2011 ARIA Music Awards

The 25th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2011 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine Arts Awards and ARIA Awards. The latter ceremony took place on 27 November at the Allphones Arena, Sydney, and was telecast Nine Network's channel Go! at 7:30pm. The final nominees for ARIA Award categories were announced on 11 October as well as nominees and winners for Fine Arts Awards and Artisan Awards.
For the second time in ARIA Awards history, public votes were used for the categories, "Most Popular International Artist" and "Most Popular Australian Artist"; and for the first time for a new category "Most Popular Australian Live Artist".
The ARIA Hall of Fame inducted Kylie Minogue and The Wiggles – including former member Greg Page – on 27 November at the same ceremony as the ARIA Awards.

Presenters and performers

Presenters

Adam Hills presented the awards for "Breakthrough Artist – Single" and "Breakthrough Artist – Album".
Tom Ballard and Alex Dyson presented the award for "Best Independent Release".
Hamish & Andy presented the awards for "Best Urban Album", "Best Dance Release" and "Best Country Album".
Benji Madden and Joel Madden presented the awards for "Best Rock Album" and "Best Comedy Release".
Katie Noonan and Iva Davies presented the award for "Best Pop Release".
Stevie Nicks and Richard Wilkins presented the award for "Best Adult Contemporary Album".
Ricki-Lee Coulter and James Kerley presented the awards for "Most Popular Australian Artist", "Most Popular International Artist" and "Most Popular Australian Live Artist".
Noah Taylor and Christina Amphlett presented the award for "Best Group".
Delta Goodrem presented the awards for "Best Male Artist" and "Best Female Artist".
Missy Higgins presented the awards for "Single of the Year" and "Album of the Year".
Molly Meldrum and Prime Minister Julia Gillard inducted Kylie Minogue into the Hall of Fame.
David Wenham inducted The Wiggles into the Hall of Fame.
James Mathison
Erin McNaught
Ruby Rose

Performers

Drapht performed his song "Rapunzel".
Cut Copy performed their song "Need You Now".
Art vs. Science performed their song "Magic Fountain".
Guy Sebastian sang a medley of "Who's That Girl" and "Don't Worry Be Happy".
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu performed his song, "Warwu", accompanied by Missy Higgins on piano.
* In 2019 Double J's Dan Condon described this as one of "7 great performances from the history of the ARIA Awards."
Gotye and Kimbra performed their award-winning single "Somebody That I Used to Know".
The Living End sang "The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating", the lead single from their album.
Delta Goodrem performed a cover version of Wendy Matthews' "The Day You Went Away", in tribute to those we've lost from the Australian Music Industry in the past 25 years.
Boy & Bear performed their award-winning single "Feeding Line".

ARIA Hall of Fame Inductees

The ARIA Hall of Fame induction occurred on 27 November 2011 as part of the overall ARIA Music Awards. Molly Meldrum introduced Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, who inducted Kylie Minogue; while actor, David Wenham, inducted The Wiggles – including former member Greg Page.

Nominees and winners

ARIA Awards

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

Album of the Year	Single of the Year
Boy & Bear – Moonfire *Cut Copy – Zonoscope**** Eskimo Joe – Ghosts of the Past Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Rrakala *Grinderman – Grinderman 2	Gotye featuring Kimbra – "Somebody That I Used to Know" Birds of Tokyo – "Wild at Heart" Boy & Bear – "Feeding Line" Drapht – "Rapunzel" Guy Sebastian featuring Eve – "Who's That Girl" *The Jezabels – "Dark Storm"
Best Male Artist	Best Female Artist
Gotye – "Somebody That I Used to Know" Drapht – The Life of Riley Gareth Liddiard – Strange Tourist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Rrakala Josh Pyke – "No One Wants a Lover"	Kimbra – "Cameo Lover" Adalita – Adalita Clare Bowditch – Are You Ready Yet? Kasey Chambers – Little Bird Washington – "Holy Moses"
Breakthrough Artist – Album	Breakthrough Artist – Single
Boy & Bear – Moonfire Drapht – The Life of Riley* Gypsy & The Cat – Gilgamesh* Oh Mercy – Great Barrier Grief* The Middle East – I Want That You Are Always Happy*	Boy & Bear – "Feeding Line" Drapht – "Rapunzel" Havana Brown – "We Run the Night" The Jezabels – "Dark Storm" Zoë Badwi – "Freefallin"
Highest Selling Album	Highest Selling Single
Altiyan Childs – Altiyan Childs *Angus & Julia Stone – Down the Way**** Birds of Tokyo – Birds of Tokyo Keith Urban – Get Closer *Various – He Will Have His Way	Guy Sebastian featuring Eve – "Who's That Girl" Birds of Tokyo – "Plans" Gotye featuring Kimbra – "Somebody That I Used to Know" Havana Brown – "We Run the Night" Jessica Mauboy featuring Ludacris – "Saturday Night"
Best Group	Best Independent Release
Boy & Bear – Moonfire Birds of Tokyo – "Wild at Heart" Eskimo Joe – Ghosts of the Past Grinderman – Grinderman 2* The Living End – The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating*	Art vs. Science – The Experiment *Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Rrakala**** John Butler Trio – Live at Red Rocks Tex Perkins & the Dark Horses – Tex Perkins & the Dark Horses *The Jezabels – Dark Storm
Best Children's Album	Best Comedy Release
The Wiggles – Ukulele Baby Dirtgirlworld – Dig It* Hi-5 – Turn the Music Up!* Holly Throsby – See!* Play School – Let's Play Together*	Hamish & Andy – Celebrating 50 Glorious Years *Adam Hills – Inflatable**** Buddy Goode – The One & Only Buddy Goode Josh Thomas – Josh Thomas Surprise Warehouse Comedy Festival *Tim Minchin – Tim Minchin & the Heritage Orchestra
Best Dance Release	Best Pop Release
Cut Copy – Zonoscope Bag Raiders – Bag Raiders* Miami Horror – Illumination* Pnau – Soft Universe* *The Potbelleez – "From the Music"	Gotye featuring Kimbra – "Somebody That I Used to Know" Architecture in Helsinki – Moment Bends* Guy Sebastian featuring Eve – "Who's That Girl?" Gypsy & the Cat – Gilgamesh *Washington –"Holy Moses"
Best Adult Alternative Album	Best Adult Contemporary Album
Boy & Bear – Moonfire *Grinderman – Grinderman 2**** Little Red – Midnight Remember Seeker Lover Keeper – Seeker Lover Keeper *The Panics – Rain on the Humming Wire	Billy Thorpe – Tangier Colin Hay – Gathering Mercury* Damien Leith – Roy* John Farnham – Jack* Mark Seymour & the Undertow – Undertow*
Best Blues & Roots Album	Best Urban Album
The Audreys – Sometimes the Stars *Backsliders – Starvation Box**** Blue King Brown – Worldwize Part 1 – North & South John Butler Trio – Live at Red Rocks *The Waifs – Temptation	Drapht – The Life of Riley Illy – The Chase* Koolism – The 'Umu* Phrase – Babylon* Vents – Marked for Death*
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album	Best Rock Album
Front End Loader – Ritardando *Coerce – Ethereal Surrogate Saviour**** Cosmic Psychos – Glorius Barsteds Dream On, Dreamer – Heartbound *Floating Me – Floating Me	The Living End – The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating Children Collide – Theory of Everything* Eskimo Joe – Ghosts of the Past* Jebediah – Kosciuszko* Papa Vs Pretty – United in Isolation*
Best Country Album	Most Popular Australian Live Artist
Kasey Chambers – Little Bird Jasmine Rae – Listen Here* Keith Urban – Get Closer* Shane Nicholson – Bad Machines* Troy Cassar-Daley – Troy Cassar-Daley Live*	The Living End Birds of Tokyo Justice Crew Keith Urban Shannon Noll
Most Popular International Artist	Most Popular Australian Artist
P!nk Adele Chris Brown Jennifer Lopez Jessie J Ke$ha Lady Gaga LMFAO Pitbull *Rihanna	Birds of Tokyo Altiyan Childs Angus & Julia Stone Drapht Guy Sebastian Jessica Mauboy John Farnham Justice Crew Keith Urban *Stan Walker

