Guests were treated to a star-studded event at the inaugural Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) with performances from industry heavyweights including Kate Ceberano, Katie Noonan, Kween G, Merenia Marin, Adalita and Lou Bennett (Tiddas). The awards celebrate and recognise the leadership and achievements of some of the most outstanding women in Australia’s music industry.
For the first time in Australian music history, the AWMA’s have recognised the outstanding contributions of women across all areas. Fourteen AWMAs were presented at the ceremony, each assessed by a specially-convened Jury Council comprised of industry professionals and practitioners of the highest calibre. Music pioneer Helen Reddy was the very first inductee into the AWMA honour roll last night, in recognition of her remarkable achievements not only as a singer/songwriter over the last four decades but also for her indelible contribution to the women’s movement. Reddy’s Grammy-winning song I Am Woman has been universally-recognised as the unofficial anthem for women’s rights and female empowerment since the 1970s.
Special attendees such as Queensland Minister for Women, Di Farmer were also present at the event. She said the awards showcased the enormous depth of talent women continued to bring to the music industry and praised award recipients for their achievements. “Women make up almost half of Australians with a music qualification and half of those studying music – yet only one-fifth of songwriters are women,” she said. “Women hold only 28 per cent of senior and strategic roles in key industry associations, and female artists earn less in general than their male counterparts. I congratulate the Australian Women in Music Awards committee for their work towards encouraging more girls and women at the music industry”.
Readers also enjoyed our socials from AWMA.
