2024 AIR Awards Nominees: Genesis Owusu, Cub Sport, RVG, Teen Jesus & More

The full list of nominees for this year’s AIR Awards has arrived, honouring the most significant releases and artists in the Australian music industry.

Genesis Owusu leads the pack with a jaw-dropping five nominations – his 2023 album STRUGGLER has earned nods for Independent Album Of The Year and Best Independent Hip-Hop Album Or EP, while lead single Leaving The Light is up for Independent Song Of The Year. His other two nominations come in the categories for Independent Marketing Team Of The Year (on behalf of The Annex, Ourness and AWAL) and Independent Publicity Team Of The Year (on behalf of Thinking Loud).

Tailing him with four nominations each are Maple Glider (Independent Song Of The Year for Don’t Kiss Me, Independent Album Of The Year and Best Independent Country Album Or EP for I Get Into Trouble, and Independent Producer Of The Year on behalf of Tom Iansek), Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers (Independent Song Of The Year for I Used To Be Fun, Best Independent Rock Album Or EP for I Love You, Independent Marketing Team Of The Year on behalf of Domestic La La, and Independent Producer Of The Year on behalf of Oscar Dawson) and RVG (Independent Song Of The Year for Nothing Really Changes, Independent Album Of The Year and Best Independent Rock Album Or EP for Brain Worms, and Independent Music Video Of The Year on behalf of Hayden Somerville).

Right below them, ENOLA and Cub Sport both have three nominations each: ENOLA is up for Best Independent Punk Album Or EP (thanks to All Is Forgiven), Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year and Independent Producer Of The Year (on behalf of Bonnie Knight), while Cub Sport are up for Independent Album Of The Year and Best Independent Dance Or Electronica Album Or EP (both for Jesus At The Gay Bar), as well as Independent Music Video Of The Year (for Keep Me Safe, on behalf of Adam Munnings).

Also earning dual nominations are Georgia Mooney, The Teskey Brothers, Private Function, Teenage Joans, Big Wett, Pacific Avenue, Royel Otis, Nat Vazer and Jen Cloher.

New for the 2024 AIR Awards are the categories for Independent Music Video Of The Year and Independent Producer Of The Year. Alongside those helming music videos for RVG and Cub Sport, nominees for the former award include the masterminds behind clips for Emma Donovan (Chris Cowburn), Adam Noviello (Sean Higgins) and Georgia Mooney (Tobias Willis). Meanwhile, nominees for the producers’ award also include Konstantin Kersting (for his work with DMA’S) and PNAU.

The 2024 AIR Awards will be held at the Queen’s Theatre in Adelaide (Kaurna) on Thursday August 1.

In a press statement, Arts minister Andrea Michaels said: “The Malinauskas Government is proud to support the AIR Awards and Indie-Con Australia Conference. It is fantastic to be hosting the awards here in Adelaide again – Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music – and I congratulate all of the nominees. It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognise the work the independent music industry does in providing talented and emerging artists and music businesses with a platform to share their art with a wider audience.”

2024 AIR AWARDS

FULL NOMINEES LIST

BEST INDEPENDENT BLUES AND ROOTS ALBUM OR EP

DAN SULTAN – Dan Sultan
DOPE LEMON – Kimosabè
GEORGIA MOONEY – Full of Moon
LEAH SENIOR – The Music That I Make
THE TESKEY BROTHERS – The Winding Way

BEST INDEPENDENT HIP HOP ALBUM OR EP

GENESIS OWUSU – STRUGGLER
JK-47 – Revision For Regrowth
TEETHER & KUYA NEIL – Stressor
URTHBOY – Savour
ZIGGY RAMO – Sugar Coated Lies

BEST INDEPENDENT COUNTRY ALBUM OR EP

FANNY LUMSDEN – Hey Dawn
HENRY WAGONS – South of Everywhere
MAPLE GLIDER – I Get Into Trouble
THE WOLFE BROTHERS – Livin' The Dream
TRAVIS COLLINS – Any Less Anymore

BEST INDEPENDENT JAZZ ALBUM OR EP

ELIXIR – A Small Shy Truth
GRIEVOUS BODILY CALM – Cascades
LANCE GURISIK & JEREMY ROSE – Cull Portal
MIKE NOCK – Hearing
THE ROOKIES – Feed the Fire

BEST INDEPENDENT CLASSICAL ALBUM OR EP

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA / RICHARD TOGNETTI – Beethoven Symphonies 1, 2 & 3 'Eroica'
KAREN JACOBSEN – Misogyny Opus
NEIL GAIMAN & FOURPLAY STRING QUARTET – Signs of Life
RUSSELL MORRIS – The Real Thing Symphonic Concert
SLAVA GRIGORYAN – Gratitudes

BEST INDEPENDENT CHILDREN’S ALBUM OR EP

AMBER LAWRENCE – A Very Aussie Aussie Christmas
EMMA MEMMA – Ballet Time
JOSH PYKE – It's Gonna Be A Great, Great Day!
THE WIGGLES – Ready Steady Wiggle
WHISTLE & TRICK – Bananas and Other Delicious Things

BEST INDEPENDENT DANCE, ELECTRONICA OR CLUB SINGLE

CONFIDENCE MAN – On & On (Again)
FISHER & KITA ALEXANDER – Atmosphere
MEMPHIS LK – Black And Blue
ODD MOB & OMNOM – Losing Control
THE JUNGLE GIANTS – Trippin Up

BEST INDEPENDENT PUNK ALBUM OR EP

ENOLA – All Is Forgiven EP
LUCA BRASI – The World Don't Owe You Anything
PRIVATE FUNCTION – 370HSSV 0773H
RADIO FREE ALICE – Radio Free Alice
TEENAGE JOANS – The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest

BEST INDEPENDENT HEAVY ALBUM OR EP

C.O.F.F.I.N – Australia Stops
GLITORIS – Glitoris
POLARIS – Fatalism
REDHOOK – Postcard From A Living Hell
VOID OF VISION – CHRONICLES

BEST INDEPENDENT DANCE OR ELECTRONICA ALBUM OR EP

BIG WETT – PU$$Y
CUB SPORT – Jesus At The Gay Bar
HAIKU HANDS – Pleasure Beast
SIMONA CASTRICUM – SINK
SKELETEN – Under Utopia

BEST INDEPENDENT ROCK ALBUM OR EP

ALEX LAHEY – The Answer Is Always Yes
PACIFIC AVENUE – Flowers
ROYEL OTIS – Sofa Kings
RVG – Brain Worms
TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS – I Love You

BEST INDEPENDENT SOUL/RNB ALBUM OR EP

BUMPY – Morning Sun EP
IMMY OWUSU – LO-LIFE!
RUBY JACKSON – Sweeter For Me
WILSN – Those Days Are Over
WOMEN OF SOUL COLLECTIVE – Feel Good

BEST INDEPENDENT POP ALBUM OR EP

HATCHIE – Giving The World Away (Deluxe)
JACK RIVER – Endless Summer
KATE CEBERANO – My Life Is A Symphony
MOLLY MILLINGTON – 5 Stages
NAT VAZER – Strange Adrenaline

BREAKTHROUGH INDEPENDENT ARTIST OF THE YEAR – PRESENTED BY PPCA

BIG WETT
CHLOE DADD
ENOLA
PACIFIC AVENUE
ROYEL OTIS

INDEPENDENT SONG OF THE YEAR

GENESIS OWUSU – Leaving The Light
JEM CASSAR-DALEY – King of Disappointment
MAPLE GLIDER – Don't Kiss Me
RVG – Nothing Really Changes
TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS – I Used To Be Fun

INDEPENDENT ALBUM OF THE YEAR

CUB SPORT – Jesus At The Gay Bar
GENESIS OWUSU – STRUGGLER
JEN CLOHER – I Am The River, The River Is Me
MAPLE GLIDER – I Get Into Trouble
RVG – Brain Worms

BEST INDEPENDENT LABEL

ABC MUSIC
DOT DASH RECORDINGS
OURNESS
POISON CITY RECORDS
SPINNING TOP RECORDS

INDEPENDENT MARKETING TEAM OF THE YEAR

DOMESTIC LA LA – Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers, I Love You
I OH YOU, MUSHROOM – DMA’S, How Many Dreams?
IVY LEAGUE, MUSHROOM – The Teskey Brothers, The Winding Way
SLOW CLAP– PRIVATE FUNCTION, 370HSSV 0773H
THE ANNEX, OURNESS, AWAL – Genesis Owusu, STRUGGLER

INDEPENDENT PUBLICITY TEAM OF THE YEAR

I OH YOU, MUSHROOM – DMA’S, How Many Dreams?
JANINE MORCOS – Teenage Joans, The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest
JESSICA SEARLE – Jen Cloher, I Am The River, The River Is Me
THINKING LOUD – Genesis Owusu, STRUGGLER
THIS MUCH TALENT – Nat Vazer, Strange Adrenaline

INDEPENDENT MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

ADAM MUNNINGS – Cub Sport, Keep Me Safe
CHRIS COWBURN – Emma Donovan, Blak Nation
HAYDEN SOMERVILLE – RVG, Nothing Really Changes
SEAN HIGGINS – Adam Noviello, Fumbling
TOBIAS WILLIS – Georgia Mooney, War Romance

INDEPENDENT PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

BONNIE KNIGHT – ENOLA, All Is Forgiven EP
KONSTANTIN KERSTING – DMA's, How Many Dreams?
OSCAR DAWSON – Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers, I Love You
PNAU – multiple singles in 2023
TOM IANSEK – Maple Glider, I Get Into Trouble