1995 ARIA Music Awards

The Ninth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 20 October 1995 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. There had been a 18-month gap since the previous award ceremony which was moved to be "closer to the business end of the music industry's year" and so reflect that year's works. Presenters distributed 28 awards from 1060 eligible submissions. Big winners for the year were Silverchair with five awards and Tina Arena with four, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year – both first time they were won by a female.
In addition to previous categories, the former category Best Pop/Dance Release was split into Best Pop Release and Best Dance Release. Another new category Best World Music Album was also presented for the first time. The ARIA Hall of Fame inducted: The Seekers.

Ceremony details

Presenters and performers

The ARIA Awards ceremony was hosted by radio and TV personality Richard Stubbs. Presenters and performers were:

Presenter	Performer
Peter Asher	Tina Arena
Billy Birmingham	Tina Arena
Kimberley Davies	Tina Arena
Suze DeMarchi	Merril Bainbridge
Diesel	Merril Bainbridge
Melissa Etheridge	Merril Bainbridge
Dave Graney	Melissa Etheridge
Janet Jackson	Melissa Etheridge
Gina Jeffreys	Melissa Etheridge
Alison Drower/Ian Rogerson	Deni Hines/Renegade Funktrain/Swoop
Montell Jordan	Deni Hines/Renegade Funktrain/Swoop
Hon	Deni Hines/Renegade Funktrain/Swoop
Michael Lee	Screaming Jets
Molly Meldrum	Screaming Jets
Rick Price	Screaming Jets
Max Sharam	Silverchair, Tim Rogers – "New Race"
Greedy Smith	Take That
Michael Spiby	Take That
Mandawuy Yunupingu	TISM
Adam Thompson	TISM
Monica Trapaga	TISM

Dubious acceptance speech

Itch-E and Scratch-E won the inaugural award for Best Dance Release. One of the duo, Paul Mac's acceptance speech included:
One of the sponsors of the ceremony was the National Drug Offensive, which withdrew their financial backing. The jargon term, ecstasy, for a psychoactive drug was bleeped for the TV broadcast. In 2005 Mac explained that he did not expect to win and so had no speech prepared.

Awards

Final nominees are shown, in plain, with winners in bold.

ARIA Awards

Album of the Year
*Tina Arena – Don't Ask
**Christine Anu – Stylin' Up
**The Cruel Sea – Three Legged Dog
**Silverchair – Frogstomp
**You Am I – Hi Fi Way
Single of the Year
*Silverchair – "Tomorrow"
**Tina Arena – "Chains"
**Merril Bainbridge – "Mouth"
**Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – "Do You Love Me?"
**Max Sharam – "Coma"
Highest Selling Album
*The 12th Man – Wired World of Sports II
**Tina Arena – Don't Ask
**The Badloves – Get On Board
**The Cruel Sea – Three Legged Dog
**Wendy Matthews – The Witness Tree
Highest Selling Single
*Silverchair – "Tomorrow"
**Merril Bainbridge – "Mouth"
**Chocolate Starfish – "Mountain"
**Kulcha – "Shaka Jam"
**Kylie Minogue – "Confide in Me"
Best Group
*The Cruel Sea – Three Legged Dog
**Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Let Love In
**Crowded House – "Private Universe"
**Silverchair – Frogstomp
**You Am I – Hi Fi Way
Best Female Artist
*Tina Arena – Don't Ask
**Christine Anu – Stylin' Up
**Merril Bainbridge – "Mouth"
**Kylie Minogue – Kylie Minogue
**Max Sharam – A Million Year Girl
Best Male Artist
*Diesel – Solid State Rhyme
**Paul Kelly – Wanted Man
**Ed Kuepper – Character Assassination
**Rick Price – River of Love
**Chris Wilson – Live at the Continental
Best New Talent
*Silverchair – Frogstomp
**Merril Bainbridge – "Mouth"
**Magic Dirt – Life Was Better
**Max Sharam – A Million Year Girl
**The Truth – "My Heavy Friend"
Breakthrough Artist – Album
*Silverchair – Frogstomp
**Christine Anu – Stylin' Up
**D.I.G. – Dig Deeper
**Max Sharam – A Million Year Girl
**Vika and Linda – Vika and Linda
Breakthrough Artist – Single
*Silverchair – "Tomorrow"
**Merril Bainbridge – "Mouth"
**Directions In Groove – "The Favourite"
**Max Sharam – "Coma"
**Vika and Linda – "When Will You Fall for Me?"
Best Dance Release
*Itch-E and Scratch-E – "Sweetness and Light"
**Boxcar – "What Are You So Happy About"
**Quench – "Dreams"
**Renegade Funktrain – "I Wonder"
**The Rockmelons – "Stronger Together"
**Single Gun Theory – Flow, River Of My Soul
Best Pop Release
*Tina Arena – "Chains"
**Merril Bainbridge – "Mouth"
**Kulcha – Kulcha
**Mental As Anything – Mr Natural
**Tlot Tlot – "The Girlfriend Song"
Best Country Album
*Troy Cassar-Daley – Beyond the Dancing
**Slim Dusty – Natural High
**Gina Jeffreys – The Flame
**Lee Kernaghan – Country Crowd
**Jane Saunders – Strangers to Your Heart
Best Independent Release
*TISM – Machiavelli and the Four Seasons
**Def FX – Ritual Eternal
**Ed Kuepper – Character Assassination
**Magic Dirt – Life Was Better
**Single Gun Theory – Flow, River of My Soul
Best Alternative Release
*You Am I – Hi Fi Way
**Custard – Wahooti Fandango
**Magic Dirt – Life Was Better
**Regurgitator – Regurgitator
**Silverchair – Frogstomp
Best Indigenous Release
*Christine Anu – Stylin' Up
**Kev Carmody – "On the Wire"
**Ruby Hunter – Thoughts Within
**Tiddas – "Changing Times"
**Yothu Yindi & Neil Finn – "Dots on the Shells"
Best Adult Contemporary Album
*My Friend the Chocolate Cake – Brood
**The Black Sorrows – Lucky Charm
**Phil Emmanuel & Tommy Emmanuel – Terra Firma
**Dave Hole – Steel on Steel
**Wendy Matthews – The Witness Tree
Best Comedy Release
*The 12th Man – Wired World of Sports II
**Austen Tayshus – Alive and Schticking
**Jimeoin – Crack
**Kevin Bloody Wilson – Let Loose Live in London
**Scared Weird Little Guys – ''Scared''

