08 October 2020 - 0 Comments

Aotearoa Music Awards | Nga Tohu Puoro o Aotearoa today announce a sensational group of 2020 Tui finalists, showcasing the country’s outstanding musical talent.

After selling out Western Springs, releasing a double platinum album and creating a feature film due out in November, longstanding favourites Six60 emerge as frontrunners for the 2020 awards with five nods.

They have been nominated for Te Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of the Year for Six60, Te Waiata Totahi o te Tau | Single of The Year for Please Don’t Go, Te Roopu Toa | Best Group, Edge Te Kaipuoro Arotini Toa | Best Pop Artist, and the new Te Mangai Paho Mana Reo award, which recognises albums or singles with at least 50% te reo Maori content, for their song Kia Mau Ki To Ukaipo (Don’t Forget Your Roots).

Founded by the Kora brothers, Stu and Brad, with Ara Adams-Tamatea from Katchafire, Joel Shadbolt and Miharo Gregory, it’s no surprise L.A.B. has emerged has a key local playlist staple. The group is a regular on this summer’s festival circuit and will headline their first Mt Smart Stadium show in 2021.

L.A.B. are finalists for four Tui this year including Album of the Year for L.A.B III, Single of the Year for the melodic In The Air, Best Group and Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa | Best Roots Artist.

After winning four Tui at the music awards last year, pop sensation BENEE is back and up for three Tui - Te Kaipuoro Takitahi Toa | Best Solo Artist, Edge Best Pop Artist, and Single of the Year for Supalonely, the song that dominated TikTok earlier this year.

After performing at the 2019 Music Awards, indie pop group The Beths are also up for three nominations this year. They’re contending for Te Kaipuoro Manohi Toa | Best Alternative Artist and Best Group, both of which they won last year, and their latest album Jump Rope Gazers is nominated for Album of the Year.

American-born, South Island raised folk favourite, Reb Fountain’s self-titled album is up for Album of the Year, featuring the moving single Don’t You Know Who I Am. She’s also up for the Best Solo Artist and Best Alternative Artist Tui and is soon embarking on a nationwide tour.

Jawsh 685 has had a whirlwind rise to fame this year. His single Laxed (Siren Beat) created a global movement on TikTok where it has been used in over 63 million creations, and Savage Love (w/ Jason Derulo) has topped the charts in more than 15 countries including New Zealand, Australia the United Kingdom and Canada. The seventeen year old is up for Single of the Year and Spotify Te Kaituhura Puoro Toa o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year

Up-and-coming Maori artist Paige has been winning over fans with her melodic pop tunes and standout style. She’s nominated for two Tui this year, Spotify Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Edge Best Pop Artist.

Acclaimed for her intimate musical performances Nadia Reid is up for two Tui at this year’s Aotearoa Music Awards. She’s a finalist for Best Solo Artist and Album of the Year for her third studio album Out of My Province.

Mohau, a supergroup collective of Rob Ruha, Ria Hall, Troy Kingi, Bella Kalolo, Majic Paora, Kaaterama Pou, the East Coast Tira Waiata sensation Ka Hao, and The Witch Doctor & Friends are finalists for the Te Kaipuoro Kairangi Toa | Best Worship Artist and Te Mangai Paho Mana Reo Tui.

Their self-titled album made up of eight waiata whakamoemiti (gospel songs) were composed entirely in te reo Maori and were recorded in a single take as a live visual album a month before the audio release.

Other 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards finalists include Ria Hall (Best Maori Artist, Best Soul/RnB Artist), Stan Walker (Te Mangai Paho Te Kaipuoro Maori Toa | Best Maori Artist and Te Kaipuro Awe Toa | Best Soul/RnB Artist), Tami Neilson for Album of the Year with Chickaboom! Troy Kingi with Single of the Year for All Your Ships Have Sailed, Miss June (Best Group), JessB (Best Solo Artist), CHAII (Spotify Breakthrough Artist of the Year), Melodownz (Spotify Breakthrough Artist of the Year), Lepani (Best Soul/RnB Artist), Haz & Miloux (Best Soul/RnB Artist), Mermaidens (Best Alternative Artist), Lomez Brown (Best Roots Artist) and City of Souls, Devilskin and Villainy vying for Te Kaipuoro Rakapioi Toa | Best Rock Artist.

Drax Project are up for Single of the Year with their song Catching Feelings featuring Six60. Lee Mvtthews, State of Mind and Truth are nominated for Te Kaipuoro Tahiko Toa | Best Electronic Artist, and Te Kaipuoro Hipihope Toa | Best Hip Hop Artist nods go to Church & AP, Raiza Biza and choicevaughan.

Kane Adams (Best Worship Artist), Te Rautini (Best Worship Artist), Andrew Beer & Sarah Watkins, Klara Kollektiv, and Matthew Marshall (Te Kaipuro Inamata Toa | Best Classical Artist) are also finalists at the Aotearoa Music Awards this year.

Recorded Music New Zealand CEO Damian Vaughan is incredibly proud of all the artists being showcased at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards.

“It is imperative as we continue to navigate through these times and the difficulties we all face due to COVID that the Aotearoa Music Awards continue to not only be a light for our music community and their achievements but a focal point for our industry and the NZ public to rally around our music whanau,” says Vaughan.

