TOP 5 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2017 APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARDS

Five top acts have made the shortlist for the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Award, recognising excellence in songwriting.

• Close Your Eyes by Bic Runga (written by Bic Runga and Kody Nielson)
• Green Light by Lorde (written by Ella Yelich O’Connor, Jack Antonoff, and Joel Little). Published by Native Tongue Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia P/L, EMI 
• Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd.
• Horizon by Aldous Harding. Published by Native Tongue Music Publishing.
• Life of the Party by Chelsea Jade (written by Chelsea Jade Metcalf and Leroy Clampitt).
• Richard by Nadia Reid. Published by Kobalt Music Publishing.

Having won the Silver Scroll Award in 1997 with Sway, Bic Runga is once again a finalist 20 years later, this time for her beautiful, energetic love song Close Your Eyes, written with partner Kody Nielson (Silicon, UMO, The Mint Chicks). A song about going your own way, finding joy in the little things, and love enduring through time, it presents Runga as potent as she’s ever been. 

Another past scroll winner (for Royals in 2013), Ella Yelich O’Connor and Joel Little are nominated once again for their latest world-dominating single Green Light. A cutting indictment of a past lover, which perfectly captures the chaos of post-break-up feelings, and the push and pull between the old and the new, it’s a bona-fide pop sensation. 

Aldous Harding has become an international sensation in 2017, capturing imaginations with her singular songs which cut through like a lightning bolt, and she is a welcome first-time finalist for her song Horizon. A spare, vulnerable track which finds impressive power in its simplicity, Horizon finds a way to spin gut-punching love into a song that feels brand new.

Also a first-time finalist, Chelsea Jade is nominated for her hypnotic, subversive, delicate pop piece Life of the Party. The LA based artist (formerly of Teacups and Watercolours), manages to encapsulate the contradicting feelings of awkwardness and confidence in an intoxicating, joyful, yet low-key production.

A fellow newcomer is Nadia Reid, with her fierce, haunting song Richard. The Port Chalmers native has also found herself in demand across the globe with the release of her second album Preservation, and Richard is a stand-out folk-rock gem with its wonderfully direct delivery, charting heartbreak and dissolution, through striking imagery.

The APRA Silver Scroll Awards is considered one of the most coveted awards in New Zealand music and has previously been awarded to artists such as Ray Columbus, Hammond Gamble, Shona Laing, Dave Dobbyn, Don McGlashan, Neil Finn, Chris Knox, Brooke Fraser, James Milne & Lukasz Buda, Alisa Xayalith & Thom Powers (The Naked And Famous), Tami Neilson, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Thomas Oliver.

The other awards presented on the night are: 

●      APRA Maioha Award, celebrating exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori

●      SOUNZ Contemporary Award, celebrating excellence in contemporary composition

●      APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award

●      APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award 

As a part of the celebrations APRA will also be inducting a songwriter/s into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. 

All awards will be presented at Dunedin Town Hall on Thursday 28th September. Radio New Zealand will broadcast and live video stream the APRA Silver Scroll Awards ceremony on RNZ National, Freeview Ch 50 and online at www.rnz.co.nz/music.

The awards will also be shared via the Student Radio Network (Radio One, RDU, Radio Active, Radio Control and 95bFM), and The Spinoff website (www.thespinoff.co.nz).

Sky’s Rialto Channel 39 are also proud to broadcast the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Awards on Saturday October 21 at 8.30pm.  

The awards are proudly supported by Panhead Custom Ales, Quartz Reef Wines, and NZ On Air.

APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARDS 2017: ENTRIES OPEN!

Entries are now open for the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Awards, which include the APRA Silver Scroll, the Maioha Award, SOUNZ Contemporary Award, Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award and Best Original Music in a Series Award.

The eligibility dates for all awards is 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017 - please read the terms and conditions carefully.

CHANGES: 
We have made one key change to the rules of entry this year. For those entering the Silver Scroll Award, you are now allowed to enter ONE song per artist, rather than two.
This does not apply to works which have been co-written with different songwriters - you can enter a different work for each different artist you have co-written with.
  

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Entries will close on Wednesday 31 May, no exceptions.

THE APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARDS ARE HEADING TO DUNEDIN!

APRA NZ are delighted to announce the great southern city of Dunedin will host the APRA Silver Scroll Awards for the first time in 2017.
 
The much loved and anticipated date on the music calendar will take place on Thursday 28th September at the Dunedin Town Hall, and will include the usual line up of stellar performances, acclaimed awards, and moving tributes.
 
