By Kathy McCabe
Copyright news
No one was more shocked than the indie self-taught producer herself that her genre-bending debut record I Love My Computer, released only seven weeks ago, claimed the highest number of nominations this year.
Ninajirachi tops the nominations rollcall over popular artists including other multi-nominees Dom Dolla, Amyl and the Sniffers, Hilltop Hoods, Thelma Plum, Missy Higgins, Royel Otis and Rufus Du Sol.
The 26-year-old artist, who has exploded from creating her critically-acclaimed music in her bedroom to now playing a sold-out tour of the US, was one of the few Australian artists to be named on the 2026 Coachella festival bill last week.
Signed to NLV Records, the ultra indie imprint run by her “hero” and respected electronic artist and producer Nina Las Vegas, Ninajirachi is now one of a handful of female Australian electronic dance producers to be nominated in the history of the ARIA Awards.
And the first to top the leaderboard.
“It is pretty surreal,” she said from New York ahead of another sold-out gig.
“With the ARIAs, I’m not sure entirely who votes but a lot of those people are probably outside of my immediate world or community.
“My long-time followers who have supported me for so long is one thing, and that’s my everything, but then for people to like it who are so far outside of my immediate circle, that’s also really cool and really surprising.
“I’m just really grateful for all the support especially from all the people who might be new to me or didn’t you know me, it’s awesome.”
Born Nina Wilson and raised on the NSW Central Coast, Ninajirachi’s five-star rated record fuses pop melodies with dance beats and production. She’s the new face and sound of the Australian electronic music wave conquering the world’s stages and streaming platforms over the past five years.
Global EDM king Dom Dolla scored seven 2025 ARIA nominations, while live juggernaut Rufus Du Sol contests four categories at the awards to be held at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on November 19.
An ABBA fangirl, Ninajirachi said Aussie dance music creators’ love of pop has been one of the keys to our artists connecting with a global audience, citing PNAU, Empire of the Sun and The Presets as touchstones for her debut album.
Her lyrics also strike a resounding chord, veering wildly from hyper-personal ruminations about our relationship with technology to humorous musings about being very online.
“I love pop music so much, it’s just so universal and thrilling. I don’t know if I could call my album a pop album, but it’s definitely super inspired by pop music,” she said.
While Aussie rock is now the underdog on the charts, Melbourne punk heroes Amyl and the Sniffers continue to wave the flag with their third record Cartoon Darkness claiming six nominations.
The band, fronted by charismatic singer Amy Taylor, has been favourites with ARIA voters since breaking through with their first win for Best Rock Album with the self-titled debut album in 2019.
Hip hop pioneers Hilltop Hoods, with their ninth record Fall from the Light, and singer songwriter Thelma Plum and her second album I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back, are each up for five awards.
Another ARIA Awards debutante for 2025 is Melbourne’s Folk Bitch Trio, who have already launched their career with tours through the UK, Europe and US.
The harmonic folk group made an instant impression with voters who recognised them with four nominations for debut album Now Would Be A Good Time.
While the new guard dominates this year’s nominations, escalating the power of the country’s independent labels to develop world-class artists, beloved household names also figure in the 2025 list.
Regular ARIA nominees this year include Higgins, with her brave The Second Act album, up for four awards, Kylie Minogue’s Tension II claiming three nominations, Paul Kelly with two nominations for his 29th studio record Fever Longing Still and Kasey Chambers and Keith Urban again contesting the Best Country Album award.
Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift fans will go head-to-head in the race to claim the publicly-voted Best International Artist crown, alongside the followers of Gracie Abrams and Tate McRae but shockingly, not Chappell Roan.
Roan’s omission from the list of 10 nominees for the only international category at the ARIAs is remarkable considering Swift didn’t release any new solo work in the past 12 months, while the ‘Pink Pony Club’ star issued two fresh tracks during the eligibility window.
Another eyebrow raiser is the inclusion of the Royel Otis cover of The Cranberries’ hit ‘Linger’ for Song of the Year, another fan-voted award.
