Ninajirachi leads 2026 AIR Awards nominations with 10 nods

Ninajirachi is set up for a major night at the 2026 AIR Awards, landing 10 nominations across the independent music field, including independent album and song of the year.

The electronic producer and DJ, real name Nina Wilson, arrives at this year’s ceremony on the back of a strong run for her debut album, I Love My Computer. Released last year, the full-length has already carried her through festivals and awards season. She took home three wins at the 2025 ARIA Awards, won album of the year at the Australian Music Prize, picked up breakthrough artist at the NSW Music Prize, and placed second in the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition for “iPod Touch.” She also made her Coachella debut in 2026 and has another North American tour ahead.

The AIR Awards will take place Thursday, July 30 at Adelaide Town Hall as an invite-only industry event. Ninajirachi’s label home, Nina Las Vegas’ NLV Records, is also in the frame for independent label of the year. It will compete with ABC Music, Astral People Recordings, College Of Knowledge and Mushroom Music.

Today’s nominations, announced May 14, also include Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers, Spacey Jane, Jem Cassar-Daley, Confidence Man, FISHER, John Butler, Keli Holiday and Stella Donnelly.

The awards will be presented on the penultimate night of AIR’s Indie-Con Australia Conference and A2IM’s Indie Week Australian Edition, held this year at Mercury Cinema and Nexus Arts from July 29 to 31.

“The South Australian Government is proud to support Indie-Con Australia and the AIR Awards,” arts minister Kyam Maher MLC said, “and to welcome nominees, industry leaders and delegates from across Australia and around the world to South Australia.”

AIR has also changed how it handles dance and electronic categories. For the first time, the field has been split into clearer lanes. Best independent dance/club single now covers club-focused tracks, including house, techno, trance, drum & bass and garage, with a DJ service component required for eligibility. Best independent electronic single is now reserved for releases not made primarily for club settings, separating festival-facing material from broader electronic work.

The former best independent dance or electronica album or EP category has also been renamed best independent electronic album or EP to match the new single framework.

Nominations

Best Independent Blues And Roots Album Or EP
John Butler – Prism
Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time
Liz Stringer – The Second High
Melbourne Ska Orchestra – The Ballad Of Monte Loco
Sons Of The East – Sons

Best Independent Jazz Album Or EP
Natalie Gauci – Pictures Of Mars
Phia – When I’m Holding You, I’m Holding Me
Temporary Blessings – Sumbisori
The Cat Empire – Bird In Paradise
Touch Sensitiive – In Paradise

Best Independent Classical Album Or Ep
Andrea Lam – Piano Diary
Australian String Quartet – Vanessa Perica, String Quartet No.1 No Feeling Is Final
Joseph Tawadros – The Forgotten Path To Humanity
Rose Riebl – Dust
William Barton, Omega Ensemble – Gift – Our Breath Of Life

Best Independent Children’s Album Or EP
Diver City – Weekend Baby
Emma Memma – Dance Island Party
Justine Clarke – Mimi’s Symphony
Teeny Tiny Stevies – Brain Fart
The Wiggles, The Tree Of Wisdom – The Tree Of Wisdom

Best Independent Country Album Or Ep
Emily Lubitz – Two Black Horses
Hayley Jensen – Country Soul
Imogen Clark – Choking On Fuel
Ruby Gill – Some Kind Of Control
Wade Forster – Gooseneck Party

Best Independent Soul/Rnb Album Or EP
Bumpy – Kanana
Cookin’ On 3 Burners – Cookin’ The Books
Don West – Give Me All Your Love
Felivand – My Body’s My True North
Wilsn – Bloom

Best Independent Pop Album Or EP
Georgia Knight – Beanpole
Montaigne – It’s Hard To Be A Fish
Stella Donnelly – Love And Fortune
The Tullamarines – Safety Blanket
Way Dynamic – Massive Shoe

