# 2021 Music Victoria Awards

The 2021 Music Victoria Awards were the 16th Annual Music Victoria Awards. The ceremony took place on 9 December 2021 at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
The 2021 awards featured a number of changes, including a brand new category for Best Pop Act and the inaugural Arts Access Victoria Amplify Award (for deaf and disabled musicians). All genre categories will now be assessed on the act rather than album, with the requirement that nominees have released at least multiple recordings between 1 July 2020 – 30 June 2021.
New CEO Simone Schinkel headed up the event for the first time this year, taking over from Music Victoria founder, Patrick Donovan. Schinkel said "As part of our commitment to continual improvement we have refined our Awards criteria, categories and judging processes which we believe will more accurately reflect and reward the diverse music community in Victoria."

## Hall of Fame inductees

The Hall of Fame inductees were announced on 7 October 2021
* Kylie Minogue
* Pierre Baroni
Pierre Baroni was a musician and a member of The Pony, an artist-designer at Mushroom Records, a producer and presented the Soulgroove '66 show on 3PBS 106.7FM from 2003 until his death from cancer in March 2021.

## Performers

* Emma Donovan & The Putbacks
* Kerryn Fields
* Maple Glider
* Mindy Meng Wang & Tim Shiel

## Award nominees and winners

Winners indicated in boldface, with other nominees in plain.

### General awards

The general award are nominated by an expert industry panel and open to public voting in October.
| Best Victorian Album | Best Victorian Song |
| Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Crossover Alice Ivy – Don't Sleep The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You Gordon Koang – Unity Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant | Hiatus Kaiyote – "Red Room" Alex Lahey & Gordi – "Dino's" Alice Skye – "Party Tricks" The Avalanches – "Wherever You Go" Geoffrey O'Connor & Jonnine – "For As Long As I Can Remember" |
| Best Breakthrough Act | Best Group |
| Maple Glider Ashwarya Blake Scott Cry Club SHOUSE | Emma Donovan and The Putbacks The Avalanches Hiatus Kaiyote King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Mildlife |
| Best Musician | Best Solo Artist |
| Mindy Meng Wang Amanda Roff (Time for Dreams, Harmony) Andrea Keller David Lane (Solo, You Am I) Emma Donovan Erica Dunn (Tropical Fuck Storm, Mod Con) G Flip Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos) Nai Palm (Hiatus Kaiyote) Stu Mackenzie (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) | Sampa the Great Alice Ivy Baker Boy Blake Scott G Flip Gordon Koang Kylie Auldist Liz Stringer Maple Glider Mia Wray |
| Best Live Act |
| Amyl and the Sniffers Cable Ties Kee'Ahn Mildlife RVG |

### Genre Specific Awards

Voted by a select industry panel
| Arts Access Amplify Award (for Deaf and Disabled acts) | The Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent |
| Eliza Hull Gordon Koang Kerryn Fields Nat Bartsch Rudely Interrupted | Allara Bumpy Madi Colville Walker The Merindas River Boy |
| Best Blues Act | Best Country Act |
| Dan Dinnen & Shorty Aaron Pollock Anna Scionti Blues Roulette Josh Teskey and Ash Grunwald | The Weeping Willows Ben Mastwyk & His Millions Georgia State Line James Ellis & The Jealous Guys Lachlan Bryan & the Wildes |
| Best Electronic Act | Best Experimental Act or Avant-Garde Act |
| Female Wizard Alex Albrecht Jennifer Loveless Reptant SaD | Candlesnuffer Aarti Jadu Deborah Cheetham, Byron Scullin, Tom Supple Red Wine and Sugar Thembi Soddell |
| Best Folk Act | Best Heavy Act |
| Charm of Finches Erica Bramham Kerryn Fields Lucy Wise Maple Glider | Dr Colossus Divide and Dissolve Faceless Burial Growth NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER |
| Best Hip Hop Act | Best Intercultural Act |
| DRMNGNOW Agung Mango Briggs Man Made Mountain Pookie | Ajak Kwai Amaru Tribe Black Jesus Experience Gelareh Pour's Garden Tio |
| Best Jazz Act | Best Pop Act |
| Andrea Kellar Audrey Powne Australian Art Orchestra Menagerie The Rookies | Alice Skye Alice Ivy Geoffrey O'Connor Gregor June Jones |
| Best Reggae or Dance Hall Act | Best Rock/Punk Act |
| JahWise Productions Disun Future Jah Tung Marvin Priest Monkey Marc | Civic Blake Scott Mod Con Plaster of Paris Tom Lyngcoln |
| Best Soul, Funk, R'n'B or Gospel Act | Best Regional/Outer Suburban Act |
| Emma Donovan & The Putbacks The Bamboos Hiatus Kaiyote Izy Kee'ahn | Baker Boy Bones and Jones D'Arcy Spiller Fenn Wilson The Teskey Brothers |

### Industry Awards

Voted by a select industry panel.
| Best Small Venue (under 500 capacity) | Best Large Venue (Over 500 capacity) |
| Northcote Social Club, Northcote Brunswick Ballroom, Brunswick LOOP Project Space & Bar, Melbourne The Night Cat, Fitzroy The Substation, Newport | Melbourne Recital Centre – Elisabeth Murdoch Hall Corner Hotel, Richmond Forum Melbourne Hamer Hall, Melbourne Sidney Myer Music Bowl |
| Best Regional/Outer Suburban Venue (Over 50 Gigs a Year) | Best Regional/Outer Suburban Venue (Under 50 Gigs a Year) |
| Theatre Royal, Castlemaine The Barwon Club Hotel, South Geelong The Eastern, Ballarat Piano Bar, Geelong Sooki Lounge, Belgrave | Vine Hotel, Wangaratta Halls Gap Hotel, Halls Gap The Macedon Railway Hotel, Macedon The Sound Doctor Presents, Anglesea Tom Katz! @ Sorrento Portsea RSL, Sorrento |
| Best Festival | Best Producer |
| Isol-Aid Brunswick Music Festival Melbourne Music Week MPavilion 2020 The Secret Garden Gig Gathering | Eilish Gilligan Alice Ivy Anna Laverty Becki Whitton River Boy |
| Outstanding Woman in Music |
| Charlotte Abroms Andrea Keller Emily Ulman Emma Donovan Sarah Blaby |