“Our musicians and their music are always there for us in times of shared experience and when tragedy strikes, and now more than ever our artists need to be celebrated and supported so they can continue to make music and bring us all together.

“But while we celebrate our artists, it’s important the 2020 awards also shine a light on the industry at large in these challenging times and the work groups like MusicHelps and others have undertaken to support and help people in the industry who were most impacted by COVID.

“It makes me proud to be a part of the ever-evolving and growing local music industry. We can’t wait to celebrate our music at the reinvented Aotearoa Music Awards for 2020. Ma te puoro, ka tuia.”

The decision to rebrand the awards aligns with continued efforts over the years to recognise Aotearoa’s tangata whenua and te reo Maori as the first language of New Zealand, as well as the importance of Te Ao Maori in our lives.

The recipients of the Te Toa Hoko Teitei, | Highest Selling Artist, NZ On Air Te Rikoata Marakerake o te Tau | Radio Airplay Record of the Year, Te Kowhiri o te Nuinga | People’s Choice, and the Tohu Tutuki o te Ao | International Achievement Award will be announced on the night at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards.

The event will take place Sunday 15 November at Spark Arena and will be broadcast live on The Edge TV from 7pm and continue on Three from 8.30pm. The entire broadcast will be streamed on ThreeNow.

Thanks to the official Aotearoa Music Awards audio streaming partner Spotify please check out all the finalists via this link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4lHXsFEotTOtAntq8bdY2O

AMA 2020 Finalists (by category)
1. Te Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of the Year
L.A.B – L.A.B III
Nadia Reid – Out Of My Province
Reb Fountain – Reb Fountain
Six60 – Six60
Tami Neilson – Chickaboom!
The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers

2. Te Waiata Totahi o te Tau | Single of the Year
BENEE – Supalonely 
Drax Project ft Six60 – Catching Feelings
Jawsh685 – Savage Love
L.A.B – In The Air
Six60 – Please Don’t Go
Troy Kingi – All Your Ships Have Sailed

3. Te Roopu Toa | Best Group
L.A.B. – L.A.B. III
Miss June – Bad Luck Party
Six60 – Six60
The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers

4. Te Kaipuoro Takitahi Toa | Best Solo Artist
BENEE – Stella & Steve
JessB – New Views
Nadia Reid – Out Of My Province
Reb Fountain – Reb Fountain

5. Te Kaituhura Puoro Toa o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year
CHAII
Jawsh685
MELODOWNZ
Paige

6. Te Mangai Paho Te Kaipuoro Maori Toa | Best Māori Artist
Maimoa
Ria Hall
Stan Walker

7. Te Kaipuoro Arotini Toa | Best Pop Artist
BENEE
Paige
Six60

8. Te Kaipuoro Manohi Toa | Best Alternative Artist
Mermaidens
The Beths
Reb Fountain

9. Te Kaipuoro Awe Toa | Best Soul/RnB Artist
Haz & Miloux
Lepani
Stan Walker

10. Te Kaipuoro Hipihope Toa | Best Hip Hop Artist
choicevaughan
Church & AP
Raiza Biza

11. Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa | Best Roots Artist
L.A.B
Lomez Brown
Ria Hall

12. Te Mangai Paho Mana Reo Award
Maimoa
Mōhau
Six60

13. Te Kaipuoro Tahiko Toa | Best Electronic Artist
Lee Mvtthews
State of Mind
Truth

14. Te Kaipuoro Rakapioi Toa | Best Rock Artist
City of Souls
Devilskin
Villainy

15. Te Kaipuoro Kairangi Toa | Best Worship Artist
Mōhau
Kane Adams
Te Rautini

16. Te Kaipuoro Inamata Toa | Best Classical Artist
Andrew Beer & Sarah Watkins
Klara Kollektiv
Matthew Marshall

17. Te Kowhiri o te Nuinga | People’s Choice Award

18. Tohu Whakareretanga | Recorded Music NZ Legacy Award

19. Te Toa Hoko Teitei | Highest Selling Artist

20. Te Rikoata Marakerake o te Tau | NZ On Air Radio Airplay Record of the Year

21. Tohu Tutuki o te Ao | Recorded Music NZ International Achievement

Additional Tuis presented in 2019

22. Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa | Best Folk Artist
Winner: Mel Parsons – Glass Heart
Victoria Vigenser & Lindsay Martin – The Gap
Paper Cranes – Voices

23. Te Pukaemi Toa o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa | Best Pacific Music Album
Winner: Olivia Foa’I – Candid
Church & AP – Teeth
Poetik – Hamofied 2 EP

24. Te Kaipuoro Tuawhenua Toa | Best Country Artist
Winner: Delaney Davidson & Barry Saunders – Word Gets Around
Katie Thompson - Bittersweet
Kendall Elise – Red Earth

25. Recorded Music NZ Te Kaipuoro Tautito Toa | Best Jazz Artist
Winner: Dixon Nacey – The Edge Of Chaos
Alchemy – Alchemy 
Michal Martyniuk - Resonate

26. Te Kaipuoro Waiata Tamariki Toa | Best Children’s Artist
Winner: Anika Moa – Songs For Bubbas 3
Captain Festus McBoyle
Chris Sanders

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