Genesis Owusu and Tame Impala Lead 2026 ARIA Awards Nominations

Genesis Owusu and Tame Impala are leading the field at the 2026 ARIA Awards, with eight nominations apiece as the ceremony prepares to celebrate 40 years of Australian music.

The nominations were unveiled Thursday morning, with both artists competing for Album of the Year, Best Solo Artist and the returning Best Alternative Release.

For Genesis Owusu, the nominations continue a major year following the release of his third album, REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE. The record debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart and topped both the Australian Albums and Vinyl Albums charts.

The seven-time ARIA winner is also nominated for Best Independent Release and Best Australian Live Act, among other categories.

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker matches Owusu with eight nominations following the release of fifth studio album Deadbeat. Its single “Dracula” has spent 18 weeks inside the ARIA Singles Chart Top 10, peaking at No. 4 and becoming Parker’s highest-charting single to date.

Parker, already a 15-time ARIA winner, is also nominated across the pop, dance/electronic and alternative categories.

Ecca Vandal follows closely behind with seven nominations, including Album of the Year, Best Solo Artist and Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist.

Baker Boy, BOY SODA, G Flip, Miss Kaninna and Ninajirachi have each collected five nominations, while DMA’S, Dom Dolla and Troye Sivan scored four apiece.

The Album of the Year category will see Genesis Owusu’s REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE and Tame Impala’s Deadbeat compete against BOY SODA’s Soulstar, DMA’S’ self-titled album and Ecca Vandal’s Looking For People to Unfollow.

Several established Australian artists are also represented across this year’s nominations, including Kylie Minogue, Paul Kelly, Keith Urban, Hilltop Hoods and Vika & Linda.

The 2026 ceremony marks the 40th anniversary of the ARIA Awards. Celebrations began earlier this year with a dedicated Hall of Fame event at Sydney’s Carriageworks, where Gurrumul, Jenny Morris, Kate Ceberano, Spiderbait, The Living End and Vika & Linda were inducted.

This year’s awards will span 29 categories, with public voting opening Thursday across four categories including Song of the Year and Best Australian Live Act.

The 2026 ARIA Awards will take place at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday, Nov. 18, and will be broadcast on Network 10 and streamed live on Paramount+.