Fine Arts Awards

Best Jazz Album
*Bernie McGann Trio – McGann McGann
*Mark Simmonds Freeboppers – Fire
**The Allan Browne Quartet – Birdcalls
**Australian Art Orchestra – Ringing the Ball Backwards
**Bobby Gebert Trio – Sculpture
Best Classical Album
*Yvonne Kenny, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Kamirski – Simple Gifts
**Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, David Porcelijn, János Fürst – Powerhouse Three Poems of Byron – Capriccio Nocturnes Unchained Melody
**Duncan Gifford – Debussy Preludes Books I & II
**Slava Grigoryan – Spirit of Spain
**Graham Pushee, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Paul Dyer – Handel: Opera Arias
Best Children's Album
*The Wiggles – Big Red Car
**Adelaide Symphony Orchestra – Dream Child
**Cinderella Acappella – Cinderella Acappella
**Franciscus Henri – I'm Hans Christian Andersen
**Play School – Oomba Baroomba
Best Original Soundtrack / Cast / Show Recording
*Cast Recording – The Pirates of Penzance
**Martin Armiger – Fornicon
**Guy Gross – The Priscilla Companion Original Score
**Various – Heartland
**Various – Metal Skin
**Various – Once in a Blue Moon
Best World Music Album
*Yungchen Lhamo – Tibetan Prayer
**Bu Baca Diop – Stand
**The Celts – The Rocky Road
**Nomad - Nomad
**Sirocco – The Wetland Suite
**Various – ''Tribal Heart''

Artisan Awards

Song of the Year
*Tina Arena – "Chains"
**Merril Bainbridge – "Mouth"
**Daniel Johns/Ben Gillies – "Tomorrow"
**Neil Murray – "Island Home"
**Max Sharam – "Coma"
Producer of the Year
*Tony Cohen for The Cruel Sea – Three Legged Dog
**Daniel Denholm
**David Bridie
**Paul McKercher
**Phil McKellar
Engineer of the Year
*Tony Cohen, Paul McKercher for The Cruel Sea – Three Legged Dog
**Doug Brady
**Cameron Craig
**Mark Forrester
**Craig Porteils
**Doug Roberts
Best Video
*Keir McFarlane – Kylie Minogue – "Put Yourself in My Place"
**Robbie Douglas-Turner – You Am I – "Jewels & Bullets"
**Bob Ellis – Electric Hippies – "Greedy People"
**Paul Elliott – Max Sharam – "Coma"
**Tony Mahoney – Dave Graney & the Coral Snakes – "I'm Gonna Release Your Soul"
Best Cover Art
*Dominic O'Brien – Max Sharam – A Million Year Girl
**Simon Anderson – Electric Hippies – The Electric Hippies
**Simon Anderson – You Am I – Hi Fi Way
**The Cruel Sea, Kristyna Higgins, Jim Paton – The Cruel Sea – Three Legged Dog
**Reg Mombassa – Mental As Anything – ''Mr Natural''

ARIA Hall of Fame inductee

The Hall of Fame inductee was:

'''The Seekers'''