Indigenous rap group A B Original has been awarded Australian Album of the Year at this year’s J Awards.

Stella Donnelly, Jen Cloher and Client Liaison have also taken home J Awards from today’s ceremony at Giant Dwarf Theatre in Sydney.

2017 has been a huge year for Australian music, the very best of which was highlighted today at the 13th annual J Awards.

The awards are a chance to celebrate all the hard work and achievements of Aussie musicians. Whether it’s pioneering a new sound, reaching a new level of excellence or contributing back to the industry in a big way, the 2017 J Award recipients are all at the top of their game.

In such a stand-out year for music, the triple j, Double J, Unearthed and Rage judging panels had their work cut out for them, but in the end these four winners embodied the creativity and originality of the 2017 J Awards.

triple j Australian Album of the Year – A.B. Original, Reclaim Australia
A.B. Original’s explosive debut album Reclaim Australia documents the problems facing Australia’s Indigenous peoples with megaphone-level ferocity. With a swagger borne of years in the rap game and drawing on their heritage as proud Yorta Yorta and Ngarrindjeri men, Briggs and Trials don’t mess around trying to persuade you to a certain perspective. They sit you down and demand you see things their way. The music is aggressive and their methods confrontational but ultimately A.B. Original’s message is about unity. Their aim is to educate as well as agitate. Beyond the big beats and brutal lyrics that make it a great hip hop album, Reclaim Australia is a rare and important record that, like all good art, challenges you and makes you see the world in a different way, earning it 2017’s J Award for triple j Album of the Year.

Speaking after receiving the award, A B Original said: “We represented our community. Everything we did was from our community for our community… We’re a success because we had two communities behind us, talking about real stuff that had never been spoken about like this before.

“We weren’t apologetic… we’re saying fuck you, we’re here. That’s what AB Originals is all about. It’s about taking the expectations of what an aboriginal artist can be, so the next group won’t have to be as outrageous as us, because we already said fuck the flag… We thought this album would be career suicide, but we had to make this record that was missing in the spectrum of Australian music.”  View his acceptance speech below.

triple j Music Director Nick Findlay says of the album: “Every year we are lucky enough to experience a swathe of incredible Australian records, but the last 12 months in particular has seen some of the finest local releases in years. Despite this, it’s hard to look past the raw, confronting and empowering energy that Briggs and Trials have mastered on Reclaim Australia; it’s impact has been long-standing, incredibly significant and long overdue.”

Unearthed Artist of the Year – Stella Donnelly
Perth-based Stella Donnelly has seen things go from zero to a hundred in 2017. She was not in Australia to accept her award because she is currently travelling  in London.

After uploading her debut track ‘Mechanical Bull’ to triple j Unearthed in April, the station sat up and took notice… As well as booking in support sets with heavy hitters like San Cisco, Ali Barter and Polish Club, Stella put in a star-making turn on the Unearthed stage at BIGSOUND, wowing the crowd with her ability to dissect raw subject matter with wit and breathtaking incisiveness. This is no more apparent than on her momentous song ‘Boys Will Be Boys’, where Stella’s timely confrontation of toxic masculinity and sexual predation has earned her international praise from Pitchfork and The New York Times. Stella’s J Award triumph caps off a massive year for the Perth talent.

Double J Artist of the Year – Jen Cloher
Jen Cloher is more than just a singer-songwriter. She’s a mentor, business owner, champion for up-and-coming artists and voice of reason in an often complex industry. She too was not in Sydney to collect her award in person because she is current;y on an international  tour.

With her company I Manage My Music, she helps artists navigate making a living through their music. With Milk! Records, she’s released albums from Fraser A Gorman, The Finks and more. As an advocate for the visibility and success of women in the music industry, she’s a trailblazer. She also this year released a truly brilliant record, her fourth and finest work to date. Self-titled, it’s a deeply personal record about long-distance relationships and a love-letter to this country and the many fine artists who work here.

Australian Music Video of the Year – Client Liaison ‘A Foreign Affair {Ft. Tina Arena}’
Director Tim White, along with Client Liaison, has created the ultimate in-flight video for ‘A Foreign Affair’. From the cinematic style of the sky-high opening credits, the clip takes you away for four-and-a-half minutes of first-class luxury, with the gloriously vibrant aesthetic pairing perfectly with Client Liaison’s signature cool.

‘A Foreign Affair’ cohesively conveys stylistic and technical excellent, along with a warm-hearted narrative of love reunited via air travel, taking the audience along for the ride with Monte, Harvey and the perfectly cast Tina Arena.