Best Independent Rock Album Or EP
Playlunch – Sex Ed
Spacey Jane – If That Makes Sense
Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers – Glory
The Belair Lipbombs – Again
The Southern River Band – Easier Said Than Done

Independent Marketing Team Of The Year
Mushroom Music – Bliss N Eso, The Moon (The Light Side)
Nlv Records, The Orchard – Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Playlunch, Abc Music – Playlunch, Keith
Secretly Group – Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be A Good Time
The Annex – Ocean Alley, Love Balloon

Independent Music Video Of The Year
Ball Bass John – Ninajirachi, Fuck My Computer
Bridgette Winten, Folk Bitch Trio – Folk Bitch Trio, Cathode Ray
Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore – Miss Kaninna, Backstreets
Tas Wilson, James Adams – Jem Cassar-Daley, Kiss Me Like You’re Leaving
Jasper Van Daatselaar – Way Dynamic, People Settle Down

Independent Mix, Studio Or Mastering Engineer Of The Year
Becki Whitton, Timothy Harvey, Hannah Cameron – Ruby Gill, Some Kind Of Control
Leon Zervos – Ocean Alley, Love Balloon
Michael Carpenter – Imogen Clark, Choking On Fuel
Stephen Mowat – Wilsn, Bloom
Thomas Purcell Pka Wave Racer – Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer

Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year – Presented By PPCA
Folk Bitch Trio
Georgia Knight
Rageflower
Rona.
Yes Boone

Best Independent Hip Hop Album Or EP
Bliss N Eso – The Moon (The Light Side)
Devaura – Vol 1. Learning In Public
Elsy Wameyo – Wameyo
Jamaica Moana – Bud & Deni
Teether & Kuya Neil – Yearn Iv

Best Independent Electronic Album Or EP
Essendon Airport – Mor
Mel Blue – No More Jackets Please
Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer
Rona. – It’s All Here (EP)
Shouse – Collective Ecstasy

Best Independent Dance/ Club Single
Confidence Man, Jade – Gossip
DJ Pgz And Yikes – Ouss Ouss
Fisher – Stay
Shouse – Sunrise
Vv Pete – Wassa Feat. Utility, Formation Boyz

Best Independent Electronic Single
Cosmo’s Midnight – 45
Keanu Nelson – Place Where I Go / Kapi Ngalyananni
Ninajirachi – Ipod Touch
Robert Baxter & Sweatbaby – Icy (Take It Off)
The Superjesus & The Journey – Something Good

Best Independent Punk Album Or EP
Press Club – To All The Ones I Love
Private Function – ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Radio Free Alice – Empty Words Ep
These New South Whales – Godspeed
Wet Kiss – Thus Spoke The Broken Chanteuse

Best Independent Heavy Album Or EP
Battlesnake – Dawn Of The Exultants And The Hunt For The Shepherd
Hands Like Houses – Atmospherics
Npcede – Npcede
The Maggie Pills – Hearts Induring Lingering Loss
Thornhill – Bodies

Independent Album Of The Year
Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time
Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer
The 046 – Legacy In Motion
The Belair Lipbombs – Again
Way Dynamic – Massive Shoe

Independent Song Of The Year
Jem Cassar-Daley – Kiss Me Like You’re Leaving
Keli Holiday – Dancing2
Ninajirachi – Ipod Touch
Playlunch – Keith
Way Dynamic – Miffed It

Independent Label Of The Year
ABC Music
Astral People Recordings
College Of Knowledge
Mushroom Music
NLV Records

Independent Publicity Team Of The Year
Cult Logic – Ocean Alley, Love Balloon
Mushroom Music – Bliss N Eso, The Moon (The Light Side)
Mushroom Music – Wilsn, Bloom
Twnty Three – Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be A Good Time
Twnty Three – Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer

Independent Producer Of The Year
Angus Stone – Dope Lemon, Golden Wolf
Benjamin Stewart – Slowly Slowly, Forgiving Spree
Dylan Young – Way Dynamic, Massive Shoe
Nick DiDia – Ocean Alley, Love Balloon
Nina Wilson – Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer