The best of Aussie music was on full display at last night’s ARIA awards. TDA journalists Elliot Lawry and Emily Donohoe were on the red carpet for a bit of pre-show karaoke with some of the biggest names in the industry. Watch their amazing video here, and scroll on to read their full ARIAs wrap-up below.

In the interests of transparency, I missed the broadcast because I was at a preview screening of ‘Wicked: For Good’. Happy release day to all who celebrate! Or as they might say in Oz, I encouragarize you to rejoicify in the delights of Act Two.

“S**t happens, so thank you everyone for being so understanding of the cancelled show and getting down to support local venues.”
Beloved Aussie punk rockers Amyl and the Sniffers had a big week before cleaning up at last night’s ARIAs. Safety concerns forced police to cancel their free Melbourne gig over the weekend. The band apologised to fans in the form of bar tabs, splitting their $35,000 performance fee across seven local pubs.

Nine days
The prison sentence handed to Australian Johnson Wen for jumping the barriers at the ‘Wicked: For Good’ premiere (and grabbing Ariana Grande) in Singapore last week. Before being convicted on a public nuisance charge, the 26-year-old told the court he “won’t do it again”. The Aussie is a repeat offender, having previously grabbed Katy Perry and the Weeknd onstage at their concerts.

A life-size statue honouring romcom heroine Bridget Jones was unveiled in London this week. Before she inspired a juggernaut book and film franchise, the fictional character was first brought to life in a newspaper column by Helen Fielding 30 years ago. Zellweger, the star of the four Bridget Jones movies, said seeing herself immortalised in bronze was “so weird, but it’s really cute.”

The relationship between the human body, fine art, and fashion will be at the centre of the 2026 Met Gala dress code, organisers have revealed.

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (‘the Met’) showcases one exhibition from its Costume Institute per year. Before a new exhibition is launched, it hosts a fundraising benefit – the Met Gala – on the first Monday in May.

This week, “Costume Art” was announced as the theme of next year’s exhibition.

According to the Costume Institute, the idea is “to embrace the body, not to take it away as a way of elevating fashion to an art form”.

Here’s what it means.

The curator in charge of the Met’s Costume Institute, Andrew Bolton, said “Costume Art” will pair “paintings, sculptures, and other objects spanning the 5,000 years of art represented in The Met, alongside historical and contemporary garments from the Costume Institute.”

Some of fashion’s most recognisable and influential faces will be invited to celebrate the exhibition’s launch at the 2026 Met Gala.

The event has a practical purpose: to raise funds for the Costume Institute… but it’s better known around the world as a melting pot where celebrity, high fashion, culture, and art collide.

“Costume Art” is not the official dress code of the gala, but it is a strong hint at what to expect from the year’s most anticipated fashion moment. For example, the 2025 exhibition theme was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”. The dress code for the accompanying gala was “Tailored for You”.

Bolton admitted he had previously thought of the Costume Institute as a completely separate entity from other museum departments, “the stepchild” of the Met. However, his idea for the “Costume Art” exhibition came when he realised that fashion is actually the “common thread throughout the whole museum”.

“The dressed body is front and centre in every gallery you come across. Even the nude is never naked. It’s always inscribed with cultural values and ideas.”

Fashion commentators are predicting sculpted and statuesque silhouettes, “naked” dresses, draping, and a celebration of the human form.

If you’ve been near an aux cord from the mid-2010s to now, you know that a nine-minute build changes a room. ‘Innerbloom’ has turned parties, festivals, road trips and kick-ons into cinematic moments.

Now, ‘Innerbloom’ turns 10, just as RÜFÜS DU SOL return home for the AU/NZ leg of their Inhale / Exhale World Tour - the biggest global electronic tour ever, with 700,000+ tickets sold.

Their fifth album Inhale / Exhale dropped last October, with lead single ‘MUSIC IS BETTER’ hitting #1 on US Dance Radio. They’ve since headlined Lollapalooza and sold out the Rose Bowl in LA - only the second Australian act ever to do it.

With 500 million+ streams on ‘Innerbloom’, 4× ARIA nominations and a 2026 Grammy nod, a decade on, RÜFÜS are still defining the soundtrack to life’s best moments.

Last night’s big winners were Amyl and The Sniffers with four nods, Ninajirachi with three, and Dom Dolla and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker with two.

For the first time, fan-voted awards were cast through Spotify, determining the winners across four categories.

Outside Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, the red carpet didn’t fail to deliver iconic looks and insightful moments on Aus music’s night of nights.

Punk rock band Amyl and The Sniffers took home four ARIAs for Cartoon Darkness: Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album, and Best Cover Art. 

DJ and producer Ninajirachi made a big splash with three awards for her debut album, I Love My Computer: Best Solo Artist, Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist and Best Independent Release. The industry recognition comes nearly a full decade after Ninajirachi first impressed as a Triple J Unearthed High finalist in 2016. 

The inaugural Global Impact Award was given to DJ, producer and songwriter Dom Dolla, who also received Best Dance/Electronic Release for DREAMIN’.

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker (one of Aussie music’s biggest global exports) was another two-time winner, with Best Produced Release and Best Engineered release for End of Summer.

Keli Holiday (who recently sat down with TDA), was awarded Best Video for Dancing2, directed by Ryan Sauer.

We caught up with Holiday (aka Adam Hyde) again last night on the ARIAs red carpet. He was joined by his partner, Abbie Chatfield, who told him, “Even if you don’t get the ARIA, I’m so proud of you.”

Song of the Year, Best Live Act, Most Popular International Artist and Best Video were all decided through the Spotify app, where listeners could cast their votes daily.

The winners in these categories were Girls by The Kid LAROI, Troye Sivan for his Something to Give Each Other tour, Taylor Swift and Keli Holiday’s Dancing2.

TDA asked some of the industry’s biggest names about the moment that made them think, “I’ve made it”.

23-year-old singer-songwriter Budjerah said winning his first ARIA in 2022 was “the moment that I dreamed of.”

Vera Blue told TDA that collaborating with Flume on their 2019 hit, Rushing Back, was a turning point for her. The track came second in the Hottest 100 that year.

Keli Holiday’s made-it moment is unfolding in real time, thanks to the success of Dancing2, which he released earlier this year.

“Lately, people are now winding down their windows while driving past… which I love,” he said.

Triple J presenter Dee Salmin said: “I still pinch myself that I do what I do for a living… I’m grateful every day.”

UK producer and performer SG Lewis told TDA it was when he met Pharrell, who “said some really nice things about my music,” that he thought to himself: “this isn’t real life.”

For some ARIA attendees, just being on the red carpet felt like a defining moment.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.