Birds of Tokyo win two APRA gongs
Perth band Birds of Tokyo won two trophies at the 2014 APRA Music Awards, held in Brisbane for the first time on Monday.
The high-flying rock quintet’s hit single Lanterns was named Most Played Australian Work and Rock Work of the Year at the awards, which honour songwriters and their publishers.
But Birds of Tokyo couldn’t claim the night’s top gong, the prestigious peer-voted Song of the Year title, which went to Vance Joy for his quadruple platinum hit Riptide.
The folk-pop song, which has spent more than a year on the Australian charts, also took out the Pop Work of the Year award.
In addition to Birds of Tokyo, Vance Joy beat songs from the Drones, the Preatures and Matt Corby.
Fremantle roots rockers John Butler Trio won his third Blues and Roots Work of the Year title, and fifth APRA Award of his career, for Only One.
The win also marked the 10th anniversary of Butler’s Song of the Year victory in 2004 with the song, Zebra.
Adelaide-born but Los Angeles-based songwriting queen Sia Furler was named Songwriter of the Year for the second consecutive year.
The first songwriter to win the award two years in a row, Furler has penned hits for some of the biggest names in pop music, including Beyonce, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Kylie Minogue.
Ella Yelich-O’Connor, better known as Kiwi pop sensation Lorde, and her producer Joel Little were also recognised for their global success, receiving the inaugural Outstanding International Achievement Award.
The New Zealanders add the honour to a trophy cabinet already heaving with two Grammy Awards, one Billboard Music Award and a Silver Scroll, their homeland’s equivalent of an APRA Award.
The APRA Board of Directors named Dutch-born, Sydney-based songwriter Louis Schoorl as the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year for his collaborations with Daniel Johns, Jessica Mauboy, rapper 360 and other top Australian artists.
Gotye’s international hit, and last year’s Song of the Year winner, Somebody That I Used to Know was declared the Most Played Australian Work Overseas.
Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and Clifford Harris took out International Work of the Year for their hit, Blurred Lines.
Former Go-Betweens drummer and musicians’ advocate Lindy Morrison was presented the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music by her former band mate, Amanda Brown at last night’s event.
Other winners last night include Lee Kernaghan, Flume and Bliss N Eso with Bluejuice.
The APRA Awards were established in 1982, with the Song of the Year first awarded in 1991.
