Aotearoa Music Awards 2020 Winners Announced

Feeling like a celebration of the resilience of our music community since Covid-19 bowled through everyone's plans like a wrecking ball, the freshly re-dubbed and re-jigged Aotearoa Music Awards took over Tāmaki Makaurau's Spark Arena on Sunday evening. Hosted for much of the ceremony by Jesse Mulligan (following Sharyn Casey and Jayden King), whose outfits became more and more outlandish as the evening progressed, big winners for 2020 included The Beths, who took away prizes for Album Of The Year, Best Group and Best Alternative Artist, global pop hitmaker Benee won four awards, world conquering South Auckland producer Jawsh685 picked up prizes for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Recorded Music NZ International Achievement, and supergroup collective Mōhau (featuring 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) received Tuis for Best Worship Artist and Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo Tui.

Performers included The Beths, Benee, Jawsh685 (playing live for the very first time), CHAII, Church & AP, Mōhau, Paige, Tami Neilson, Six60 and Tiki Taane, while The Levites played superb renditions of songs by each recipient of the Recorded Music NZ Legacy Award. The glitzy star-studded affair was capped off by wise words from Jonathan Pearce of The Beths, when quizzed about his vote for Bird Of The Year 2020, who encouraged viewers to vote for the bird that makes them feel the best [breaking news: the Kākāpō has won for the second year in a row]. Here's the rundown of the awards doled out on the evening, including the Artisan Awards winners and Tuis presented earlier this year...

AOTEAROA MUSIC AWARDS | NGA TOHU PUORO O AOTEAROA WINNERS 2020 AMA 2020 Winners (by category):

1. Te Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of the Year
Winner: The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers

2. Te Waiata Tōtahi o te Tau | Single of the Year
Winner: BENEE – ‘Supalonely’

3. Te Roopu Toa | Best Group
Winner: The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers

4. Te Kaipuoro Takitahi Toa | Best Solo Artist
Winner: BENEE – Stella & Steve

6. Te Māngai Pāho Te Kaipuoro Māori Toa | Best Māori Artist
Winner: Maimoa

7. Te Kaipuoro Arotini Toa | Best Pop Artist
Winner: BENEE

8. Te Kaipuoro Manohi Toa | Best Alternative Artist
Winner: The Beths

9. Te Kaipuoro Awe Toa | Best Soul/RnB Artist
Winner: Haz & Miloux

10. Te Kaipuoro Hipihope Toa | Best Hip Hop Artist
Winner: Church & AP

11. Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa | Best Roots Artist
Winner: L.A.B

12. Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo Award
Winner: Mōhau

13. Te Kaipuoro Tāhiko Toa | Best Electronic Artist
Winner: Lee Mvtthews

14. Te Kaipuoro Rakapioi Toa | Best Rock Artist
Winner: City of Souls

15. Te Kaipuoro Kairangi Toa | Best Worship Artist
Winner: Mōhau

16. Te Kaipuoro Inamata Toa | Best Classical Artist
Winner: Andrew Beer & Sarah Watkins

17. Te Kōwhiri o te Nuinga | People’s Choice Award
L.A.B

18. Tohu Whakareretanga | Recorded Music NZ Legacy Award
Johnny Cooper
Max Merritt
Peter Posa
Dinah Lee
The Chicks
Larry’s Rebels

19. Te Toa Hoko Teitei | Highest Selling Artist
Six60

20. Te Rikoata Marakerake o te Tau | NZ On Air Radio Airplay Record of the Year
Drax Project – ‘Catching Feelings (feat. Six60)’

21. Tohu Tutuki o te Ao | Recorded Music NZ International Achievement
BENEE
Jawsh685

2020 Artisan Awards:

22. Te Kaiwhakaputa Toa | Massey University Best Producer
Winner: Josh Fountain

23. Te Kaipukaha Toa | Best Engineer
Winner: Simon Gooding – Reb Fountain (Reb Fountain)

24: Te Puoro Ataata Toa | NZ On Air Best Music Video
Winner: Anahera Parata – ‘Bunga’ (SWIDT)

25. Te Toi Ataata Pukaemi Toa | Best Album Artwork
Winner: Lily Paris West – Look Me In The Eye (Mermaidens)

26: Kaiwhakahaere Puoro o te Tau | Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year
Winner: Paul McKessar (CRS Management)

Additional Tuis presented in 2020:

Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa | Best Folk Artist
Winner: Mel Parsons – Glass Heart

Te Pukaemi Toa o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa | Best Pacific Music Album
Winner: Olivia Foa’I – Candid

Te Kaipuoro Tuawhenua Toa | Best Country Artist
Winner: Delaney Davidson & Barry Saunders – Word Gets Around

Recorded Music NZ Te Kaipuoro Tautito Toa | Best Jazz Artist
Winner: Dixon Nacey – The Edge Of Chaos

Te Kaipuoro Waiata Tamariki Toa | Best Children’s Artist
Winner: Anika Moa – Songs For Bubbas 3