2025 SA Music Awards Announced
MusicSA's 2025 SA Music Awards were presented at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Tuesday 28 October. We were especially proud to see such a strong Elder Conservatorium representation: our alumni and students were finalists in 19 out of the 31 separate nomination categories.
Our students and alumni were the recipients of 13 awards, and we are very proud that our Head of Jazz, Mark Ferguson, was also the winner of the UNESCO International Collaboration Award!
DEM MOB – featuring Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) alumni and current BMus (Creative Practice) student Elisha Umuhuri – won all four awards for which they were finalists, including Best Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander Artist; Best Music Educator; Best Regional Artist; and People's Choice: Hip Hop Award.
Hot on the heels of last year's success, aleksiah – BMus (Popular Music) alumna Alexia Damokas – also won all four categories in which she was a finalist, including Best Release (for Cry About It); Best Solo Artist, Best Song (for 'Clothes Off'); and the People's Choice: Pop Award.
Oscar the Wild – featuring BMus (Popular Music) alumna Ariya Gabell – were the recipients of two awards (Best Group; and People's Choice: Rock Award) and were finalists for a third (Best Release, for Blue).
The People's Choice: Heavy Award was presented to Raccoon City – featuring ECM Technical Officer and BMus (Sonic Arts) / BMus Hons (Creative Practice) alumnus Dylan Cooper. Live Slug Reaction – featuring Daniel Penberthy (saxophone), Heath Oetjen (percussion), James Nisbet (drums), Carl Smith (bass) and Finn Larcombe (electric guitar) – took out the People's Choice: Jazz Award; and the People's Choice: Soul/Funk/RnB Award was given to WANDERERS – featuring BMus (Jazz) alumni Logan Watt (keyboards), Jack Strempel (keybaords), and Milush Piochard (bass).
We would also like to extend a huge congratulations to the many ECM alumni and current students who were finalists:
- Electric Fields – featuring CASM alumnus Zacharia Fielding – were nominated in three categories: Best Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander Artist; Best Release; and Best Group.
- The Genevieves – featuring ECM students James Nisbet (Jazz), Finn Larcombe (Jazz) and Lara Patzel (Sonic Arts) also received nominations in three categories: Best Release (for Dog Dreams); Best New Artist; and People's Choice: Rock Award.
- In addition, many other artists and ensembles – including Bomham; My Chérie; Soylent Green; James Brown; BOUSTA; Raccoon City; Alexander Flood; Fuja; Meena De Silva; Brad Chicken & The Bootstraps; and The Jeffries – were also finalists. You can view the full list of finalists below.
2025 Finalists
Best Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander Artist
- DEM MOB – featuring CASM alumni and current BMus (Creative Practice) student Elisha Umuhuri
- Electric Fields – featuring CASM alumnus Zacharia Fielding
Best Release
- aleksiah – BMus (Popular Music) alumna Alexia Damokas – Cry About It
- Electric Fields – featuring CASM alumnus Zacharia Fielding – Live in Concert
- The Genevieves – featuring current ECM students James Nisbet (Jazz), Finn Larcombe (Jazz) and Lara Patzel (Sonic Arts) – Dog Dreams
- Oscar the Wild – featuring BMus alumna Ariya Gabell (Popular Music) – Blue
Best Group
- Bromham – featuring ECM alumni
- Electric Fields – featuring CASM alumnus Zacharia Fielding
- Oscar the Wild – featuring BMus alumna Ariya Gabell (Popular Music)
Best Solo Artist
- aleksiah – BMus (Popular Music) alumna Alexia Damokas
Best New Artist
- BOUSTA – current BMus (Sonic Arts) student Myles Turner
- The Genevieves – featuring current ECM students James Nisbet (Jazz), Finn Larcombe (Jazz) and Lara Patzel (Sonic Arts)
Best Solo Artist
- aleksiah – BMus (Popular Music) alumna Alexia Damokas
Best New Artist
- BOUSTA – current BMus (Sonic Arts) student Myles Turner
- The Genevieves – featuring current ECM students James Nisbet (Jazz), Finn Larcombe (Jazz) and Lara Patzel (Sonic Arts)
Best Song
- aleksiah – BMus (Popular Music) alumna Alexia Damokas – 'Clothes Off'
- My Chérie – BMus (Popular Music) alumna Chérie de Klerk – 'Life Is'
Best Regional Artist
- DEM MOB – featuring CASM alumni and current BMus (Creative Practice) student Elisha Umuhuri
Best Cover Art
- Soylent Green – featuring ECM Jazz alumni Dan Isler (trumpet), Ruby Mensforth (trombone), Giacomo Gutilla (alto saxophone), Ciara Ferguson (piano), Tasha Stevens (bass), and Cam Tonkin (drums) – Read the Room / by Hari Koutlakis
- aleksiah – BMus (Popular Music) alumna Alexia Damokas – Batsh*t / by Lucinda Corin
Best Music Educator
- DEM MOB – featuring CASM alumni and current BMus (Creative Practice) student Elisha Umuhuri
- Nic Jefferies – Executive Director of Adelaide Youth Orchestras (AdYO)
Best Studio Engineer / Producer
- James Brown – BMus Hons (2003) and MMus (2007) alumnus
People's Choice: Folk Award
- aleksiah – BMus (Popular Music) alumna Alexia Damokas
- My Chérie – BMus (Popular Music) alumna Chérie de Klerk
People's Choice: Country Award
- Brad Chicken and The Bootstraps – featuring BMus (Popular Music) alumnus Lucas Sly
- The Jeffries – featuring BMus (Jazz) alumnus Tyler Venter
People's Choice: Heavy Award
- Raccoon City – featuring ECM Technical Officer and BMus (Sonic Arts) / BMus Hons (Creative Practice) alumnus Dylan Cooper
People's Choice: Hip Hop Award
- DEM MOB – featuring CASM alumni and current BMus (Creative Practice) student Elisha Umuhuri
People's Choice: Rock Award
- The Genevieves – featuring current ECM students James Nisbet (Jazz), Finn Larcombe (Jazz) and Lara Patzel (Sonic Arts)
- Oscar the Wild – featuring BMus alumna Ariya Gabell (Popular Music)
People's Choice: Experimental / Art Award
- James Brown – BMus Hons (2003) and MMus (2007) alumnus
People's Choice: Jazz Music Award
- Alexander Flood – BMus Hons (Jazz) alumnus
- Fuja – featuring BMus (Jazz) alumni Will Burton, Ben Uhrig, Triniti Canini, Solomon Young, Jayden Dawson, Jake Dawson, and Lewis Dimitropoulos
- Live Slug Reaction – featuring Daniel Penberthy (saxophone), Heath Oetjen (percussion), James Nisbet (drums), Carl Smith (bass) and Finn Larcombe (electric guitar)
- Soylent Green – featuring ECM Jazz alumni Dan Isler (trumpet), Ruby Mensforth (trombone), Giacomo Gutilla (alto saxophone), Ciara Ferguson (piano), Tasha Stevens (bass), and Cam Tonkin (drums)
People's Choice: Soul/Funk/RnB Award
- WANDERERS – featuring BMus (Jazz) alumni Logan Watt (keyboards), Jack Strempel (keyboards), and Milush Piochard (bass)
- Meena De Silva – BMus (Popular Music) alumna