Helen Reddy will be the first of two recipients to receive the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music at the 2021 APRA Music Awards
Julia Zemiro will return to host the event, joined at the podium by Ziggy Ramo and Georgia Mooney
PJ Harding will make his debut as Musical Director
The Most Performed Urban Work will be replaced with the Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work and the Most Performed R&B / Soul Work
APRA AMCOS is honoured to announce that the late Helen Reddy will be the first of two recipients to receive the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music at the 2021 APRA Music Awards.
Helen Reddy was to receive this recognition in 2020 until Covid-19 placed constraints around a shortened virtual APRA Music Awards. Sadly, Helen left us in 2020, but she still walks tall in our hearts, an inspiration to women around the world for her achievements in music, politics and the advancement of women’s rights. Today on International Women’s Day, APRA AMCOS pays tribute to Helen Reddy, and looks forward to acknowledging her legacy at the Awards
Helen was a towering songwriter with a compelling voice. She was hailed as the Queen of 70s Pop, but that title does not begin to cover the breadth and depth of her comprehensive cultural achievements. Her anthemic single I Am Woman, co-written with Ray Burton, topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1972, earned her a GRAMMY award and mobilised an entire generation of women to fight for change. She would become the top-selling female vocalist in the world in the 1970s, with eight US number one singles (including Delta Dawn), and 25 million albums sold.
Traci Donat, Helen’s daughter said: “I am so honoured to be accepting The Ted Albert Award on behalf of my mother who devoted her life and career to equal rights for all people. And in honouring her you honour not just her music but also what she stood for. We couldn’t be more deeply moved and grateful.”
The 2021 recipient of the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music will be revealed in April.
In other Awards category news, in consultation with membership and music industry representatives, the APRA Music Awards have removed the Most Performed Urban Work category and replaced it with two new genre categories; Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work and Most Performed R&B / Soul Work. As with all the genre categories, the nominees and winners are determined by royalties earned from Australian performances of the song across broadcast, digital downloads, streaming services, and live performance. The new awards have been created to celebrate the songwriters experiencing incredible success in these diverse genres.
Returning to host the event will be multi-talented performer and writer, Julia Zemiro. Well recognised as the host of beloved SBS TV show RocKwiz, she is also an outstanding comedian, presenter and unabashed music fan. Julia will be joined at the podium this year by hip hop artist, poet, and producer Ziggy Ramo and songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Georgia Mooney (All Our Exes Live in Texas).
Making his debut as Musical Director is chart topping songwriter and producer PJ Harding. PJ’s diverse credits include songs with Ruel, Cosmo’s Midnight, Jessica Mauboy and Bliss n Eso. Last month, PJ released his debut single under his own name, the heartfelt duet Dear August, with frequent collaborator and multi-platinum artist Noah Cyrus. PJ will curate the evening’s live music performances, the centrepiece of the event, with hand chosen performers putting their spin on the Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year nominated songs.
The nominees for the 2021 APRA Music Awards will be announced Thursday 25 March.
The Peer-Voted Song of the Year Shortlist can be streamed on YouTube Music, Spotify & Apple Music.