend’s gift of a Backstreet Boys calendar made her realise she loved them more than him. This sweet doco, subtitled A Boyband Fangirl Story (in cinemas now), will make you smile, especially when Dara admits she only participated to get the attention of Take That’s Gary Barlow.

MISSY HIGGINS

Has it really been 14 years since the singer-songwriter, coming off winning Triple J’s Unearthed, released her debut album, The Sound of White? Now, Higgins, 35, has just released The Special Ones, a “best of” including three new tracks as well as 16 favourites, and performs in Melbourne’s Spiegeltent for TV special Missy Higgins and Friends Live (airs Sun., Nov. 25, 8.40pm; ABC). Some of those friends joining her onstage: Peter Garrett, Kasey Chambers and Dan Sultan.