Punk rock and EDM ruled at the 2025 ARIA Awards, presented Wednesday (Nov. 19) in Sydney, as Amyl and The Sniffers, Ninajirachi and Dom Dolla won big.

With four pointy trophies, Amyl and The Sniffers lauded over the 39th annual awards, including best group, best rock album, and the coveted album of the year, for Cartoon Darkness, their third studio LP.

If Amy Taylor and Co. were the best-kept secret in pub rock for the past several years, the secret is out. The foursome has emerged as darlings of the international festival circuit, they’ve collected Grammy and Brit Award nominations this year, and they’re opening for AC/DC on the Rock Hall heavyweights’ ongoing stadium tour of Australia.

Taylor always leaves an impression. On winning the ARIA for best cover art, awarded prior to the telecast, the band’s force-of-nature singer Amy Taylor quipped, “I know you just like it because I was flashing my titties.”

On collecting album of the year late in proceedings, Taylor quipped, “as the new prime minister of Australia, I’d like to say: all immigrants welcome. I’d like to say: land back, the dole’s going up and every pub gets a million dollars.” The album, she added, had “changed all of our lives.”

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Ninajirachi, the rising “girl EDM” star, entered the ARIAs with a leading eight nominations, and is coming off a gold rush, snagging the Australian Music Prize and triple j’s J Award for her debut full-length album, I Love My Computer. The Hordern Pavilion proved to be another happy hunting ground for Ninajirachi (real name: Nina Wilson), as the electronic music artist, singer, songwriter and producer collected her first ARIAs, for best solo artist, the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist and best independent release.

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Dom Dolla was a winner before the ARIAs got underway. The high-flying Australian electronic music producer and DJ was announced Monday (Nov. 17) as the inaugural global impact recipient, which he collected during the early phases of the ARIAs. Dom, who entered these ARIAs with seven nominations, doubled up with the award for best dance/electronic release, marking his third consecutive win in that category.

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Kevin Parker added a brace of ARIAs, nabbing engineer – best engineered release, and producer – best produced release, for his work on the latest Tame Impala collection, Deadbeat. In a taped acceptance speech, Parker revealed that the engineering stage was “probably the thing I spend the longest on when making music.” On scoring the producer trophy, he remarked, “there’s some amazing minds” in the music community. “It’s getting harder and harder to keep up with what’s going on in Australia.”

Other winners included Troye Sivan (best Australian live act), Taylor Swift (most popular international artist), BOY SODA (best soul/R&B), BARKAA (best hip-hop/rap release), Thornhill (best hard rock/heavy metal album), and the Teskey Brothers, who collected a fourth best blues & roots album trophy, a record for that category.

Thelma Plum performed “Nobody’s Baby” from her second album I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back and made a second trip to the stage to collect best pop release, presented by Tyra Banks, the American supermodel and television personality who now calls Sydney home. “I can’t believe Tyra Banks just gave me an ARIA,” Plum remarked. “This feels like a fever dream.”

After shifting roughly 200,000 tickets on its latest national jaunt, the beloved Laneway Festival was confirmed as Australia’s favorite fest by scooping the inaugural best music festival award, introduced this year to recognize and celebrate the critical role Australian music festivals play in the music ecosystem.

Performers at the ARIAs, the Australian recorded music industry’s flagship event, included Olivia Dean, Keli Holiday, Thelma Plum, Missy Higgins, and alternative rock heroes You Am I, who were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and had the final word on the night with a two-song performance of “Heavy Heart” and “Berlin Chair.” The nation’s prime minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the band in a video package, pointing out that, “along the way, you’ve added to who we are.”

Sponsored by Spotify, the ARIA Awards streamed live across Paramount+, followed by a special presentation on the free-to-air network 10 with performances and moments available on the trade body’s social channels.

2025 ARIA Awards nominations and winners:

Album of the Year
Amyl and The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness (WINNER)
Missy Higgins – The Second Act
Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Inhale / Exhale
Thelma Plum – I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back

Best Solo Artist
BARKAA – Big Tidda
Dom Dolla – DREAMIN’
Kylie Minogue – Tension II
Mallrat – Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right
Missy Higgins – The Second Act
Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer (WINNER)
Paul Kelly – Fever Longing Still
The Kid LAROI – How Does It Feel?
Thelma Plum – I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back
Young Franco – it’s Franky baby!

