ARIA Awards 2012: Gotye and Kimbra Ruled as Australia’s King and Queen of Pop [PHOTOS]
Australian music artists Gotye and Kimbra were once more hailed "King and Queen of Pop" at the 2012 ARIA Awards. The duo won last year's ARIA Awards for their collaboration on the international hit single "Somebody That I Used To Know."
Gotye has been Australia's biggest artist with his acclaimed "Making Mirrors" record album. At the 2012 ARIA Awards, the Melbourne musician won the "Album of The Year," "Best Male Artist," "Best Pop Release" and "Best Australian Live Act" awards.
"I still love albums so keep listening to records and keep buying records," Gotye stated after claiming his fourth award.
Kimbra, another Melbourne music artist, also won for the second time the "Best Female Artist" award for her debut album "Vows." "This means a lot to me. What a whirlwind year it has been and what way to top it off," Kimbra said.
At the awards night, there were also other talented Australian music artists who performed and received recognition. American rapper Lupe Fiasco was a surprise guest who joined singer Guy Sebastian in performing their number one hit single "Battle Scars." The Temper Trap received the "Best Group and Rock Album" award for their acclaimed self-titled second album.
Another important highlight on the awards show is when Paul Kelly and Peter Garrett introduced music legend Yothu Yindi to the ARIA Hall of Fame. The Australian band was joined on stage with musicians Kelly, INXS's, Andrew Farriss, Dan Sultan and Jessica Mauboy for a tribute performance to the iconic group.
The 2012 ARIA Awards at the Sydney Entertainment Centre not only celebrated Australian music artists but the international ones as well. Special guests included American country singer Taylor Swift, British comedian Russell Brand and Nicki Minaj.
"This year, the ARIAs have again shown that they are a world-class awards ceremony. The artists, both winners and nominees, as well as this evening's performances, highlight the amazing homegrown talent that we have here in Australia. It has been another fantastic celebration of our local music industry, and the perfect opportunity for artists, music fans and the industry to join together and acknowledge the massive achievements of the past year," Dan Rosen, CEO of ARIA said in a statement.