The 2018 J Award Winners Have Just Been Announced

Triple j, Double J and triple j Unearthed have announced the winners of their annual J Awards, after revealing the 2018 nominees earlier this month.

Middle Kids have claimed the prestigious triple j Australian Album of the Year award for their debut album Lost Friends, beating out albums by the likes of Amy Shark, Courtney Barnett, RÜFÜS DU SOL and Tash Sultana.

“From Middle Kids’ first Unearthed upload through to their incredible debut album and beyond, their song-writing is instantly familiar while being refreshingly original,” says triple j Music Director, Nick Findlay.

“Most records have peaks and troughs, but it’s all peaks on this release. At the heart of every song is Hannah Joy’s golden voice; combined with Hannah, Tim and Harry’s instrumentation creates a rich sonic palette that traverses anthemic rock, alt-country and bitter sweet indie ballads.”

The Double J Artist of the Year award went to late Indigenous singer-songwriter Gurrumul, whose posthumous final album Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) was released in April.

Sydney rapper Kwame claimed the Unearthed Artist of the Year award after capturing triple j Unearthed‘s attention with his track ‘WOW’, before going on to perform at Splendour In The Grass.

Meanwhile, the Australian Music Video of the Year award went to Mojo Juju‘s video for ‘Native Tongue’ (below), directed by Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore. Shot in regional Victoria, the video features the Djuki Mala Dancers and the Pasefika Victoria Choir.

Catch the full list of this year’s J Award winners (and nominees), below.

2018 J Awards

triple j Australian Album of the Year

Amy Shark – Love Monster

Camp Cope – How To Socialise & Make Friends

Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel

DMA’S – For Now

Hockey Dad – Blend Inn

Middle Kids – Lost Friends — WINNER

Ocean Alley – Chiaroscuro

Polaris – The Mortal Coil

RÜFÜS DU SOL – SOLACE

Tash Sultana – Flow State

Double J Artist of the Year

Gurrumul — WINNER

John Butler Trio

Mojo Juju

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

Sampa The Great

Unearthed Artist of the Year

Angie McMahon

G Flip

KIAN

Kwame — WINNER

Slowly Slowly

Australian Music Video of the Year

B Wise – ‘Feel Something’

DZ Deathrays – ‘Like People’

Golden Vessel – ‘BIGBRIGHT’ {ft. Elkkle, E^ST & Duckwrth}

Mojo Juju – ‘Native Tongue’ — WINNER

Sampa The Great – ‘Black Girl Magik’ {ft. Nicole Gumbe}

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