Best Group
Amyl and The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness (WINNER)
Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time
Hilltop Hoods – Fall From The Light
Royel Otis – hickey
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Inhale / Exhale

Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist presented by Spotify
Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time
Gut Health – Stiletto
Mia Wray – hi, it’s nice to meet me
Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer (WINNER)
Young Franco – it’s Franky baby!

Best Pop Release
G Flip – Disco Cowgirl
Kita Alexander – Press Pause
Kylie Minogue – Tension II
Mallrat – Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right
Thelma Plum – I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back (WINNER)

Best Dance / Electronic Release
Confidence Man – 3AM (LA LA LA)
Dom Dolla – DREAMIN’ (WINNER)
FISHER – Stay
Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer
Sonny Fodera, D.O.D & Jazzy – Somedays

Best Hip Hop / Rap Release
BARKAA – Big Tidda (WINNER)
Hilltop Hoods – Fall From The Light
Miss Kaninna – Kaninna EP
ONEFOUR – Look At Me Now
The Kid LAROI – Baby I’m Back

Best Soul / R&B Release
BOY SODA – Lil Obsession (WINNER)
JACOTÉNE – Why’d You Do That?
Jerome Farah – CHLORINE
Larissa Lambert – Cardio
PANIA – Pity Party
Best Independent Release presented by PPCA
Ball Park Music – Like Love
Confidence Man – 3AM (LA LA LA)
Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time
Miss Kaninna – Kaninna EP
Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer

Best Rock Album presented by Tooheys
Amyl and The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness (WINNER)
Ball Park Music – Like Love
King Stingray – For The Dreams
Royel Otis – hickey
Spacey Jane – If That Makes Sense

Best Adult Contemporary Album
Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time
Gordi – Like Plasticine
Meg Washington – GEM
Missy Higgins – The Second Act (WINNER)
Paul Kelly – Fever Longing Still

Best Country Album
Dylan Wright – Half a World Away
Imogen Clark – Choking on Fuel
Kasey Chambers – Backbone (WINNER)
Keith Urban – High
Taylor Moss – Firecracker

Best Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Album
Civic – Chrome Dipped
Press Club – To All The Ones I Love
RedHook – Mutation
The Amity Affliction – Let The Ocean Take Me Down (Redux)
Thornhill – Bodies (WINNER)

Best Blues & Roots Album
Dope Lemon – Golden Wolf
Mama Kin Spender – Promises
Sons Of The East – SONS
Tash Sultana – Return to the Roots
The Teskey Brothers – Live At The Hammersmith Apollo (WINNER)

Best Children’s Album
Emma Memma – Dance Island Party (WINNER)
Justine Clarke – Mimi’s symphony
Teeny Tiny Stevies – Brain Fart
The Vegetable Plot – Season Three
The Wiggles – Wiggle Up, Giddy Up!

Best Music Festival presented by Tixel
Ability Fest – Dylan Alcott Foundation + Untitled Group
Beyond The Valley – Untitled Group / Beyond The Valley Music Festival
Bluesfest Byron Bay – Bluesfest Byron Bay
Laneway Festival – St Jerome’s Laneway / Laneway Festival (WINNER)
Yours and Owls Festival – Yours and Owls

PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS

Best Video
Break My Love – RÜFÜS DU SOL, Alexander George (Katzki)
Craters – Missy Higgins, Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore
Lordy Lordy – Emily Wurramara, Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore
All the Noise – Spacey Jane, Dan Lesser
car – Royel Otis, Jamieson Kerr
Big Dreams – Amyl and The Sniffers, John Stewart
DREAMIN’ – Dom Dolla, Kyle Caulfield & Shevin Dissanayake
Don’t Happy, Be Worry – Hilltop Hoods, Roman Anastasios and Jordan Ruyi Blanch
Dancing2 – Keli Holiday, Ryan Sauer (WINNER)
WASSA – Vv Pete, UTILITY, Formation Boyz, UTILITY