Firstly, it’s a cover recorded at a live session for American radio network Sirius XM way back in April 2024 and was released as a single in May that year, and is their second most streamed single on Spotify.
Secondly, they are nominated for Best Rock Album and Best Group for their latest record, hickey, released on August 22 and for Video of the Year with the clip for the single ‘car’ that dropped in June this year.
When queried on the eligibility of the duo’s cover beyond the window of August 24, 2024 to August 22, 2025 applied to the majority of the awards categories, ARIA responded that the expanded period for consideration in the two publicly-voted awards for Song and International Artist of the year recognised that some songs take years to go viral in the digital era.
Three years after her brave protest about the gender imbalance of the ARIA awards nominations with her oft-quoted “F**K the ARIAs” Instagram stories post, altpop artist Mallrat and her second album Light Hit My Face Like a Straight Right is up for two trophies.
Full list of 2025 ARIA Awards nominations
Album of the Year
Amyl and The Sniffers, Cartoon Darkness
Missy Higgins, The Second Act
Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
RÜFÜS DU SOL, Inhale / Exhale
Thelma Plum, I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back
Best Solo Artist
BARKAA, Big Tidda
Dom Dolla, DREAMIN’
Kylie Minogue, Tension II
Mallrat, Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right
Missy Higgins, The Second Act
Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Paul Kelly, Fever Longing Still
The Kid LAROI, How Does It Feel?
Thelma Plum, I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back
Young Franco, It’s Franky baby!
Amyl and The Sniffers
Folk Bitch Trio
Hilltop Hoods
RÜFÜS DU SOL
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist
Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be A Good Time
Gut Health, Stiletto
Mia Wray, hi, it’s nice to meet me
Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Young Franco, It’s Franky baby!
Best Pop Release
G Flip, Disco Cowgirl
Kita Alexander, Press Pause
Kylie Minogue, Tension II
Mallrat, Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right
Thelma Plum, I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back
Best Dance / Electronic Release
Confidence Man, 3AM (LA LA LA)
Dom Dolla, DREAMIN’
FISHER, Stay
Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Sonny Fodera, D.O.D & Jazzy, Somedays
Best Hip Hop / Rap Release
BARKAA, Big Tidda
Hilltop Hoods, Fall From The Light
Miss Kaninna, Kaninna EP
ONEFOUR, Look At Me Now
The Kid LAROI, Baby I’m Back
Best Soul / R&B Release
BOY SODA, Lil Obsession
JACOTÉNE, Why’d You Do That?
Jerome Farah, CHLORINE
Larissa Lambert, Cardio
PANIA, Pity Party
Best Independent Release
Ball Park Music, Like Love
Confidence Man, 3AM (LA LA LA)
Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be A Good Time
Miss Kaninna, Kaninna EP
Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Best Rock Album
Amyl and The Sniffers, Cartoon Darkness
Ball Park Music, Like Love
King Stingray, For The Dreams
Royel Otis, hickey
Spacey Jane, If That Makes Sense
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be A Good Time
Gordi, Like Plasticine
Meg Washington, GEM
Missy Higgins, The Second Act
Paul Kelly, Fever Longing Still
Best Country Album
Dylan Wright, Half a World Away
Imogen Clark, Choking on Fuel
Kasey Chambers, Backbone
Keith Urban, High
Taylor Moss, Firecracker
Best Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Album
Civic, Chrome Dipped
Press Club, To All The Ones I Love
RedHook, Mutation
The Amity Affliction, Let The Ocean Take Me Down (Redux)
Thornhill, Bodies
Best Blues & Roots Album
Dope Lemon, Golden Wolf
Mama Kin Spender, Promises
Sons Of The East, SONS
Tash Sultana, Return to the Roots
The Teskey Brothers, Live At The Hammersmith Apollo
Best Children’s Album
Emma Memma, Dance Island Party
Justine Clarke, Mimi’s Symphony
Teeny Tiny Stevies, Brain Fart
The Vegetable Plot, Season Three
The Wiggles, Wiggle Up, Giddy Up!
