Snubs & Surprises: 2025 ARIA Awards
The 2025 ARIA Awards, held at the iconic Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, celebrated the vibrant landscape of the Australian music industry, marking a memorable conclusion to the year in music. As summer settles in, the event showcased a mix of established superstars and emerging talents, with performances from legends like AC/DC and upcoming shows from Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran on the horizon. This year’s ceremony was particularly significant for punk rock band Amyl and The Sniffers, who dominated the night by winning four out of six nominations, including the prestigious Album of the Year for their critically acclaimed work, *Cartoon Darkness*. Frontwoman Amy Taylor’s electrifying presence, highlighted by her recent achievements at Glastonbury and nominations for international awards, underscored the band’s ascent in the music scene, marking 2025 as a transformative year for them.
Among the standout moments of the night was the triumph of Indigenous artist BARKAA, who made history by winning Best Hip Hop/Rap Release for her song *Big Tidda*. Her heartfelt acceptance speech resonated with the audience as she expressed pride in representing Black women in the music industry, emphasizing the personal significance of her win as the first Aboriginal woman to receive this award. In contrast, the Hilltop Hoods, despite their impressive track record and five nominations, left empty-handed, highlighting the unpredictability of the awards. Other notable winners included Ninajirachi, who garnered three awards including the Michael Gudinski Newcomer Award, and production talents Dom Dolla and Kevin Parker, each taking home two trophies. The night was a mix of surprises and snubs, with artists like Royel Otis and RÜFÜS DU SOL feeling the sting of missed opportunities, despite their strong nominations and prior accolades.
The ARIA Awards not only celebrated the achievements of artists but also reflected the dynamic nature of the Australian music scene. With a blend of genres and a spotlight on diverse voices, the event encapsulated the spirit of creativity and resilience in music. As the industry gears up for a bustling festival season ahead, the recognition of both established and emerging artists serves as a reminder of the ever-evolving landscape of Australian music, promising an exciting year to come.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti1kjz9cLhs
The hangovers have cleared. The cleanup, complete. And the
2025 ARIA Awards
are in the books.
The Australian recorded music industry’s annual night is the curtain call on the year in music, a fancy party in Sydney as the baking hot summer makes its predictable entrance.
It’s a good — no, great — time of year. AC/DC is currently in the market, playing stadiums. Oasis and Metallica have been, and rocked. Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran are coming. The festivals circuit will swing in the weeks ahead.
The ARIAs, presented at the historic Hordern Pavilion, which last year celebrated its 100th anniversary, was a goal-scoring celebration for Amyl and The Sniffers. The punk rock outfit converted four of their six nominations, including the coveted album of the year, for
Cartoon Darkness
. This was the year Amy Taylor ruled at Glastonbury, and scored nominations at the Grammys and Brit Awards. In years to come, they’ll remember 2025 as the year their respective lives changed.
Ninajirachi entered the ARIAs race with a leading
eight nominations
, and she didn’t go home disappointed, by collecting three trophies, including the Michael Gudinski newcomer award.
Fellow production masterminds Kevin Parker and Dom Dolla collected two pointy awards each.
Not every artist got what they’d hoped, or deserved. And some got the surprise of a lifetime.
Billboard
remembers the surprises and the snubs from the 2025 ARIA Awards.
Surprise: BARKAA
If a hero had to be selected from the 2025 ARIA Awards, it was
BARKAA
. The Indigenous artist won for best hip hop/rap release with
Big Tidda
(Big Apples Music / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia), beating out a stacked field that included Hilltop Hoods, Miss Kaninna, ONEFOUR and the Kid LAROI. The roar of approval from the audience was immense, and BARKAA’s acceptance speech was honest and real. “Still can’t believe I can now say I’m an ARIA award winning rapper, the first Aboriginal woman to ever win this award,” she writes on social media. “Hip-hop raised me and hip-hop saved me and this is BIGGER THAN ME! My purpose was to come out here and put on for BLACK WOMEN, to be that representation like my sisters who have paved the way before me, to be able to do what I’m doing.” She’s nominated in the First Nations category for the NSW Music Prize, to be unveiled next week.
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Snub: Hilltop Hoods
The
Hilltop Hoods
aren’t just a hip-hop group. They’re Aussie rap royalty. Hailing from Adelaide, the Hoods are on a wild winning streak. Suffa, Pressure and DJ Debris debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in August with
Fall From The Light
(Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia), their sixth consecutive leader, and seventh overall. With this feat, the Hoods established an ARIA record for chart leaders by an Australian group, ahead of AC/DC, Powderfinger, Cold Chisel, Silverchair, and the rest. They couldn’t however, extend on their tally of 10 career ARIA Awards on Wednesday night, despite reeling in five nominations.
Surprise: Amyl and The Sniffers
Amyl and The Sniffers
cleaning up with four ARIA Award wins wasn’t a surprise, not to the industry. But it was to them. The much-loved punk rock outfit always keeps it real, Amy Taylor always speaks her mind, and with best group and best album honors, for
Cartoon Darkness
(Amyl and The Sniffers / Virgin Music Group), Amyl and The Sniffers were the dominant force at this year’s ceremony. Bass player Gus Romer was both a surprise and a snub; he failed to take the stage when his band won for album of the year. “Looks like we lost the bass player,” Taylor joked. “It happens a lot, he’s replaceable, don’t worry about it.” It’s official: Amyl and The Sniffers are national treasures.
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Snub: Royel Otis
After dominating the 2024 ARIA Awards with four wins,
Royel Otis
might’ve expected the good times to roll on. The Sydney duo of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic collected four nominations this time, off the back of their sophomore album
Hickey
(Ourness / Capitol Records), which cracked the ARIA top 10, emulating the chart success of their debut,
Pratts & Pain
. Royel Otis had the top-ranked homegrown recording on triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown in January, with a cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” coming in at No. 2, and
Hickey
single “Moody” topped Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay Chart in July of this year. On Wednesday night, those four ARIA Award nominations came to nought.
Surprise: Ninajirachi
With eight nods, the night was all set up for
Ninajirachi
. As the house lights went up, the EDM artist (real name: Nina Wilson) had her hands full with three heavy ARIA trophies. That’s quite a haul, and it comes after she collected the Australian Music Prize and triple j’s J Award for
I Love My Computer (
NLV Records). Ninajirachi could see the irony in winning the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist award; the Central Coast-raised creative released her first record eight years ago, as a teen. Good things do come to those who wait, and Ninajirachi can now claim to be an overnight success, a decade in the making. She’s nominated in two categories for the NSW Music Prize, to be announced next week.
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Snub: RÜFÜS DU SOL
Electronic music was pumping at the ARIA Awards, as Ninajirachi and Dom Dolla scored five awards between them.
RÜFÜS DU SOL
bagged four nominations for 2024’s
Inhale / Exhale
(Rose Avenue Records / Warner Music Australasia), their fifth studio album. The collection opened its account at No. 3 on the ARIA Chart, continuing a podium finish for all their recordings:
Atlas
(2013),
Bloom
(2016) and
Surrender
(2021) went to No. 1 in 2013 and
Solace
peaked at No. 2 in 2018. RDS have won four career ARIA Awards, they have a Grammy Award in their safekeeping (and they can add another, for best dance/electronic album next February), and they’re currently
touring the country
. The 2025 ARIA Awards just wasn’t their night.