Best Australian Live Act presented by Destination NSW
Amyl and The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness World Tour
Ball Park Music – Like Love Tour
BARKAA – BIG TIDDA TOUR
Confidence Man – 3AM (LA LA LA) Tour
Dom Dolla – Dom Dolla Australia 2024
Hilltop Hoods – Hilltop Hoods 2025
Kylie Minogue – Tension Tour 2025
Miss Kaninna – Dawg In Me Tour
SPEED – SPEED AUSTRALIA TOUR ‘25
Troye Sivan – Something To Give Each Other Tour (WINNER)

Song of the Year
Cyril, Maryjo – Still Into You
Dean Lewis – With You
Dom Dolla Feat. Daya – Dreamin
FISHER – Stay
Gotye, FISHER, Chris Lake Feat. Kimbra, Sante Sansone – Somebody
OneFour, Nemzzz – Spinnin
Royel Otis – Linger (SiriusXM Session)
Sonny Fodera, D.O.D & Jazzy – Somedays
The Kid LAROI – Girls (WINNER)
Tobiahs – Angel of Mine

Most Popular International Artist
Alex Warren –
Calvin Harris –
Gracie Abrams –
Kendrick Lamar –
Noah Kahan –
Post Malone –
Sabrina Carpenter –
Tate McRae –
Taylor Swift – (WINNER)
Tyler, The Creator –

ARTISAN AWARDS

Best Cover Art
Giulia McGauran for The Cat Empire – Bird in Paradise
John Stewart for Amyl and The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness (WINNER)
Kira Puru, Em Jensen for Thelma Plum – I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back
Nina Wilson, John You, Aria Zarzycki for Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer
Sarah McCloskey for Hilltop Hoods – Fall From The Light

Engineer – Best Engineered Release
Alice Ivy for Alice Ivy – Do What Makes You Happy
Dom Dolla for Dom Dolla – DREAMIN’
Eric J Dubowsky for Emma Louise & Flume – DUMB
Kevin Parker for Tame Impala – End of Summer (WINNER)
Thomas Purcell p/k/a Wave Racer for Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer

Producer – Best Produced Release
Alex Burnett for Thelma Plum – I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back
Dom Dolla for Dom Dolla – DREAMIN’
Kevin Parker for Tame Impala – End of Summer (WINNER)
Nina Wilson p/k/a Ninajirachi for Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer
RÜFÜS DU SOL for RÜFÜS DU SOL – Inhale / Exhale

FINE ARTS AWARDS

Best Classical Album
Andrea Lam – Piano Diary (WINNER)
Australian Chamber Orchestra / Richard Tognetti – Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings and Andante
Cantabile / Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony in C minor
Nat Bartsch – Forever Changed
Simone Young & Sydney Symphony Orchestra – Mahler: Symphony No.2; Barton: Of The Earth
Sophie Hutchings – Become The Sky

Best Jazz Album
Evans Robson Quartet – Zenith
Lachlan McKenzie – Departures
Lucy Clifford – Between Spaces of Knowing (WINNER)
TL; DR & Peter Knight – Too Long; Didn’t Read
Touch Sensitive – In Paradise

Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album
Australian Chamber Orchestra – Memoir of a Snail (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
François Tétaz – The Surfer
Michael Cassel Group – Michael Cassel Group Presents A (Very) Musical Christmas
Various Artists – How To Make Gravy (WINNER)
Vidya Makan – The Lucky Country (Original Cast Album)

Best World Music Album
Electric Fields, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – Live In Concert
Gurrumul – Banbirrngu – The Orchestral Sessions (WINNER)
Joseph Tawadros – The Forgotten Path To Humanity
Tenzin Choegyal – Snow Flower
The Cat Empire – Bird in Paradise

OUR SOUNDTRACK OUR ADS
Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement
Fox League 2025: Our Greats – Fox Sports Australia, 3% (WINNER)
Menulog: What’s Good in Your Hood – Thinkerbell, Bliss n Eso
Paramount+ Australia: Ballad of the GOATS – Paramount+ Australia, Briggs
Tooheys: I Feel Like a Tooheys – Thinkerbell, Dune Rats
Tourism & Events Queensland: That Holiday Feeling – Publicis Worldwide, Kita Alexander