Sia Is APRA’s 2014 Songwriter Of The Year

Sia leads the list of winners in this year’s APRA Music Awards, making history as the first artist to win the coveted Songwriter Of The Year award two years running.

APRA AMCOS announced the winners, who also included Vance Joy and Lorde, at their annual marquee event in Brisbane overnight, as they celebrated Australian songwriting and publishing.

As previously reported, Melbourne-born singer-songwriter Vance Joy took home the peer-voted APRA Song of the Year award for his folk-pop hit Riptide, which also won the APRA Award for Pop Work of the Year after topping the 2013 triple j Hottest 100.

Adelaide singer-songwriter Sia, real name Sia Furler, was named Songwriter of the Year. Sia’s 2013-2014 songwriting resume is lined with hits from some of the biggest names in pop music, such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Katy Perry and Rihanna.

“I am so honoured to be the first songwriter in APRA Awards history to win Songwriter Of The Year two years in a row!” Sia said in a typically cheeky acceptance video (below) in which she speaks through a male actor. “Thank you so much for recognising my work, and hope to see you all soon,” she/he says.

Other 2014 APRA Music Award recipients included pop phenom Lorde, real name Ella Yelich-O’Connor, and fellow New Zealand songwriter Joel Little, who together received the inaugural Outstanding International Achievement Award.

APRA Chair Jenny Morris said of the pair’s award, “There’s a real sense of pride when our members achieve success internationally. Music has no borders, and the idea that songs written in this part of the world resonate with so many people across the rest is an inspiring and beautiful feeling.”

Other notable award winners include Louis Schoorl, who was named Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year after writing or co-writing 88 songs in 2013 alone. The song Lanterns by rock group Birds Of Tokyo took home Most Played Australian Work of 2013 and Rock Work of the Year, whilst the songwriting collaboration between Bliss n Eso and Bluejuice (with co-writer Alexander Burnett), titled Act Your Age, took out the Urban Work of the Year category.

Sydney producer Flume won Dance Work of the Year for his track Holdin’ On, whilst blues & roots musician John Butler received the Blues & Roots Work of the Year for Only One. Gotye, real name Wally De Backer, and Luiz Bonfa won Most Performed Australian Work Overseas for Somebody That I Used To Know (featuring Kimbra), for the second year running.

The full list of winners from the 2014 APRA Music Awards is below, alongside a number of the event’s acceptance videos.

Watch: Songwriter of the Year – Sia : 2014 APRA Music Awards

Watch: APRA Song of the Year – Vance Joy – Riptide : 2014 APRA Music Awards

Watch: Most Played Australian Work Overseas – Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know : 2014 APRA Music Awards

Watch: Outstanding International Achievement- Lorde & Joel Little : 2014 APRA Music Awards

Watch: Ted Albert Award – Lindy Morrison : 2014 APRA Music Awards

2014 APRA Music Awards – Winners List

Song of the Year

Title: Riptide

Artist: Vance Joy

Writer: James Keogh

Publishers: Mushroom Music Pty Ltd obo WAU Publishing

Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music

Lindy Morrison OAM

Songwriter of the Year

SIA

EMI Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd

Outstanding International Achievement Award

Ella Yelich-O’Connor (Lorde) & Joel Little

Native Tongue Music Publishing / EMI Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd

Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year

Writer: Louis Schoorl

Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd

Most Played Australian Work

Title: Lanterns

Artist: Birds of Tokyo

Writers: Ian Berney / Ian Kenny / Glenn Sarangapany / Adam Spark / Adam Weston

Publisher: Mushroom Music Pty Ltd

Country Work of the Year

Title: Flying With the King

Artist: Lee Kernaghan

Writers: Colin Buchanan / Lee Kernaghan / Garth Porter

Publishers: Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd / Perfect Pitch Publishing Pty Ltd

Blues & Roots Work of the Year

Title: Only One

Artist: John Butler Trio

Writer: John Butler

Publisher: Family Music Pty Ltd

Dance Work of the Year

Title: Holdin On

Artist: Flume

Writers: Flume / Otis Redding (BMI)

Publishers: Kobalt Music Publishing Australia P/L obo Future Classic Pty Ltd and Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd obo Verse Music Group LLC / Essex Music Australia Pty Ltd obo Irving Music

Rock Work of the Year

Title: Lanterns

Artist: Birds of Tokyo

Writers: Ian Berney / Ian Kenny / Glenn Sarangapany / Adam Spark / Adam Weston

Publisher: Mushroom Music Pty Ltd

Pop Work of the Year

Title: Riptide

Artist: Vance Joy

Writer: James Keogh

Publishers: Mushroom Music Pty Ltd obo WAU Publishing

Urban Work of the Year

Title: Act Your Age

Artist: Bliss n Eso feat. Bluejuice

Writers: Alexander Burnett / Jamie Cibej / Jerry Craib / James Hauptmann / Max MacKinnon / Jonathan Notley^ / Jacob Stone / Stavros Yiannoukas

Publishers: Mushroom Music Pty Ltd obo Ivy League Music Pty Ltd / Kobalt Music Publishing Australia P/L obo Bluejuice Music Group Pty Limited / Mushroom Music Pty Ltd^

International Work of the Year

Title: Blurred Lines

Artist: Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams

Writers: Clifford Harris (ASCAP) / Robin Thicke (ASCAP) / Pharrell Williams(ASCAP)

Publishers: Deyjah’s Daddy Muzik / Universal/MCA Music Publishing Pty Ltd obo I Like ‘Em Thicke Music / EMI Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd obo More Water from Nazareth Publishing

Most Played Australian Work Overseas

Title: Somebody That I Used To Know

Artist: Gotye featuring Kimbra

Writers: Wally de Backer and Luiz Bonfa

Publishers: J Albert and Son Pty Ltd / Warner/Chappell Music Australia Pty Ltd

Must Read