Top Five Finalists Announced For 2019 APRA Silver Scroll Awards

The all-star top 20 shortlist for the 2019 APRA Silver Scroll Awards has been whittled down to five finalists, as voted for by APRA members throughout Aotearoa. This year’s cream of the crop acknowledges songs by Tiny Ruins, The Beths, Benee, Avantdale Bowling Club and Aldous Harding, who are all in the running to have their songwriting excellence awarded at this year's presentation ceremony, taking place at Tāmaki Makaurau's Spark Arena on Wednesday 2nd October.

The top five finalists for the 2019 APRA Silver Scroll Award are:

• 'Happy Unhappy' – written by Elizabeth Stokes and performed by The Beths, published by Gaga Music on behalf of Carpark Publishing Tracks.

• 'Olympic Girls' – written by Hollie Fullbrook and performed by Tiny Ruins.

• 'Soaked' – written by Stella Bennett, Djeisan Suskov, and Josh Fountain, performed by Benee.

• 'The Barrel' – written by Hannah Topp, performed by Aldous Harding, published by Native Tongue Music Publishing.

• 'Years Gone By' – written by Tom Scott, Hayden Dick, Julien Dyne, Guy Harrison, and Tom Dennison, performed by Avantdale Bowling Club.

Alongside the highly coveted main songwriting prize and this year's NZ Music Hall Of Fame Inductees Ruru Karaitiana, Pixie Williams and Jim Carter (co-creators of our first homegrown hit 'Blue Smoke'), the APRA Maioha Award, the SOUNZ Contemporary Award – Te Tohu Auaha, the APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award and the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award will be presented in celebration of Aotearoa songwriters and composers – with jazz maestro Nathan Haines stepping into the role of Music Director for the evening's proceedings.

The APRA Maioha Award

The APRA Maioha Award recognises the art of contemporary Māori songwriting and honours composers who are telling their stories in the language of Te Ao Māori.

Ka Ao – Tyna Keelan, Angelique Te Rauna, and Matauranga Te Rauna
Korimako – Emily and Charles Looker, performed by Aro
Paiheretia – Kaaterama Pou
Te Kete Aronui – Mara Te Kahika and Cory Champion, performed by Mara TK

SOUNZ Contemporary Award – Te Tohu Auaha

The SOUNZ Contemporary Award celebrates excellence in contemporary composition.

ogee – Chris Watson
Violin Concerto – Chris Gendall
Violin Concerto Sama – Michael Norris

APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award

The Brokenwood Mysteries – Joel Haines 
The Bad Seed – Karl Steven 
Alibi – Mike Newport

APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award

The SOUNZ Contemporary Award celebrates excellence in contemporary composition.

Bellbird – Karl Steven   
Mega Time Squad – Mike Newport
Daffodils – Steph Brown and Fen Ikner 

Never forget Ron Gallipoli's legendary cover of Lorde's 2017 award-winning song 'Green Light'...

Here's Finn Andrews, Reb Fountain, Nadia Reid, the Black Quartet and band playing Marlon Williams' 2018 award-winning song ‘Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore'...

For more info on finalists and awards to be presented at the 2019 APRA Silver Scroll Awards head over to APRA's website here.