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The 2020 J Award
winners are…
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Today, triple j, Double J, triple j Unearthed and rage spent all day celebrating the very best Aussie music this year has had to offer.
None more so than the recipients of 2020’s J Awards, Lime Cordiale, Archie Roach, JK-47, Isol-Aid and director Joey Hunter, who’ve been recognised for their creativity, technical excellence and contribution to Australian music. In a challenging year, we’ve never been more proud of the culture and talent in our own backyard.
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triple j Australian Album of the Year – Lime Cordiale, 14 Steps To A Better You
14 Steps To A Better You pulls together a massive two years that’s seen the band leap from cult following to the big stage. From their 2018 Hottest 100 debut ‘Dirt Cheap’, to more recent successes like ‘Robbery’ and ‘On Our Own’, the album is a landslide of hits. Each song excels thanks to Louis and Oli’s charm and cheek. They’re undoubtedly accomplished musicians, but they never take themselves too seriously and that’s no more evident than in the kazoo solo on ‘No Plans To Make Plans’, one of the most memorable moments of the album. Lime Cordiale’s quirkiness and big band appeal sets them apart from the pack and 14 Steps… confirms them as one of the best and most well-loved acts in the country.
triple j’s Music Director, Nick Findlay, says of the album “2020 will be remembered for a lot of dark moments, but one bright shining light that’s cut through has been the sophomore album from Sydney brothers Lime Cordiale. On 14 Steps To A Better You, Oli and Louis cement themselves as some of the country’s most unique songwriters, taking their laid back surf-rock sound to new heights of polished pop gold. Lime Cordiale know how to write an earworm, and with an album that already had four Hottest 100 hits under its belt before release, there was no doubt that we were going to be met with another wave of listener favourites on this record.”
Double J Australian Artist of the Year – Archie Roach
In November 2019, Archie Roach, who’s loomed large in Aussie music for the best part of 30 years, released his memoir and accompanying album, Tell Me Why. A short run of shows saw Roach’s story come to life on stage on a grand scale, including stops at Sydney Festival and Woodford Folk Festival. Soon after, Roach announced his final ever tour after decades on the road. Then COVID hit. But calling off this significant tour didn’t stop Archie Roach. He released a YouTube series allowing us to share in the stories behind his brilliant songs, as well as a new version of his debut album Charcoal Lane, giving it new weight in 2020. Furthermore, he released a series of educational resources about the Stolen Generations, continuing his life’s work of educating Australian children and reminding us of how lucky we are to have Archie Roach’s voice in our lives.
Unearthed Artist of the Year – JK-47
The Gudjinburra man of the Bundjalung nation has had a remarkable run of feats. The rapper won triple j Unearthed’s 2020 NIMAs competition and quickly backed it up with his first album, Made For This. With racial injustices under the microscope in 2020 and the Black Lives Matter movement gaining momentum, tracks like ‘Abandoned’ and ‘I Am Here (Trust Me)’ show JK-47 at his most potent, amplifying the experiences and struggles of First Nations people in Australia with soul and power. What makes JK-47 a stand out though is that at just 22 years of age, he’s already honed his skills as a penman and rapper, showing he can deftly switch gears and drop precise bars on energetic tracks like the breakout ‘The Recipe’ or the posse cut ‘On One’. There’s no tricks with JK-47, no trend-jumping or clout chasing, just honest songwriting that flows from both his mind and heart.
triple j and rage Australian Music Video of the Year – Tasman Keith’s ‘Billy Bad Again’, director Joey Hunter
Representing Bowraville to the fullest, Tasman Keith puts his hometown front and centre with the braggadocious ‘Billy Bad Again’, and the music video adds extra punch to those hard-hitting sonics. The shots are eye-catching, the styling slick and the humour well in cheek. The Entropico team, led by Director Joey Hunter, have produced visuals that amplify the confidence of ‘Billy Bad Again’, while also grounding Tasman’s clear love and connection for his community. There’s a confidence in Tasman’s style of storytelling; true heart meets a fierce pride in his upbringing and sense of home. Visually, the music video captures this energy. Sure, there’s humour throughout but make no mistake, this clip is Tasman Keith through and through. This is the town he’s from, this is the community he’s proud to rep.
Done Good Award – Isol-Aid
Adapt to survive was the mantra live music was forced to take on when COVID-19 reared its head in 2020. As a result, a group of Melbourne based music lovers stepped up and gave us Isol-Aid: a grassroots movement that became an Insta-concert institution. Launching amidst a torrent of festival cancellations, Isol-Aid provided our screens with killer line ups from artists’ bedrooms, bathrooms and studios. Providing an online platform for people to gather when they couldn’t IRL, it satisfied a craving for normalcy that was suddenly stripped away. Sure, it didn’t quite look or sound the way gigs used to, but it was the homespun intimacy that made Isol-Aid so special. From cosy arvo sing-alongs and late-night raves, Isol-Aid brought us much needed live music while supporting the local music community and raising money for Support Act.
Congratulations again to the 2020 J Award winners, as well as all the 2020 J Award nominees, in what was an exceptional year for music. While you bask in their glory, brush up on past winners throughout the J Awards 16 year history and get ready to feel some epic pride for the Aussie music scene.
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triple j – we love music
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