Best Music Festival
Ability Fest
Beyond The Valley
Bluesfest Byron Bay
Laneway Festival
Yours and Owls Festival
PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS
Break My Love, RÜFÜS DU SOL
Craters, Missy Higgins
Lordy Lordy, Emily Wurramara
All the Noise, Spacey Jane
car, Royel Otis
Big Dreams, Amyl and The Sniffers
DREAMIN’, Dom Dolla
Don’t Happy, Be Worry, Hilltop Hoods
Dancing2, Keli Holiday
WASSA, Vv Pete
Best Australian Live Act
Amyl and The Sniffers, Cartoon Darkness World Tour
Ball Park Music, Like Love Tour
BARKAA, BIG TIDDA TOUR
Confidence Man, 3AM (LA LA LA) Tour
Dom Dolla, Dom Dolla Australia 2024
Hilltop Hoods, Hilltop Hoods 2025
Kylie Minogue, Tension Tour 2025
Miss Kaninna, Dawg In Me Tour
SPEED, SPEED AUSTRALIA TOUR ‘25
Troye Sivan, Something To Give Each Other Tour
Song of the Year
Cyril, Maryjo, Still Into You
Dean Lewis, With You
Dom Dolla Feat. Daya, Dreamin
FISHER, Stay
Gotye, FISHER, Chris Lake Feat. Kimbra, Sante Sansone, Somebody
OneFour, Nemzzz, Spinnin
Royel Otis, Linger (SiriusXM Session)
Sonny Fodera, D.O.D & Jazzy, Somedays
The Kid LAROI, Girls
Tobiahs, Angel of Mine
Most Popular International Artist
Alex Warren
Calvin Harris
Gracie Abrams
Kendrick Lamar
Post Malone
Sabrina Carpenter
Taylor Swift
Tyler, The Creator
ARTISAN AWARDS
Best Cover Art
Giulia McGauran for The Cat Empire, Bird in Paradise
John Stewart for Amyl and The Sniffers, Cartoon Darkness
Kira Puru, Em Jensen for Thelma Plum, I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back
Nina Wilson, John You, Aria Zarzycki for Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Sarah McCloskey for Hilltop Hoods, Fall From The Light
Best Engineered Release
Alice Ivy for Alice Ivy, Do What Makes You Happy
Dom Dolla for Dom Dolla, DREAMIN’
Eric J Dubowsky for Emma Louise & Flume, DUMB
Kevin Parker for Tame Impala, End of Summer
Thomas Purcell for Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Best Produced Release
Alex Burnett for Thelma Plum, I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back
Dom Dolla for Dom Dolla, DREAMIN’
Kevin Parker for Tame Impala, End of Summer
Nina Wilson pka Ninajirachi for Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
RÜFÜS DU SOL for RÜFÜS DU SOL, Inhale / Exhale
FINE ARTS AWARDS
Best Classical Album
Andrea Lam, Piano Diary
Australian Chamber Orchestra / Richard Tognetti, Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings and AndanteCantabile / Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony in C minor
Nat Bartsch, Forever Changed
Simone Young & Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Mahler: Symphony No.2; Barton: Of The Earth
Sophie Hutchings, Become The Sky
Best Jazz Album
Evans Robson Quartet, Zenith
Lachlan McKenzie, Departures
Lucy Clifford, Between Spaces of Knowing
TL; DR & Peter Knight, Too Long; Didn’t Read
Touch Sensitive, In Paradise
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album
Australian Chamber Orchestra, Memoir of a Snail
François Tétaz, The Surfer
Michael Cassel Group, Michael Cassel Group Presents A (Very) Musical Christmas
Various Artists, How To Make Gravy
Vidya Makan, The Lucky Country
Best World Music Album
Electric Fields, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Live In Concert
Gurrumul, Banbirrngu, The Orchestral Sessions
Joseph Tawadros, The Forgotten Path To Humanity
Tenzin Choegyal, Snow Flower
The Cat Empire, Bird in Paradise
The 2025 ARIA awards will take place on Wednesday November 19 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