The APRA Silver Scroll Awards have been held in Christchurch and Wellington in the past with great success, and this year it is the turn of the many hundreds of songwriters from the south to share in this annual celebration of New Zealand’s best music.
 
“The APRA Silver Scroll Awards are unique and it’s a privilege to showcase great New Zealand music in a city so steeped in its own musical heritage. There are more songwriters in Dunedin per capita than any other city in the country so it’s time we shared this celebration with them” says APRA’s Head of NZ Operations, Anthony Healey.
 
We’re also very excited to announce the Music Director for 2017 is the illustrious Shayne Carter. The man behind Straitjacket Fits, the Double Happys, and Dimmer, a prodigal son of Dunedin himself will be taking the helm and curating all the excellent musical performances which take place throughout the night.

“It'll be fun playing musical match ups and trying to find an interesting, and hopefully not so obvious array of artists to perform the songs and maybe find angles in them that the writers may never have thought of” says Shayne.

The awards (as always) will comprise the presentation of the APRA Silver Scroll Award, the SOUNZ Contemporary Award, the APRA Maioha Award, the APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award, and the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award, as well as an induction of one legendary act into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.
 
Entries for all awards will open on Monday 1st May.
Keep your eyes peeled for more details in coming months, but for now, save the date:
Thursday 28th September at the Dunedin Town Hall.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2016 APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARDS

Wellington singer-songwriter and internationally acclaimed musician Thomas Oliver (Cushla Aston) has won the 2016 APRA Silver Scroll Award with his captivating love song ‘If I Move To Mars’.
 
Thomas Oliver accepted the prestigious award at a ceremony held at Vector Arena in Auckland tonight. The accolade acknowledges excellence in songwriting and has in the past been awarded to some of the most recognisable names and songs in New Zealand music, from the Swingers’ ‘Counting The Beat’ and Bic Runga’s ‘Drive’ to Scribe and P Money’s ‘Not Many’ and Lorde and Joel Little’s ‘Royals’.
 
A sweet and simple, yet compelling, love song, Thomas Oliver says, “On the surface, it's a light-hearted song about taking someone to Mars and lying in the dirt, drinking Cognac and listening to records. But at its core, it's a love song and I meant every word."
 
“It’s a wonderful thing to recognise talented and hardworking songwriters like Thomas” says Anthony Healey, Head of NZ Operations for APRA AMCOS. “The acclaim of your peers is special, it’s the highest praise and in this case a well-deserved accolade.”
 
Critically acclaimed musician and songwriter Sean James Donnelly (SJD) was the musical director of tonight’s 51st APRA Silver Scrolls ceremony, which saw a host of other Kiwi songwriters collect awards.
 
The incomparable Rob Ruha (Cilla Ruha) took the esteemed APRA Maioha Award, recognising exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori, for his stirring battle anthem ‘Kariri’. The East Coast singer-songwriter is now a two-time recipient of the award.
 
Wellington composer and violinist, Salina Fisher, won the SOUNZ Contemporary Awardfor her exquisite composition ‘Rainphase’, inspired by the beauty and chaos of rain in the capital.
 
The APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award was won by Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper and Tama Waipara for their work on the Lee Tamahori-directed movie Mahana.
 
One-time Supergroove frontman and well-known composer of music for film and television, Karl Steven, received the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award for the drama 800 Words.
 
Rounding off the evening was the induction of Moana Maniapoto into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. As one of the most recognisable and important voices in Aotearoa, Moana Maniapoto was honoured for the significant impact she has had on the New Zealand life and culture through her music.

MOANA MANIAPOTO INDUCTED INTO THE NEW ZEALAND MUSIC HALL OF FAME

APRA will honour the contribution Moana Maniapoto has made to music in Aotearoa when she is inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame at the 2016 APRA Silver Scroll Awards.

The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame pays tribute to songwriters, musicians and acts that have made a significant impact on life and culture through their music.

Regarded as one of our most significant voices, Moana Maniapoto (Ngāti Tūwharetoa/Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wahiao) has been at the beating heart of the nation’s music scene for four decades. 

A trailblazer and a self-confessed “political junkie” who has never shied away from pushing boundaries, she first rose to mainstream prominence in 1987 when Moana and the Moahunters released the song ‘Kua Makona’, blending the traditional with the contemporary. 

The Invercargill-born singer-songwriter went on to form Moana and the Tribe in the early 2000s, shaping a unique fusion of waiata, haka and electronic-flavoured soul.

Since then, Moana Maniapoto and her band have played at hundreds of festivals and concerts around the globe. Their performances have been met with critical acclaim, helping to establish her and her music as one of New Zealand’s greatest musical exports.