Fine Arts Awards

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

Best Classical Album

Sally Whitwell – Mad Rush: Piano Music of Philip Glass
*Karin Schaupp & Flinders Quartet – Fandango
*Latitude 37 – Latitude 37
*Richard Tognetti, Australian Chamber Orchestra – Mozart Violin Concertos Vol 2
*Teddy Tahu Rhodes – Serious Songs

Best Jazz Album

Elixir featuring Katie Noonan – First Seed Ripening

*Allan Browne, Marc Hannaford, Sam Anning – Shreveport Stomp

*Kristin Berardi and The Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra – Kristin Berardi meets The Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra

*Sarah McKenzie – Don't Tempt Me

*The Idea of North – Extraordinary Tale

Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album

Chris Lilley – Angry Boys – Official Soundtrack Album

*Jed Kurzel – Snowtown

*Stephen Pigram, Alan Pigram, Alex Lloyd – Mad Bastards – Music from the Motion Picture

*Sydney Symphony & cast, Alexander Briger – Don John of Austria

*Various Artists – Mary Poppins Australian Cast Recording

Best World Music Album

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Rrakala

*David Bridie, Hein Arumisore, Jacob Rumbiak, Ronny Kareni, Donny Roem – Strange Birds in Paradise: A West Papuan Soundtrack

*Saltwater Band – Malk

*The Shaolin Afronauts – Flight of the Ancients

*Slava & Leonard Grigoryan, James & Joseph Tawadros – Band of Brothers

Best Music DVD

AC/DC – Live at River Plate

*Powderfinger – Sunsets Farewell Tour

*RocKwiz – Live National Tour

*Tex Perkins – The Man in Black

*Various Artists –Triple J's One Night Stand

Artisan Awards

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

Best Cover Art	Best Video
Alter – Cut Copy – Zonoscope Aaron Hayward, David Homer, Debaser – Art vs. Science – The Experiment* Carlo Santone – Geoffry Gurumul Yunupingu – Rrakala* David Homer, Aaron Hayward, Debaser – Billy Thorpe – Billy Thorpe's Tangier* Ken Done – Oh Mercy – Great Barrier Grief*	Natasha Pincus – Gotye featuring Kimbra – "Somebody That I Used to Know" Bart Borghesi – Eskimo Joe – "Love Is a Drug" Carlo Santone – Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – "Gopuru" David Michod, Flood Projects – Children Collide – "Loveless" Guy Franklin – Kimbra – "Cameo Lover"
Engineer of the Year	Producer of the Year
François Tétaz – Gotye featuring Kimbra – "Somebody That I Used to Know" Dave Parkin – Drapht – "Rapunzel" Greg Clarke – Billy Thorpe – Tangier Matt Lovell – Eskimo Joe – Ghosts of the Past* *Wayne Connolly – Josh Pyke – "No One Wants a Lover"	Wally De Backer– Gotye featuring Kimbra – "Somebody That I Used to Know" Boy & Bear – Boy & Bear – Moonfire* Daniel Denholm – – Billy Thorpe Tangier* Eskimo Joe – Eskimo Joe – Ghosts of the Past* *Wayne Connolly, Josh Pyke – Josh Pyke – "No One Wants a Lover"