ICYMI, this week was ARIA week. Normally this means red carpets, fancy dresses and a fully-packed award ceremony. But, thanks to a little thing called COVID-19, the Aussie music industry had to pivot a little bit.
But as they say, the show must go on. And go on it did thanks to Nova’s Red Room ARIA edition presented by Mitsubishi Motors Australia.
In celebration of the ARIAs 2020, Nova and Mitsubishi Motors Australia paired up to bring us four of the country’s most beloved acts across two killer nights of entertainment at Hordern Pavilion: Ruel, Amy Shark, Jessica Mauboy and Guy Sebastian.
Night one kicked off strong, with hosts Matt de Groot and Sarah McGilvray hyping up the crowd and reminding everyone to stay socially distanced (of course) and enjoy “socially responsible” fun.
“Isn’t it nice to have a concert where someone isn’t rubbing up against you?” Matt joked. And honesty… true.
Ruel took to the stage with hits like Dazed & Confused and Painkiller, which is up for song of the year at the 2020 ARIAs. Chatting to the crowd in between songs, Ruel reminded fans that “it’s okay to be sad sometimes” – true – and shared some insight into his song Hard Sometimes.
Amy Shark was up next and boy does that girl know how to make us feel extra special.
“This isn’t my first Nova Red Room,” she shared. “I don’t mean to brag, but it’s not. And I started thinking ‘What can I do that’s a little bit more special?’
“And I just thought tonight if it’s just me and you, of course, and my guitar, I thought that would be kind of special.”
Amy went on to perform acoustic renditions of her songs, including Everybody Rise, Psycho and I Said Hi. What a vibe!
End night one and onto night two of Nova’s Red Room ARIA edition hosted by Mitsubishi Motors Australia. And boy, was the crowd in for a treat.
Guy Sebastian is a bloody talent, there’s no doubt about it. The vocals! The look! The energy! So much to love.
Guy got the crowd singing along to his songs, including Choir and Battlescars, which he said is his biggest hit to date.
But the fun didn’t end there. Guy treated the audience to a special acoustic rendition of James Arthur’s song Lasting Lover. Sure, he used a cheat sheet for the lyrics but we’ll forgive him for it ‘cause his killer vocals made up for it.
Homegrown talent, there’s nothing like it.
Speaking of homegrown talent, Jess Mauboy entered after Guy Sebastian with a bang, looking fierce, of course, and sounding even better.
Talking to the crowd, Jess intimate details about her personal life, including the bond between her parents and how she met her partner of 13 years (spoiler: it was in a Darwin club with a fake ID – cheeky).
Miss Mauboy went on to powerhouse through some of her biggest hits, including Butterfly and Sunday Afternoon – the perfect cry song and the perfect vibe song. She’s a lady of talent that Jess Mauboy, she is.
Check out all the live performance video below
Guy also revealed which Aussie artist he wants to record a duet with and we’re crying at the idea:
All in all, Nova’s Red Room ARIA Edition presented by Mitsubishi Motors Australia was a smash hit full of some smash hits. There was some singing, some in-seat dancing (the best kind) and some very special moments. Check out the recap below:
A night to remember. We’re already counting down to the next one – how good is live music!
Images: Nova.
