News October 10, 2019

Christine Anu, Mojo Juju, Alice Skye dominate 2019 Australian Women In Music Awards

Following two days of powerful discussion and sharing of tools and information, the 2019 Australian Women In Music Awards winners were announced tonight, matching the conference event for its humble celebration for the largely unrecognised integral players in music.

Taking over Brisbane’s Powerhouse once again for the second ever event, the AWMAs celebrated some of the most skilled and gifted women in Australian music, including fierce female advocate in the music industry.

These included Katie Noonan, who picked up the Creative Leadership award, multi-AIR Award nominee Mojo Juju, who picked up the Songwriter Award for Native Tongue, and Christine Anu, who picked up two awards, for Diversity in Music, and Artistic Excellence.

The Awards were expertly hosted by Yumi Stynes and Alethea Beetson. During the pair’s introduction, Stynes reminded us of how outnumbered the males were in the room: “Can you smell it?” she joked. “It’s the absence of male oppression.”

The AWMA Concert included a special tribute to AWMA Honour Roll inductee Judith Durham, performed by Katie Noonan, Jess Green, Zoe Hauptmann and Ali Foster.

The Concert also featured Australian soprano Cheryl Barker AO, performing Vissi D’arte, accompanied by Award-winning pianist Tamara-anna Cislowska. And an unforgettable finale by the legendary Renée Geyer performing ‘It’s A Mans World’.

This year’s AWMA for Lifetime Achievement Award went to the “grand lady of Australian country music”
Joy McKean OAM, who is recognised as one of Australia’s leading songwriters and bush balladeers, writing many of Slim Dusty’s greatest hits. Joy McKean is also one of the founders of the Tamworth Country Music Festival and the Country Music Association of Australia.

Singer-songwriter Alice Skye took out the Emerging Artist Award. The Melbourne-based, Wergaia woman released her debut album, Friends with Feelings, in 2018 and toured nationally with Emily Wurramara.

In an AWMAs first, and a win for music industry awards in general, the award for Music Journalism went to Ange McCormack, marking the first time a music journalist has been awarded in this way.

McCormack’s ground-breaking annual report on triple j’s Hack, into the representation of women in the Australian music industry, has made an enormous contribution to the fight for gender equality in the Australian music industry.

In her speech, McCormack reminded us of the need to back ourselves and our work: “You are your worst critic and your biggest advocate in this industry so believe in yourself and other people will too.”