By Liz Hobday in Melbourne

THERE were a swag of first-time winners at the APRA awards, among them acclaimed singer-songwriter Xavier Rudd.

“It means a lot to me, it’s great. I’m stoked,” he said of winning Most Performed Blues and Roots Work for his song “We Deserve To Dream”.

For Rudd, who has more than a dozen albums to his name and has built much of his career overseas, it’s his first big acknowledgement from the Australian music industry.

He still remembers getting his first royalty cheque from the Australasian Performing Right Association when he was about 19 years old.

“I was pumped,” he said, even though he recalls it was for about $30.

Ten studio albums later and the royalties are much bigger, but it’s a moment he has never forgotten.

“APRA is the organisation that has your back from the start,” he told AAP.

“You can just make a song, put it out, register it with APRA and they start to look after you, so this award means a lot to me.”

The awards night in Sydney on Thursday was dominated by electronic and dance music with RUFUS DU SOL, Flume and Sampa the Great taking out some of the many gongs.

Flume and co-writer Sarah Aarons won Song of the Year with “Say Nothing” (feat MAY-A), the lead single from Flume’s third studio album.

Electronic dance legends RUFUS DU SOL – made up of Jonathon George, James Hunt and Tyrone Lindqvist – won Songwriter of the Year, and also took home the Most Performed Dance/Electronic category with “On My Knees”.

Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year went to Zambian-born musician Sampa the Great.

The Kid LAROI won Most Performed Australian Work for “STAY”, which he co-wrote with Justin Bieber.

Songwriter Miiesha took out Most Performed R&B/Soul Work, and Sunshine Coast rockers The Chats won Most Performed Rock Work, the first APRA awards for both.

News all day, every day at CityNews.com.au.