It’s a reputation only strengthened by countless accolades and awards, including in 2004, when Moana Maniapoto was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. In 2005 she was made a Life Time Recipient of the Tohu Mahi Hou a Te Waka Toi Award acknowledging her leadership and contribution to Maori art. And in 2008, she received a Music Industry Award at the Maori Waiata Awards for her positive contribution to Maori Music.

Moana Maniapoto continues to make music and perform in every corner of the globe. Her fifth album RIMA, produced by electronica whizz Paddy Free, was a finalist at all three major music awards in 2015 and named a Top of the World Album (Songlines UK).

The singer-songwriter has never rested on her laurels and continues to push boundaries through her music and contribution to New Zealand society. She is currently planning an ambitious international recording collaboration ‘Ono’ with female musicians from Canada, Scotland, Norway and Korea. And when she’s not on stage or making new music, she’s a documentary maker, a feature writer and an in-demand speaker at events around the world.

“Her achievements, which continue today, as an award winning writer, artist, film-maker, band member and activist, are many and varied – but the unifying strand that runs through all of them is music,” says Anthony Healey, Head of NZ Operations for APRA AMCOS. “She has shown people here that music is a language to unify, educate, advocate, understand, inspire, comfort and forgive – and she has taken that message around the world, leading the way for artists everywhere, encouraging and empowering them to do the same”.

The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame was created by APRA AMCOS and Recorded Music NZ in 2007, and has so far paid tribute to Jordan Luck, Johnny Devlin, The Topp Twins, Straitjacket Fits, Hirini Melbourne & Richard Nunns, Ray Columbus & The Invaders, The Fourmyula, Shihad, Hello Sailor, Dragon, Herbs, Toy Love, Dave Dobbyn, Shona Laing, Douglas Lilburn, Supergroove, Bill Sevesi and The Exponents.

Moana will be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame at the APRA Silver Scroll Awardsat Vector Arena in Auckland on Thursday, September 29.

RNZ Checkpoint host John Campbell is MC’ing this year’s ceremony, which will also be televised live thanks to a partnership between APRA AMCOS and RNZ. It will be broadcast free-to-air by RNZ on Freeview Channel 50. There will also be a live video stream of the ceremony on RNZ’s newly updated website http://www.radionz.co.nz/music

SJD ANNOUNCED AS MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE 2016 APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARDS

One of the most iconic and notable figures in New Zealand music, Sean James Donnelly (Sandy Mill), has been announced as the Music Director of the 2016 APRA Silver Scroll Awards.
 
Considered one of the most prestigious accolades in Kiwi music, the awards not only pay tribute to the country’s finest songwriters, they’re presented at a ceremony which has become renowned for its unique and special live performances. This involves bands and musicians being selected to perform one-off renditions of the finalists’ songs.
 
With seven albums, critical acclaim and countless awards to his name, Sean James Donnelly, AKA SJD, has a lengthy and esteemed track record in the New Zealand music industry. A previous finalist and performer at the APRA Silver Scrolls, the Auckland-based singer-songwriter is honoured to take on the task of Music Director at this year’s event.
 
“I’ve always enjoyed the Scrolls, first and foremost, as a celebration of songwriters. As the Music Director, I get to curate a show using a lot of my favourite musicians and singers, to try and put something together that is fun but also musically coherant.”
 
The Music Director oversees all performances and works with the selected artists to put a unique spin on their covers of the top five finalists. As well as covering the five finalists’ songs on the night, there will also be performances of the winning Maioha, SOUNZ, and Hall Of Fame tribute.
 
Donnelly isn’t giving too much away about what the night holds but explains his vision: “It’s a tasty combination of some well-known names and some really exciting artists you might not have heard of. Most everybody will be interestingly out of their comfort zones.”
 
Previous music directors have included Jon Toogood, Don McGlashan, Lukasz Buda, Godfrey de Grut & Cherie Mathieson and Karl Steven.
 
This year’s awards will be held at Vector Arena in Auckland on Thursday, September 29. RNZ Checkpoint host, John Campbell, will MC the event and for the first time in its 51-year history, it will be broadcast free-to-air by RNZ on Freeview Channel 50. The ceremony will also be streamed live on http://www.radionz.co.nz/music
 
The awards are proudly supported by Panhead Custom Ales.

FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR MAIOHA, SOUNZ, FILM AND SERIES

Some of the finest talent New Zealand has to offer has been shortlisted for four prestigious awards to be presented at the 2016 APRA Silver Scroll Awards. 
 
The APRA Maioha Award, the SOUNZ Contemporary Award, the APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award and APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award will all be presented at an awards ceremony at Vector Arena in Auckland on Thursday, September 29.
 

