The 2025 ARIA Awards ceremony exploded into life with an electrifying opening performance from Keli Holiday, who set the tone for the night with his infectious hit single Dancing2.
A Star-Studded Opening Act
The stage came alive with surprise appearances from LA-based musician G Flip, who delivered a soaring saxophone solo, and Indigenous Australian artist Baker Boy, whose powerful didgeridoo performance added a unique local flavour to the show. This solo project is the brainchild of Adam Hyde, best known as one half of the acclaimed Australian duo Peking Duk.
A Winning Dedication to Love
Following the high-energy opener, Holiday returned to the stage to accept the Best Video award for Dancing2. In a heartfelt acceptance speech, he directly credited his girlfriend, reality star and radio host Abbie Chatfield, as the muse behind the winning track.
"I really want to thank Abbie, my beautiful Abbie — without her this song would not exist at all," he declared, as cameras captured an emotional Chatfield watching from the audience.
Later in the show, Chatfield expressed her immense pride. "We're going to have a lot of fun tonight after the show," she laughed, hinting at their celebratory plans.
The Story Behind the Song
In a recent joint interview with Stellar magazine, Chatfield revealed she was "so emotional" the first time Holiday played the song for her. She also disclosed that she was present for much of the songwriting process.
The couple's history adds another layer to the story. They first met on Chatfield's radio show four years ago, while both were in other relationships. "I had to mute him on Instagram because I had such a big crush on him that I couldn't bear to see his posts," Chatfield confessed. "For two years he was fully muted. Then he was like, 'I want to be your boyfriend'. So I unmuted him."
The interview also touched on Holiday's latest risqué track, More, which reportedly includes audio of the couple. Holiday was quick to clarify, "It's funny because the bedsheets were covering the microphone completely so none of it was audible."
