South Australian Music Award Winners 2022

The SA music industry’s night of nights kicked off at Hindley Street Music Hall, celebrating the best artists, venues, promoters and more.

Image by Samuel Graves

Adelaide’s globally-recognised status as Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music was on full display at the 2022 South Australian Music (SAM) Awards as the state’s diverse industry came together to celebrate the best

in music.

Opening with a powerful performance by Dem Mob and APY Land rappers Jontae Lawrie and Elisha Umuhuri performing partially in Pitjantjatjara language, their rousing set spoke to Country, culture and community.

Hip-hop artist Elsy Wameyo was the star of the evening, collecting five out of the six awards she was nominated for including Best Song, Best Release and Best Solo Artist. The five gongs make Elsy the second-most awarded artist in the history of the SAMs after record holders Teenage Joans. Elsy was also named the Unearthed Artist of the Year award at the 2022 J Awards, continuing her major winning streak.

Making history was Nukunu songwriter Tilly Tjala Thomas, who won the inaugural Best Regional Artist award. Tilly, who grew up on the Fleurieu Peninsula, has been making music since she was 11 and performed her acoustic live set at the ceremony.

First Nations talent continued to shine throughout the evening. Electric Fields took home two awards for Best Group and the People’s Choice Award for Pop, and dynamic RnB duo MARLON X RULLA was named the Best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artist.

Newcomers in South Australia’s music industry also swept up at the awards. Punk rock four-piece LOLA was named Best New Artist, and self-described ‘chaotic indie rock’ band Molly Rocket won the APRA AMCOS Emily Burrow Award, which includes a $5000 cash grant for professional development.

The people, places and venues that make South Australia’s music industry were also recognised, with long-standing music institution Jive winning Best Venue for the second year running. Back-to-back SAM Awards Winner Space Jams took home the Best Small Festival/ Event for their regionally-focused, pandemic-born music initiative, and Aldinga’s Big Easy Radio won the inaugural Best Regional Live Music Venue Award. And Spin Off was named the Major Festival/Event, after returning from a two-year hiatus with a heavy-hitting July line-up.

After a tough few years for the industry, the SAMs proved that the state’s music scene is unwavering. Live music was back and better than ever, vertical consumption got the green tick (remember when that was a thing?), and the energy for good tunes was palpable. Barkindji songwriter Nancy Bates and Corey Theatre performed a soulful tribute to the late Uncle Archie Roach, and Wanderers closed out the ceremony.

Alas, once proceedings wrapped, it was downstairs to the afterparty at new club DIVIDE, which also awarded many sore heads the following Friday morning. ‘Til next year!

AND THE WINNER IS...

Major Award Winners

Best Song – Elsy Wameyo for ‘River Nile’

Best Release – Elsy Wameyo for ‘Nilotic’

Best New Artist – LOLA

Best Group – Electric Fields

Best Solo Artist – Elsy Wameyo

Best Regional Artist – Tilly Tjala Thomas

Best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artist – MARLON X RULLA

SAM AWARDS INDUSTRY WINNERS

Best Studio – Wundenberg’s Recording Studios

Best Studio Engineer/Producer – Elsy Wameyo

Best Live Technician – Lachlan Sheehan

Best Major Festival/Event – Spin Off

Best Small Festival/Event – Space Jams

Best Manager – Sian Walden (Little Acorn Music)

Best Venue – Jive

Best Regional Venue/Activation – Big Easy Radio

Best Cover Art – Paloma Ellery for SONS of ZÖKU – ‘Sün’

Best Music Video – Elsy Wameyo & Richard Coburn

Best Innovation – Porch Records

Best Music Educator – Adelaide Youth Orchestra

SPECIAL AWARDS

Emily Burrows Award APRAA AMCOS – Molly Rocket

Neville Clark Award – Thessa Burdon (SAE) and Lucinda Machin (TAFE)

UNESCO Collaboration Report – Adelaide Guitar Festival: Origination

Music SA Community Award – Northern Sound System

PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNERS

Blue and Roots – Cal Williams Jr.

Country – Ella & Sienna

Electronic – Motez

Experimental - SONS of ZÖKU

Folk – Ukulele Death Squad

Heavy – Swordfish Trombone

Hip Hop – We Move Like Giants

Jazz – The Shaolin Afronauts

Pop – Electric Fields

Punk – Teenage Joans

Rocks – TOWNS

Soul/Funk/RnB – Wanderers

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