By Hannah Story
Kylie Minogue could win her first ARIA Award since 2002, thanks to the success of Padam Padam.
The dance-floor filler has scored a total of four nominations for the 55-year-old pop star at this year’s ARIA Awards, including best solo artist, best pop release and the publicly voted song of the year.
Her last ARIA win was way back in 2002, when album Fever took out best pop release and highest-selling album, and its lead single, Can’t Get You Out of My Head, was named highest-selling single and single of the year (before single of the year became a publicly voted category).
Minogue has been nominated 13 times since, and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2011, alongside the Wiggles. She was last nominated for best artist and best adult contemporary album in 2021, for her record, Disco. Her last single to be nominated was I Believe in You in 2005, which had her in contention for best pop release and best female artist.
Padam Padam, the lead single from Minogue’s record, Tension, (out on Friday) is her highest charting single in Australia since 2012, climbing to No.19, and has been certified gold. That chart success may be in large part due to it going viral on TikTok since it was released in May.
The title is intended to sound like a heartbeat, although talking on UK pop radio station Capital in June, Minogue was vague on its exact meaning: “It’s whatever you want, babe.”
Minogue’s four ARIA nominations have her on par with prolific garage band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, who released two records this year, and blues group The Teskey Brothers.
But Minogue will be vying for best solo artist against the overall leader in nominations, the 25-year-old Ghanaian-Australian musician Genesis Owusu, who has received seven nods for his second record, STRUGGLER, including album of the year, best hip hop/rap release and best independent release. He’s strong competition, having won all three categories at the 2021 ARIAs, off the back of his debut, Smiling with No Teeth.
This masthead’s four-star review of STRUGGLER described it as “a bold and inventive record that offers defiance, strength and bravery in a time when such things feel deeply necessary”.
The best solo artist category is stacked with artists who have had a notable 2023, from G Flip, who released their second album, DRUMMER, (six nominations) in the same year they married Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause; and Troye Sivan (also six nominations), whose turn on HBO’s critically panned The Idol generated buzz ahead of his third album, Something to Give Each Other.
Genesis Owusu launches his new album Struggler at the Crowbar in Sydney on August 19.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
While producer Dom Dolla has earned six nominations of his own, including for best solo artist, four of those nominations are in either artisan or publicly voted categories. It seems like Minogue has some stiff competition.
Ahead of Minogue, but behind G Flip, Dom Dolla and Sivan, in the nominations tally, are 21-year-old Coodjinburra singer Budjerah and indie band DMA’S , who each scored five nominations. Budjerah too is in the running for best solo artist, for his feature on Ed Sheeran’s 2step. DMA’S meanwhile are in competition with G Flip and Owusu for the highly coveted top prize of album of the year.
G Flip performs at Forum Melbourne in August.Credit: Rick Clifford
As previously announced, Melbourne rock’n’roll band Jet, who catapulted to fame with their debut Get Born in 2003, will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame at this year’s ARIA Awards.
The ARIA Awards are on November 15 at Hordern Pavilion, and will be broadcast on Nine and Stan.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.