The ARIA Music Award for Best Male Artist, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), an organisation whose aim is "to advance the interests of the Australian record industry." The award is given to an Australian male artist who has had a single or an album appear in the ARIA Top 100 Singles Chart between the eligibility period, and is voted for by a judging academy, which comprises 1000 members from different areas of the music industry.
The award for Best Male Artist was first presented to John Farnham in 1987. Farnham, Diesel, Alex Lloyd, Gotye and Paul Kelly hold the record for the most wins, with three each, followed by Jimmy Barnes, Flume and Nick Cave with two; Gotye and Flume won all their nominations. Four of those artists won in consecutive years; Farnham in 1987 and 1988, Diesel from 1993 to 1995, becoming the only artist with three consecutive wins, Kelly in 1997 and 1998, Lloyd in 2002 and 2003 and Gotye in 2011 and 2012. Kelly holds the record for most nominations at 18, while Guy Sebastian received the most nominations without a win with seven.
This and the ARIA Award for Best Female Artist was merged in 2021 to form a single award for Best Artist. The change was designed to ensure that the ARIA Awards reflect and embrace equality and the true diversity of the music industry in 2021. The number of nominees for Best Artist was increased to ten.
Winners and nominees In the following table, the winner is highlighted in a separate colour, and in boldface; the nominees are those that are not highlighted or in boldface.
Year Winner(s) Album/Single Title 1987 John Farnham Whispering Jack Jimmy Barnes "Good Times" Martin Plaza Plaza Suite Paul Kelly Gossip Tim Finn Big Canoe 1988 John Farnham 1989 Jimmy Barnes Barnestorming Stephen Cummings A Life Is a Life John Farnham Age of Reason Paul Kelly "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" James Reyne "Motor's Too Fast" 1990 Ian Moss Matchbook Peter Blakeley "Crying in the Chapel" Joe Camilleri "Angel Dove" Stephen Cummings A New Kind of Blue Paul Kelly So Much Water So Close To Home 1991 John Farnham Chain Reaction Peter Blakeley Harry's Café De Wheels Jimmy Barnes Two Fires Daryl Braithwaite Rise Stephen Cummings "Hell (You've Put Me Through)" 1992 Jimmy Barnes Soul Deep Daryl Braithwaite "The Horses" John Farnham Full House Richard Pleasance Galleon Tommy Emmanuel Determination 1993 Diesel Hepfidelity Chris Wilson Landlocked Jimmy Barnes "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Jon Stevens "Superstar" Paul Kelly Paul Kelly Live 1994 Diesel The Lobbyist Jimmy Barnes Flesh and Wood John Farnham Then Again Tex Perkins Sad but True Tim Finn Before & After 1995 Diesel Solid State Rhyme Chris Wilson Live at the Continental Ed Kuepper Character Assassination Paul Kelly Wanted Man Rick Price "River of Love" 1996 Dave Graney The Soft 'n' Sexy Sound Diesel Short Cool Ones John Farnham Romeo's Heart Paul Kelly Deeper Water Tex Perkins "You're Too Beautiful" 1997 Paul Kelly How to Make Gravy Dave Graney The Devil Drives Jimmy Barnes "Lover Lover" Mark Seymour "Last Ditch Cabaret" Tex Perkins Far Be It From Me 1998 Paul Kelly Words and Music Chris Wilson The Long Weekend Ed Kuepper Live! Mark Seymour King Without a Clue Matt Walker I Listen to the Night 1999 Tim Rogers What Rhymes with Cars and Girls Alex Lloyd "Lucky Star" Ben Lee Breathing Tornados Josh Abrahams Sweet Distorted Holiday Paul Kelly "I'll Be Your Lover" 2000 Alex Lloyd Black the Sun David Bridie Act of Free Choice Endorphin Skin Groove Terminator Road Kill Paul Kelly Smoke 2001 Nick Cave No More