OFFICIAL ARIA AWARD IMAGES: HERE (includes red carpet, show and winners portraits)
GETTY IMAGES: HERE (includes red carpet, show and winners portraits)
Fresh from a triumphant 2025 European festival tour, Amyl and the Sniffers take their place as Australia’s most electrifying band, claiming the night’s top honours with four wins at the 2025 ARIA Awards in partnership with Spotify at Hordern Pavilion on Gadigal land.
The most nominated artist of 2025, Ninajirachi, has marked yet another defining moment in her career: her first ARIA Award (plus an extra two to boot). The phenom took home Best Solo Artist, Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist presented by Spotify, and Best Independent Release presented by PPCA for her acclaimed debut album I Love My Computer.
Turning six nominations into four victories, the band’s unstoppable momentum saw them win Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album presented by Tooheys, and Best Cover Art for John Stewart and Thomas Rennie; all for their latest release, Cartoon Darkness.
In one of the most heartfelt moments of the night, Dom Dolla made history as the inaugural recipient of the ARIA Global Impact Award presented by Spotify. Recognised for his outstanding international success and cultural influence, Dom has significantly elevated Australian music on the world stage through his artistry, innovation, and global reach over the past year. Alongside this landmark achievement, Dom secured the ARIA for Best Dance/Electronic Release.
Keli Holiday set the tone for the 2025 ARIA Awards with an unforgettable opening, sending the crowd to their feet with his explosive hit Dancing2. Boasting over 6 million Spotify streams this year, the track’s cinematic brilliance was also recognised, earning it an ARIA Award for Best Video (Ryan Sauer), and cementing Keli as one of the country’s most party-ready exports.
International superstar Oliva Dean joined the ARIA Awards stage to perform her breakout mega-hit, Man I Need. With over 4.5 billion global streams and 236 million career streams in Australia alone, Olivia has quickly become one of the most celebrated voices of her generation. Alongside her performance, Olivia presented Best Solo Artist to Ninajirachi and Album of the Year to Amyl and The Sniffers.
More winners on the night included Troye Sivan for Best Australian Live Act presented by Destination NSW, Taylor Swift for Most Popular International Artist, Tame Impala, who took home two ARIA Awards for Engineer – Best Engineered Release (Kevin Parker), and Producer – Best Produced Release (Kevin Parker), BOY SODA for Best Soul/R&B release, Thornhill for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album, The Teskey Brothers for Best Blues & Roots Album, Emma Memma for Best Children’s Album, BARKAA for Best Hip Hop/Rap Release, Kasey Chambers for Best Country Album, Lucy Clifford for Best Jazz Album and Gurrumul for Best World Music Album. The full list of winners can be found at the bottom of this release.
Laneway Festival was honoured with the inaugural Best Music Festival Award presented by Tixel and developed in close partnership with the Australian Festivals Association (AFA). The award was introduced this year to recognise and celebrate the critical role Australian music festivals play in showcasing and advancing local talent, offering breakthrough moments and essential exposure, and transforming the careers of Australian artists by connecting them with wider audiences.
Other incredible performances included the very-first super collaboration from the full field of nominees for Best Soul/R&B Release, including BOY SODA (Lil’ Obsession), JACOTENE (Why’d You Do That / Stop Calling), Jerome Farah (Good Girl), Larissa Lambert (Cardio) and PANIA (Pity Party). Kita Alexander graced the stage to perform Press Pause and Missy Higgins – who also took the ARIA for Best Adult Contemporary Album – had everyone captivated with her performance of Complicated Truth.
It was a big night for Thelma Plum, who performed Nobody’s Baby before winning Best Pop Release for her album I'm Sorry, Now Say It Back. In an epic melody of hits, Young Franco was joined on stage by friends including Baker Boy, Kobie Dee, Anna Ryan and Touch Sensitive.
Closing out the show in style was none other than Daniel Johns inducting the 2025 ARIA Hall of Fame to Australian rock icons, You Am I, who treated the crowd to hits Heavy Heart and Berlin Chair.
Joining hosts Tim Blackwell and Concetta Caristo throughout the evening were presenters Anna Lunoe, Budjerah, Cody Simpson, Dom Dolla, Dylan Alcott, G Flip, John Pearce, Josh Pyke, Kacey Musgraves, Kate Ceberano, Kaylee Bell, King Stingray, Kobie Dee, MALLRAT, Meg Washington, Melanie Bracewell, Mia Wray, Sosefina Fuamoli, Tim Nelson and Sam Netterfield from 2Charm, Tait McGregor, Tkay Maidza, Tyra Banks and Vidya Makan.
The ARIA Awards streamed live across Paramount+, followed by a special presentation on 10 from 8.45pm with performances and moments available on the @ARIA.official social channels.
ARIA CEO, Annabelle Herd, said “Tonight shows just how extraordinary Australian artists are when they are given a global platform to shine. Amyl and The Sniffers and Ninajirachi deserve all the congratulations for these career-defining moments, but every winner and performer on the ARIA stage represents the strength and diversity of a culture that refuses to stand still. What we saw at the Hordern tonight – soul and R&B artists coming together in a first-ever whole of category collaboration, international sensation Olivia Dean stepping into our world to celebrate it, and our own homegrown global superstar Dom Dolla being honoured – all proves Australian music is being heard louder than ever.
“It’s an incredible privilege to celebrate these stories. Thank you again from all of us at ARIA. Thank you to the artists, managers, teams, labels, our incredible partners at Spotify, and Destination NSW for putting AusMusic on the global stage.”
Spotify AUNZ Managing Director, Mikaela Lancaster, said: “Tonight truly belongs to the artists whose creativity and ambition continue to push Australian music forward. Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees and winners, and to ARIA for an unforgettable celebration of local music. Spotify is proud to partner with the ARIA Awards to support artists who are connecting with passionate fans around the world while shaping culture at home. Australian stories have never travelled further or faster, and we’ll continue doing our part to help them be heard in even more places.”
NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper, said: “Congratulations to all the outstanding recipients of the 2025 ARIA Awards. Once again, the incredible depth and diversity of Australia’s music talent shines bright through the prism of the ARIAs. Music is a huge part of our state’s cultural vibrancy, which is why the NSW Government has changed the rules to allow venues and communities to make live performances more accessible, not only for fans but also as a vital breeding ground for music talent. I thank ARIA for their ongoing industry leadership and for supporting our advocacy to bring live music back across NSW.”
The ARIA Awards are supported proudly by the NSW Government through its tourism and events agency, Destination NSW.
Full list of 2025 ARIA Awards Winners and Nominees here
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