Finalists Announced For NZ Music Awards and Critics Choice Prize 2015

In a three-fold announcement building up to the 50th annual New Zealand Music Awards next month, Recorded Music New Zealand have revealed the 2015 Tui finalists, the Technical Award winners and the finalists for the Critics Choice Prize.

The NZ On Air Critics’ Choice Prize will see three up-and-coming acts go head-to-head at a live performance showcase on 5th November in an effort to take home the title, which comes with a cash prize. This year's finalists are Boycrush, the solo moniker of songwriter Alistair Deverick; Auckland four-piece New Gum Sarn; and psychedelic trio Bespin.

The Technical Award Winners announced yesterday evening saw Sean Donnelly take the Massey University Best Producer Tui for self-produced album Saint John Divine. Lee Prebble and Oliver Harmer can share the Best Engineer victory for Mel Parsons, Drylands. And Kelvin Soh took out the Best Album Cover category for the cover of Broods’ Evergreen

The finalists for the upcoming New Zealand Music Awards were also revealed and see Marlon Williams, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Six60 dominating the line-up. Here are all the finalists by category:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Broods – ‘Evergreen’
Marlon Willams – ‘Marlon Williams’
Shihad – ‘FVEY’
Six60 – ‘Six60’
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Multi-Love’

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Avalanche City – ‘Inside Out’
Lorde – ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’
Marlon Williams – ‘Dark Child’
Six60 – ‘White Lines’
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Multi-Love’

BEST GROUP
Broods – ‘Evergreen’
Shihad – ‘FVEY’
Six60 – ‘Six60’

BEST MALE SOLO ARTIST
Marlon Williams – ‘Marlon Williams’
Stan Walker – ‘Truth & Soul’
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Multi-Love’

BEST FEMALE SOLO ARTIST
Anika Moa – ‘Queen At The Table’
Brooke Fraser – ‘Brutal Romantic’
Gin Wigmore – ’Blood To Bone’

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Devilskin
Ginny Blackmore
Marlon Williams

BEST ROCK ALBUM
Cairo Knife Fight – ‘The Colossus’
Devilskin – ’We Rise’
Shihad – ‘FVEY’

BEST POP ALBUM
Benny Tipene – ‘Bricks’
Broods – ‘Evergreen’
Six60 – ‘Six60’

BEST ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
Marlon Williams – ’Marlon Williams’
She’s So Rad – ‘Tango’
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Multi-Love’

BEST HIP-HOP / URBAN
Diaz Grimm – ‘Osiris’
Janine and The Mixtape – ‘XX’
The Doqument – ‘Black Canvas – Wall & Piece’

BEST ROOTS ALBUM
Latinaotearoa – ‘Latinaotearoa in Latinoamerica’
Moana and the Tribe – ‘Rima’
Trinity Roots – ‘Citizen’

BEST ELECTRONICA ALBUM
Electric Wire Hustle – ‘Love Can Prevail’
Shapeshifter vs The Upbeats – ‘SSXUB’
Sola Rosa – ‘Magnetics’

BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Reuben Bonner – ‘Her Heart Breaks Like A Wave’ (Dictaphone Blues)
Shae Sterling – ‘Aotearoa’ (Stan Walker feat Ria Hall, Troy Kingi & Maisey Rika)
Shahir Daud – ‘Cymatics’ (Nigel Stanford)

BEST MAORI ALBUM
Moana & the Tribe – ‘Rima’
Ranea – ‘Tihei Mauri Ora’
Whaia and The Mahician – ‘Whaia’

BEST WORSHIP ALBUM
Edge Kingsland Presents – ‘Seven Days’
LIFE Worship – ‘Through The Fire’
We, The Revival – ‘We, The Revival’

BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM
Jack Body – ‘Passing By’
Jack Body – ‘Songs Of Death and Desire’
Michael Houstoun – ‘Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas’

The 50th annual Recorded Music NZ Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards ceremony will be held at Auckland’s Vector Arena on Thursday 19th November.