Courtney Barnett has won the 11th annual Australian Music Prize for her debut LP Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.
Barnett was on hand at the AMP ceremony at Sydney’s The Basement venue to collect her award and the Aus$30,000 ($25,000) winner’s check, donated by collecting society PPCA.
The AMP is modeled on Britain’s Mercury Music Prize and Canada’s Polaris Prize and is decided by a music industry panel, whose single goal is to identify and reward the outstanding creative Australian album of the past year.
Tame Impala, Courtney Barnett Shortlisted for Australian Music Prize
Barnett’s acclaimed album was declared top of its class on Wednesday (March 9), beating nine other shortlisted albums from the likes of Tame Impala, Royal Headache and Sarah Blasko.
“It’s huge, it’s a lot of money. I’m not sure right now what to do with it,” Barnett told Billboard after her name was called. “It’s nice because it feels like this is a real reflection of the songs and the album, instead of sales or popularity or plays on YouTube. It feels good.”
Barnett’s latest victory caps a stellar run of critical and commercial success over the past year or so during which time the singer-songwriter has won Triple J’s prestigious J album for album of the year, scooped a string of ARIA and AIR Awards and was nominated for the best new artist at the recent Grammy Awards (she lost out to Meghan Trainor on that occasion).
Tame Impala, Courtney Barnett Triumph at ARIA Awards
The Melbourne-based singer-songwriter’s AMP-winning album peaked at No. 4 in Australia, No. 16 in the U.K. and No. 20 in the U.S. and is the followup to her EPs I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris, How to Carve a Carrot into a Rose and A Pair of Pears (With Shadows).