Hayley Sproull And Stan Walker Host Aotearoa Music Awards

Hayley Sproull and Stan Walker will host this year’s Aotearoa Music Awards | Ngā Tohu Puoro o Aotearoa, as the biggest night in New Zealand music moves to a new home on TVNZ.

The host of TVNZ’s Have You Been Paying Attention? and The Great Kiwi Bake Off and the chart-topping musician will team-up for a special live television event screening on Friday 17 December at 8.30pm on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ OnDemand.

The country’s biggest and brightest musical stars will take to the stage for the 56th annual awards as the extravaganza celebrates the power of music and the incredible local artists that call New Zealand home. With performances from artists such as Harper Finn, L.A.B, Team Dynamite, TEEKS, Te Nūtube, and Troy Kingi, with a special In Memorium performance by Goldsmith Baynes - a spectacular night of waiata awaits.

Sproull said of her awards debut: “I’m so proud to be presenting the Aotearoa Music Awards, alongside one of our very best - Stan Walker. I have always loved music, whether it was Mozart or Blindspott, Savage or Alien Weaponry, but 10-year-old competitive, concert pianist Hayley Sproull would never have imagined hosting these awards. I just hope my little inner classical girl feels cool enough amongst all these rock stars of our industry!”

Co-hosting the awards for the third time, Walker will also open the show with a special performance of his own.

“I’m excited to be hosting the Aotearoa Music Awards this year alongside Hayley. I can’t wait to celebrate Aotearoa music, it’s the music that brings us hope, life, joy and healing. I’m blessed to share in that with so many incredible artists and musicians here in Aotearoa.

“I will be opening the show with my latest song ‘Come Back Home’, so we AWN e te whānau. Join us and celebrate together our waiata, ngā korokoro tūī me ngā ringapuoro o ngā waiata rōreka o Aotearoa. Hei reira, see you there!” says Walker.

The star-studded night will see NZ’s top artists crowned winners of the TVNZ Te Waiata Tōtahi o te Tau | Single of the Year, Spotify Te Kaituhura Puoro Toa o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Recorded Music NZ Te Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of the Year, with many more accolades spread across the evening.

Kiwis can also get behind their favourite artists and vote for the Humm People’s Choice award when voting opens on Thursday 2 December. These public votes determine the winner of this category: https://www.shophumm.com/nz/ama-peoples-choice

The 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards will take place at the Aotea Centre’s Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre and will be broadcast live on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ OnDemand.

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