Vodafone NZ Music Awards Finalists Announced

Vodafone NZ Music Awards Finalists Announced

Shapeshifter, Aaradhna and Unknown Mortal Orchestra Top 2013 Tuis Charge
First female NZ Herald Legacy Award recipient

Recorded Music NZ has announced the artists in the running for Tui glory at the 48th annual Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

Shapeshifter and Aaradhna are this year’s front-runners claiming five finalist spots each, with Unknown Mortal Orchestra following closely on four.

Others with multiple finalist nods include Kiwi music sensation Lorde, newcomer Jamie McDell and evergreen groups Fat Freddy’s Drop and The Phoenix Foundation – each with three spots. Lawrence Arabia and Willy Moon both claim two finals places, as does this year’s newly announced co-host Stan Walker.

The finalists have been announced at a star-studded function this evening (October 22) at The Pullman Auckland hotel.

Recorded Music New Zealand Chief Executive Damian Vaughan says this year’s line-up shows the depth and breadth of musical talent in New Zealand.

“We have a really good mix of genres represented among the finalists in 2013; it’s going to be a brilliant night. There have been some fantastic releases this past year, and all would be deserving winners.”

The winning artists are revealed at the 48th annual Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards at Vector Arena on November 21. The show is being broadcast as live on FOUR on the night. It is preceded by The Mentos Red Carpet Special from 8pm onwards and hosted by Drew Neemia & Sharyn Casey.

Christchurch-based Shapeshifter’s five places are for Mentos Album of the Year, Vodafone Single of the Year, Steinlager Pure Best Group, Vodafone Peoples’ Choice and George FM Best Electronica Album for ‘Delta’. The album also grabs spots for Shapeshifter and The Upbeats in the Best Producer category and for Nick Dwyer in the NZ On Air Best Music Video category.

Aaradhna is a finalist in Mentos Album of the Year, Vodafone Single of the year, Spotify Best Female Solo Artist and Best Urban / Hip Hop Album for ‘Treble and Reverb’. The singer’s also up for Vodafone Peoples’ Choice Award and she picked up a Tui at the 2013 Pacific Music Awards in May taking out Pasefika Proud Best Pacific Music Album.

Ruban Nielson as Unknown Mortal Orchestra is a finalist in Mentos Album and Vodafone Single of the Year, Spotify Best Male Solo Artist and Best Alternative Album for ‘II’.

Fat Freddy’s Drop is a finalist in Mentos Album of the Year, Steinlager Pure Best Group and Best Roots Album for ‘Blackbird’. The Phoenix Foundation’s ‘Fandango’ nabs finals spots for Mentos Album of the year, Steinlager Pure Best Group and Best Alternative Album.

In the Westpac Hotpoint’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award Lorde (‘The Love Club EP’) is up against Jamie McDell (‘Six Strings and a Sailboat’) and Willy Moon (‘Here’s Willy Moon’).

McDell’s other spots are in Spotify Best Female Solo Artist and The Edge Best Pop Album while Lorde is in for Vodafone Single of the Year and Vodafone Peoples’ Choice and Moon for Spotify Best Male Solo Artist.

Legacy Award
For the first time the New Zealand Herald Legacy Award goes to a female, Shona Laing.

Laing first hit the spotlight aged 17 on the TV show New Faces with her hit ‘1905’. That song and ‘Show Your Love’ both went Gold and also peaked at #4 on the New Zealand charts.

Laing spent some time in the UK in the 1970s where she was a vocalist with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band alongside fellow Kiwi Chris Thompson.

Recorded Music New Zealand Chief Executive, Damian Vaughan says Recorded Music NZ is delighted to welcome Shona Laing into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. “Not only is she extremely talented and deserving of this award, hers is also a pioneering acknowledgement of the role female artists play in our music psyche.”

Guests at the awards ceremony on November 21 can look forward to a big night of great New Zealand music with live performances by Aaradhna, Lorde, Jamie McDell, Titanium, Iva Lamkum and awards co-host Stan Walker. There’s also a special tribute performance to Legacy Award recipient Shona Laing by Ruby Frost.

Tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.co.nz and cost just $25 including booking fees.

Technical Award winners
The winners of the 2013 Technical Awards have also been revealed at the finalist announcement event. The Tui for Best Album Cover has gone to Gina Kiel and Harry A’Court for Fat Freddy’s Drop’s ‘Blackbird’.

The Phoenix Foundation with Lee Prebble and Brett Stanton nab two Tuis for ‘Fandango’, taking out Best Producer and Best Engineer.

Hallenstein Brothers Critics’ Choice Prize
The 2013 line-up for the Critics’ Choice Prize includes multi-instrumentalist Daniel McBride aka Sheep, Dog & Wolf; US-based singer/songwriter Janine and the Mixtape; and Paquin – the musical outlet of songwriter Tom Healy.

Established in 2010, the prize recognises up-and-coming artists and potential future Tui winners. Past Critics’ Choice Prize nominees include Kimbra and The Naked and Famous.

The three 2013 contenders perform a live showcase at The Kings Arms in Auckland on November 6 before the prize recipient is announced on the night.

The Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards categories are:

• Mentos Album of the Year
• Vodafone Single of the Year
• Steinlager Pure Best Group
• Spotify Best Male Solo Artist
• Spotify Best Female Solo Artist
• Westpac Hotpoints Breakthrough Artist of the Year
• NZ On Air Best Music Video
• The Edge Best Pop Album
• Best Rock Album
• Best Urban / Hip Hop Album
• George FM Best Electronica Album
• Best Roots Album
• NUMA Trust Best Maori Album
Best Alternative Album
• Best Gospel / Christian Album
• Best Classical Album
• Vodafone Peoples’ Choice Award
• New Zealand Herald Legacy Award

The International Achievement and Legacy Awards are judged by the Recorded Music NZ Board and awarded at the Board’s discretion. No finalists are announced for these categories.

Guests at the finalist announcement event were the first in New Zealand to hear the latest single by finalists Aaradhna and P-Money called “Dapper Man”. The track will be available for free download via the Vodafone NZ Music Awards App, launching soon. TXT ‘Shake’ to 787 to have it pushed to your phone as soon as it goes live.

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