It was all glitz and glamour on the red carpet at the recently opened Hindley Street Music Hall for the South Australian Music Awards.
Over 30 awards were presented by the evening’s MC, national musical icon Jane Gazzo, plus special live performances from Dem Mob, Nancy Bates, Tilly Tjala Thomas, and Wanderers ensured the energy was kept alive all night.
The big winner on the night was Elsy Wameyo who took home five awards from six nominations, including Best Song for her track River Nile, Best Release for her ‘Nilotoc’ EP, along with winning Best Solo Artist, and Best Music Video for Nilotic which was shot with Richard Coburn. Wameyo also picked up an industry award earlier in the week for her talents beyond the stage by taking out Best Studio Engineer/Producer.
The state’s First Nations musical prowess was on full display at the 2022 SAM Awards, with Electric Fields taking home 2 gongs, one for Best Group in the Major Awards and another for the People’s Choice Award for Pop artist of the year. Fellow First Nations artist Tilly Tjala Thomas made history as the maiden winner of Best Regional Artist, while the folk meets hip-hop duo of Marlon x Rulla was awarded Best Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Artist.
SAM AWARDS – MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
BEST SONG
Elsy Wameyo – River Nile
BEST NEW ARTIST
LOLA
BEST REGIONAL ARTIST
Tilly Tjala Thomas
BEST ABORIGINAL OR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER ARTIST
MARLON X RULLA
BEST GROUP
Electric Fields
BEST SOLO
Elsy Wameyo
BEST RELEASE
Elsy Wameyo – ‘Nilotic
SAM AWARDS – INDUSTRY WINNERS
BEST STUDIO
Wundenberg’s Recording Studios
BEST STUDIO ENGINEER/ PRODUCER
Elsy Wameyo
BEST LIVE TECHNICIAN
Lachlan Sheehan
BEST MAJOR FESTIVAL / EVENT
Spin Off Festival
BEST SMALL FESTIVAL / EVENT
Space Jams
BEST MANAGER
Sian Walden (Little Acorn Music)
BEST VENUE
Jive
BEST REGIONAL VENUE / ACTIVATION
Big Easy Radio
BEST COVER ART
Paloma Ellery (SONS OF ZÖKU – SÜN)
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Elsy Wameyo & Richard Coburn (Elsy Wameyo – Nilotic)
BEST INNOVATION
Porch Records
BEST MUSIC EDUCATOR
Adelaide Youth Orchestras
SPECIAL AWARDS
EMILY BURROWS AWARD – APRA AMCOS
Molly Rocket
Neville Clark Award
Thessa Burdon (SAE)
Lucinda Machin (TAFE)
UNESCO COLLABORATION REPORT
Adelaide Guitar Festival: Origination
MUSIC SA COMMUNITY AWARD
Northern Sound System
PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNERS
BLUES AND ROOTS
Cal Williams Jr.COUNTRY
Ella & Sienna
ELECTRONIC
Motez
EXPERIMENTAL
SONS of ZÖKU
FOLK
Ukulele Death Squad
HEAVY
SwordfishTrombone
HIP HOP
We Move Like Giants
JAZZ
The Shaolin Afronauts
POP
Electric Fields
PUNK
Teenage Joans
ROCK
TOWNS
SOUL/FUNK/RNB
WANDERERS