APRA MAIOHA AWARD

The APRA Maioha Award recognises exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori. Rob Ruhais a finalist for the award with his song ‘Kariri’, a powerful and stirring waiata that retells historical accounts of the battle of Pukehinahina (Gate Pa) and Te Ranga.
 
IHI has also been short-listed for ‘Mana Whenua’ co-written by Thomas Rawiri andMokoia Huata. The song echoes the proverb ‘Toi Tu te Whenua, whatungarongaro te Tangata’ or ‘For without land there would be no people’. It serves as a poignant reminder of the need to protect our natural environment.
 
Kirsten Te Rito is the third finalist with her waiata ‘Tamaiti Ngaro’, co-written with James Illingworth and Joseph Te Rito. ‘Tamaiti Ngaro’ is an atmospheric, slow-building anthem tinged with touches of electronica.
 

SOUNZ CONTEMPORARY AWARD

The SOUNZ Contemporary Award celebrates excellence in contemporary composition. The finalists for the award this year includes Kenneth Young, whose illustrious career in New Zealand music spans four decades, for his composition ‘Piano Trio’. Prodigious Wellington composer and violinist Salina Fisher is also nominated for ‘Rainphase’ and Chris Cree Brown, an Associate Professor at the School of Music at the University of Canterbury, makes the short-list for ‘Viola Concerto’.
 

APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A FEATURE FILM AWARD

A host of well-known names in Kiwi music are up for the APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award.
 
Three members of the Wellington-based indie-pop band The Phoenix Foundation (Samuel Scott, Lukasz Buda and Conrad Wedde) are nominated for their work on Taika Waititi’s box office smash, Hunt For The Wilderpeople. 
 
Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper and Tama Waipara also make the shortlist for Mahana (The Patriarch), directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Temuera Morrison.
 
Tom McLeod rounds off the finalists with The Art of Recovery, which tracks the devastation of Christchurch in the 2011 earthquake to the city’s regeneration.
 

APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A SERIES AWARD

The APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award will also be presented on the night. In the running for the prestigious award are Karl Stevens for 800 Words, Age Pryor for Jiwi’s Machines and Tami & Jay Neilson for The Brokenwood Mysteries.
 
“In 2016 music is being consumed more than ever before and in a wider and increasing number of ways. We are proud to celebrate music in all its forms - in te reo Maori, in our concert halls and on our televisions and cinema screens. Each has its own world and each is exemplified in our finalists’ excellent work,” says Anthony Healey, Head of NZ Operations for APRA AMCOS.

2016 APRA Silver Scroll Awards team up with Radio New Zealand for the first-ever live television broadcast

The 2016 Silver Scroll Awards will this year be televised live, thanks to a partnership between APRA AMCOS and RNZ.

It is the first time in the 51-year history of the awards that the event will be broadcast free-to-air by RNZ on Freeview Channel 50. There will also be a live video stream of the ceremony on RNZ’s newly updated website http://www.radionz.co.nz/music

With RNZ Checkpoint host John Campbell as MC, the rare live broadcast from Auckland’s Vector Arena on Thursday, September 29 will allow members of the public a window into one of the most exciting nights in the New Zealand music calendar.

The APRA Silver Scroll Award celebrates the best in New Zealand songwriting.

This year the top five finalists are Tami Neilson with ‘The First Man’, co-written with her brother Jay Neilson; The Phoenix Foundation (Samuel Scott, Lukasz Buda, Conrad Wedde, William Ricketts, Thomas Callwood, Christopher O'Connor) with ‘Give Up Your Dreams’; Lydia Cole with ‘Dream’; Thomas Oliver with ‘If I Move To Mars’ and Street Chant (Emily Littler, Billie Rogers, Alex Brown, Christopher Farnham) with ‘Pedestrian Support League’.

“We are really excited to share the APRA Silver Scroll Awards with a wider audience. RNZ share our love of music and our respect for those that make it. They are a perfect partner for this wonderful event” says Anthony Healey, Head of NZ Operations for APRA AMCOS.

On the night, a host of Kiwi artists will cover each of the songs in unique performances – a part of the show that’s become a highlight of the annual awards.

The other awards presented on the night (with finalists to be announced this Thursday September 8) are:

• APRA Maioha Award, celebrating exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori
• SOUNZ Contemporary Award, celebrating excellence in contemporary composition
• APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award
• APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award

As a part of the celebrations, APRA will also be inducting a songwriter/s into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. 
 
All awards will be presented at Vector Arena in Auckland on Thursday 29th September. The awards are proudly supported by Panhead Custom Ales.