With a hattrick of wins, The Kid Laroi led from start to finish as the APRA Music Awards returned to Melbourne on Tuesday night (May 3).
The teenage superstar has rolled in a purple patch the likes of which few artists see. Now based in Los Angeles, the Sydney-raised artist led the singles and albums charts in the U.S. and Australia in 2021, and, along the way, logged a record-setting stay at the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Stay,” his collaboration with Justin Bieber.
At the 2022 APRAs, Laroi nabbed the night’s top prize and the final category of the night, song of the year, and accepted the donut-shaped award by way of a live zoom from his studio in Los Angeles.
Earlier, Laroi (real name Charlton Howard) scored most performed hip-hop / rap work for “Without You” and the coveted songwriter of the year, meaning he converted three of his leading four nominations.
.@thekidlaroi has scored an APRA Music Awards trifecta 🏆🏆🏆
The 18-year-old has ended the night by taking home Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year for STAY, the global sensation co-written with @justinbieber #APRAs pic.twitter.com/BXpU0cujqY— APRA AMCOS (@APRAAMCOS) May 3, 2022
For the second straight year, Tones And I won a pair of APRAs, on this occasion for most performed pop work (“Fly Award”) and most performed Australian work overseas (“Dance Monkey”).
“I’m most proud of that song,” Tones acknowledged from the Melbourne Town Hall stage, when “Fly Away” took the silverware. “Dance Monkey” was released back in May 2019 and refuses to stop moving. “I released that so long ago, I had no idea it would be up for an award again,” she explained. “I promise you I’m not playing ‘Dance Monkey’ tonight.”
Tones was true to her word, though she did return to the stage with band and orchestra for a rendition of Amyl and the Sniffers’ “Guided by Angels,” one of the five numbers shortlisted for song of the year.
.@tonesandi is back on stage, complete with choir and ensemble, for her EPIC take on @amylandsniffers Song of the Year nom ‘Guided By Angels’ #APRAs pic.twitter.com/DDz2m7xhho
— APRA AMCOS (@APRAAMCOS) May 3, 2022
Another two-time winner was John Courtidis, who collected the most performed Australian work and most performed dance / electronic work for his contributions to “Head & Heart,” the dance hit performed by Joel Corry featuring MNEK. The song was recently inducted into APRA AMCOS’ The 1,000,000,000 List, the PRO’s elite who’ve notched one billion streams for one of their works.
Ghana-born, Canberra-raised funkmaster Genesis Owusu has cleaned up on the awards circuit with debut album Smiling with No Teeth, a breakthrough that has earned the artist the J Award for Australian Album of the year, the Australian Music Prize, several ARIA Awards and, most recently, first ranking in the 2021 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.
Get up off your feet and stomp your feet (and maybe try not to break the floor this time) for our 2022 Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year: @genesisowusu The brilliant creator is published by @Kobalt obo Ourness Songs 👏 #APRAs pic.twitter.com/Gi3eWVhXu1
— APRA AMCOS (@APRAAMCOS) May 3, 2022
The treasures keep coming, this time with the APRAs breakthrough songwriter of the year. The album, he told the audience, “was a deeply personal project for me. I used it as an individual in the process of catharsis and therapy,” as did many others, his growing pile of awards would suggest.
Other winners on the night included Amy Shark, Vance Joy, Joel Little, AC/DC’s Angus & Malcolm Young, Budjerah, Matt Corby and Ziggy Alberts, while legendary kids’ entertainers the Wiggles were feted with the Ted Albert Award, a prestigious honor from the APRA board of directors which acknowledges a group or individual who has contributed immensely to Australian music.
And then this happened!! @TheWiggles rocked the #APRAs WAKE UP JEFF! pic.twitter.com/MpqWmzoGdx
— APRA AMCOS (@APRAAMCOS) May 3, 2022
Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock frontman and co-founder Ross Wilson presented the accolade to the OG Wiggles, referring to the veteran artists as the “Fab Four for under 5s,” and pointing out they’re the only act to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and also lead the triple j Hottest 100, which they did in January with a cover of Tame Impala’s “Elephant.”
