Left – Right: 2024 APRA Music Awards host Tom Gleeson, guest presenters Jen Cloher and Bumpy, and Musical Director Julian Hamilton.
APRA AMCOS is proud to announce two category changes as well as the hosts and Musical Director ahead of the 2024 APRA Music Awards.
In an expansion, the Most Performed Hard Rock/Heavy Metal category has been added to its suite of genre awards based on statistical analysis. As with all the genre categories, the nominees and winners are determined by royalties earned from Australian performances of works across broadcast, digital downloads, streaming services, and live performances.
The Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year category has been renamed Emerging Songwriter of the Year; songwriters in the early stages of their professional careers, who are building significant recognition, with a demonstrated original body of work. The Emerging Songwriter of the Year is assessed by an independent Advisory Group, and the final determination of this Award lies with the APRA Board of Directors.
Songwriter, performer and APRA Board Chair Jenny Morris said:
“The introduction of the Most Performed Hard Rock/Heavy Metal category comes in response to popular demand from members and the music industry and has been created to acknowledge the significant commercial and cultural impact of the hard rock/heavy metal genres. The other change, which comes from re-thinking and refining the former Breakthrough Songwriter to Emerging Songwriter of the Year, emphasises that the recipients are in the process of establishing a foothold in the music industry, which is such a vital career stage to acknowledge.”
Hosting the 2024 APRA Music Awards will be Hard Quiz overlord, and Gold Logie winner Tom Gleeson. Tom has performed at every major comedy festival in the world, has been nominated for a Helpmann Award three times, won the Gold Logie for the Most Popular Personality on Australian television and is the host of two smash hit TV shows, Hard Quiz on ABC TV and Taskmaster on Network Ten. We are looking forward to having this gold-plated, comedy superstar in the room hosting – HARD!
Joining Tom at the podium is the inimitable Jen Cloher. Admirers have naturally gravitated towards Cloher’s incisive, generous songwriting and taut, terse brand of rock. Over the course of five albums, Cloher has won a J Award and an AIR Award and been nominated for an ARIA and the Australian Music Prize. I Am The River, The River Is Me, Cloher’s fifth album, suggests that home is not found in a place or a politic, but in the community you keep.
Our final guest presenter is award-winning Noongar woman and Naarm-based artist Bumpy. A force who regularly wows crowds with her deeply affecting music, Bumpy received the New Talent of the Year award at the 2023 National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) and took away Best Soul/Rnb/Funk and Gospel work at the Music Victoria Awards. Bumpy is currently the First Nations Artist in Residence in partnership with the Australian Art Orchestra and Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
Taking on the role of Awards Musical Director for the first time is The Presets icon Julian Hamilton. In 2008 he took home the coveted APRA Song of the Year award for the Silverchair hit Straight Lines with co-writer Daniel Johns. The Presets have bagged seven ARIA awards and in 2009 Julian shared the APRA Songwriter of the Year award with Kim Moyes. Julian will curate the live performances for the awards, weaving his magic to mix and match music collaborators who will put their spin on the five nominated Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year compositions.
Nominees across all categories will be announced on Thursday 4 April.
CLICK TO STREAM TOP 25 PEER-VOTED SONG OF THE YEAR PLAYLIST
Apple Music
Spotify