Shall We Part John Butler Three Paul Kelly Roll on Summer EP Paul Mac "Just the Thing" Tex Perkins Dark Horses 2002 Alex Lloyd Watching Angels Mend Dan Brodie Empty Arms, Broken Hearts Darren Hayes Spin Paul Kelly ...Nothing but a Dream Paul Mac 3000 Feet High 2003 Alex Lloyd "Coming Home" Ben Lee Hey You. Yes You. John Butler Living 2001–2002 Nick Cave Nocturama Tex Perkins Sweet Nothing 2004 John Butler Sunrise Over Sea Alex Lloyd Distant Light Dan Kelly Sing the Tabloid Blues Pete Murray "So Beautiful" Tim Rogers Spit Polish 2005 Ben Lee Awake Is the New Sleep John Butler "Something's Gotta Give" Keith Urban Be Here Lior Autumn Flow Paul Kelly Foggy Highway 2006 Bernard Fanning Tea & Sympathy Ben Lee "We're All in This Together" Bob Evans Suburban Songbook Dan Kelly Pirate Radio Pete Murray See the Sun 2007 Gotye Mixed Blood Dan Kelly Drowning in the Fountain of Youth John Butler Grand National Josh Pyke Memories & Dust Paul Kelly Stolen Apples 2008 Nick Cave Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Gurrumul Paul Kelly "To Her Door" (Live) Pete Murray Summer at Eureka Sam Sparro Sam Sparro 2009 Daniel Merriweather Love & War Bob Evans Goodnight, Bull Creek! C.W. Stoneking Jungle Blues Josh Pyke Chimney's Afire Paul Dempsey Everything Is True 2010 Dan Sultan Get Out While You Can Dan Kelly Dan Kelly's Dream Guy Sebastian Like It Like That John Butler April Uprising Paul Dempsey "Fast Friends" 2011 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" 2012 Gotye Making Mirrors 360 Falling & Flying Angus Stone Broken Brights Guy Sebastian "Battle Scars" Keith Urban "For You" Matt Corby Into the Flame 2013 Flume Flume Guy Sebastian Armageddon Keith Urban "Little Bit of Everything" Matt Corby "Resolution" Paul Kelly Spring and Fall 2014 Chet Faker Built on Glass Dan Sultan Blackbird Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Gurrumul & The Sydney Symphony Orchestra – His Life and Music Guy Sebastian "Come Home with Me" Vance Joy "Mess Is Mine" 2015 Vance Joy Dream Your Life Away #1 Dads "Nominal" Daniel Johns Talk Guy Sebastian "Tonight Again" Jarryd James "Do You Remember" 2016 Flume Skin Bernard Fanning Civil Dusk Guy Sebastian "Black & Blue" Illy "Papercuts" (featuring Vera Blue) Troye Sivan Blue Neighbourhood 2017 Paul Kelly Life Is Fine D.D Dumbo Utopia Defeated Dan Sultan Killer Illy Two Degrees Vance Joy "Lay It on Me" 2018 Gurrumul Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) Dan Sultan Killer Under a Blood Moon Dean Lewis "Be Alright" Troye Sivan Bloom Vance Joy Nation of Two 2019 Dean Lewis A Place We Knew Guy Sebastian "Choir" Hayden James Between Us Matt Corby Rainbow Valley Paul Kelly Nature 2020 Archie Roach Tell Me Why Guy Sebastian "Standing with You" Ruel Free Time The Kid Laroi F*ck Love Troye Sivan In a Dream
Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals received two or more Best Male Artist awards: Wins Artist 3 Diesel John Farnham Alex Lloyd Gotye Paul Kelly 2 Jimmy BarnesNick Cave Flume
The following individuals received two or more Best Male Artist nominations: Nominations Artist 18 Paul Kelly 7 John Farnham Jimmy Barnes Guy Sebastian 6 John Butler 5 Tex Perkins Alex Lloyd 4 Diesel Dan Kelly Vance Joy Ben Lee Dan Sultan Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu 3 Nick Cave Stephen CummingsGotyePete MurrayJosh Pyke Troye Sivan Keith UrbanChris Wilson 2 Peter Blakeley Daryl Braithwaite Matt Corby Paul Dempsey Bob Evans Bernard Fanning Tim Finn Flume Dave Graney Illy Ed Kuepper Dean Lewis Paul Mac Tim Rogers Mark Seymour
References
External links The ARIA Awards Official website