The 40th annual APRA Awards rocked out with a musical tribute to the late punk legend Chris Bailey, as You Am I frontman led the Hard-Ons with a blistering show-closing performance of the Saints’ classic “Know Your Product.”
Capping off a big night with a big performance from the Hard On’s and Tim Rogers, paying tribute to recently departed Chris Bailey – ‘Know Your Product’ #APRAs pic.twitter.com/CpBnZg7Ibl
— APRA AMCOS (@APRAAMCOS) May 3, 2022
Established in 1982, the Australasian Performing Right Association’s annual songwriters’ ceremony is one of the Australian music industry’s most treasured events.
See the full list of 2022 APRA Music Awards winners:
Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year
Title: STAY
Artist: The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber
Writers: The Kid LAROI / Justin Bieber* / Isaac De Boni# / Omer Fedi* / Magnus Hoiberg^ /
Michael Mule# / Charlie Puth+ / Subhaan Rahman / Blake Slatkin*
Publishers: Sony Music Publishing / Universal/MCA Music Publishing* / Warner Chappell
Music^ / Kobalt Music Publishing+ / Native Tongue Music Publishing#
Songwriter of the Year
The Kid LAROI
Publisher: Sony Music Publishing
Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year
Writer: Genesis Owusu
Publishers: Kobalt Music Publishing obo Ourness Songs
Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music
The Wiggles
Most Performed Australian Work
Title: Head & Heart
Artist: Joel Corry feat. MNEK
Writers: Jonathan Courtidis# / Joel Corry / Uzoechi Emenike* / Neve Applebaum# / Daniel
Dare# / Robert Harvey^ / Kashif Siddiqui# / Lewis Thompson+
Publishers: Universal Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music* / Mushroom Music^ / Kobalt
Music Publishing+ / Sony Music Publishing#
Most Performed Alternative Work
Title: Missing Piece
Artist: Vance Joy
Writers: Vance Joy / Joel Little*
Publishers: Mushroom Music obo WAU Publishing / Sony Music Publishing*
Most Performed Blues & Roots Work
Title: Letting Go
Artist: Ziggy Alberts
Writer: Ziggy Alberts
Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing
Most Performed Country Work
Title: Love Songs Ain’t For Us
Artist: Amy Shark feat. Keith Urban
Writers: Amy Shark / Ed Sheeran*
Publishers: Mushroom Music / Sony Music Publishing*
Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work
Title: Head & Heart
Artist: Joel Corry feat. MNEK
Writers: Jonathan Courtidis# / Joel Corry / Uzoechi Emenike* / Neve Applebaum# / Daniel
Dare# / Robert Harvey^ / Kashif Siddiqui# / Lewis Thompson+
Publishers: Universal Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music* / Mushroom Music^ / Kobalt
Music Publishing+ / Sony Music Publishing#
Most Performed Hip-Hop / Rap Work
Title: Without You
Artist: The Kid LAROI
Writers: The Kid LAROI / Omer Fedi* / Blake Slatkin* / Billy Walsh*
Publishers: Sony Music Publishing / Universal/MCA Music Publishing*
Most Performed Pop Work
Title: Fly Away
Artist: Tones And I
Writer: Toni Watson
Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing
Most Performed R&B / Soul Work
Title: Higher
Artist: Budjerah
Writers: Matt Corby / Budjerah*
Publishers: Sony Music Publishing / Mushroom Music*
Most Performed Rock Work
Title: Shot in the Dark
Artist: AC/DC
Writers: Angus Young / Malcolm Young
Publishers: Sony Music Publishing obo Australian Music Corporation
Most Performed Australian Work Overseas
Title: Dance Monkey
Artist: Tones And I
Writer: Toni Watson
Publishers: Kobalt Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music
Most Performed International Work
Title: Lasting Lover
Artist: Sigala & James Arthur
Writers: James Arthur^ / Bruce Fielder* / Lewis Capaldi+ / Luke Fitton^ / Benjamin
Goldwasser* / Jarl Hasselquist / Corey Sanders# / Andrew Vanwyngarden*
Publishers: Universal Music Publishing* / Sony Music Publishing^ / BMG+ / Kobalt Music
Publishing#
Licensee of the Year
TAFE Queensland
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