With the 26th Annual ARIA awards set to take place at the end of the week, the introduction of this years ARIA week has kicked off with Missy Higgins taking gold with her latest film clip for ‘Everyone’s Waiting’ – the first single from her new first album in five years, The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle.
The video, featuring Higgins wading into the ocean singing emphatically as the waves tumble over her, won against videos form the likes of Alpine for their equally weird and sexy clip fo ‘Hands’, the Hilltop Hoods’ ‘I Love It’ and The Rubens’ ‘My Gun’ which does its best to channel a 007 title sequence.
Though this year’s Best Video Award nominees included some of Australia’s more established directors, with names like Sam Bennetts (who directed Bluejuice), Alex Weltlinger (360) and Animal Logic (Hilltop Hoods) all racking up nominations; it was Natasha Pincus, who directed, edited and produced Missy Higgins’ ‘Everyone’s Waiting’ that won.
ARIA Award CEO Dan Rosen went on to praise the clip, stating in a press release: “The art of the music video is one that all artists and fans hold dear. In the video for ‘Everyone’s Waiting’ Natasha and Missy combine to take the viewer on a visual and emotional journey of this very special song, one which struck a chord with Australian music fans. ARIA congratulates them both on this wonderful achievement”.
Director Natasha Pincus is also the carryover champion as last year’s winner and creator of the now world-famous video, Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’; while Higgins’ latest win adds to her tally of seven ARIAs and 19 nominations, including another three on the line, including Best Female Artist for a third time in row.“Natasha [Pincus, director] and Missy [Higgins] combine to take the viewer on a visual and emotional journey of this very special song,” – Dan Rosen, ARIA CEO
The Best Video category was also one of the publicly voted categories in this year’s ARIA Awards, with 100,000 votes being cast which, in addition to the Best Video category, include Song of the Year, Best International Artist and Best Australian Live Act.
This year’s awards also mark the first time that the Best Video Award has been voted on by the public in partnership with the video sharing favourite YouTube, with the ten nominees determined by the ARIA Voting academy.
The new partnership with YouTube comes as no surprise to most with the online file sharing network taking over the majority of its rivals such as Vimeo and Google Video. As the Head of Music Partnerships Anthony Zameczkowski explains, Australian artists have a lot to offer.
“Music videos have gone through a major renaissance in the last few years,” said Zameczkowski, “and it’s wonderful to see Australian artists embracing the medium and pushing creative boundaries. Last year’s winner, Gotye, became one of the most viewed videos of all time on YouTube and it is a testament to the calibre of Australian recording artists and video producers that local talent continues to perform so well on YouTube globally.”
Presented by YouTube at a special event at Sydney’s Rock Lily The Star, the night marked the start of the first ever ARIA week. The week comes after a lack of interest from the Australian public has forced the ARIA crew to get creative, firstly by focusing the bulk of their efforts on reaching audiences over a digital platform, and secondly by extending the annual nightly showcase of the best Aussie talent has to offer into a week-long affair. .
Along with the artist showcases, this year’s ARIA awards will also be accompanied by Australia’s first ever Electronic Music Conference which runs for two days, beginning tonight, and with a list of keynote speakers recently announced for the industry event; including the world’s highest-paid DJ, Tiësto, one half of Major Lazer – Diplo, and Big Day Out boss Ken West, the industry focus should only do good.
With an artistic focus and a new overall approach, this year’s 26th ARIA awards ceremony coverage will take place at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Thursday 29th November and will be broadcast on be shown on Channel 9’s younger brother GO!.
Ahead of the ceremony there’s still a chance to catch a number of the ARIA week’s music program, which you can view below:
ARIA Week Artist Showcase Program
TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Sony Music presents:
Jessica Mauboy, Timomatic, Justice Crew, Johnny Ruffo
Upstairs Beresford
Tickets $20, through Moshtix
Triple J Unearthed presents:
The Rubens, Yes You, Asta
Oxford Art Factory
WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER
MGM and Street Press Australia present:
The Trouble With Templeton, The Falls, plus more
Upstairs Beresford
Tickets $10, through Moshtix
The In Sound From Way Out and Inertia present Girt By Emcee:
Urthboy, Seth Sentry, Grey Ghost, Pez
Oxford Art Factory
Tickets $20, through Moshtix
Neon, Ministry Of Sound, One Love present the EMC Closing Party:
Ivan Gough, Feenixpawl, Walden, Tom Piper, The Only, Kaz James
The Ivy Pool
