VNZMA Finalists Announced

VODAFONE NZ MUSIC AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Marlon Williams, Six60 and Unknown Mortal Orchestra lead 2015 Tui finalists

2015 Technical Award winners revealed

The celebrations have started with Recorded Music NZ revealing the artists in the line-up for Tuis at the 50th annual Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

A finalist in five categories, Canterbury’s Marlon Williams leads the list with his debut solo album Marlon Williams and single Dark Child. Williams is a finalist for Mentos Album of the Year, Vodafone Single of the Year, Best Male Solo Artist, Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Best Alternative album.

Joining Williams as this year’s front runners with multiple finalist nods are previous Tui winners Six60 and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Both are finalists in four categories.

Oregon-based Unknown Mortal Orchestra is up for Mentos Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Alternative Album and Best Male Solo Artist for multi-instrumentalist Ruban Nielson.

Dunedin’s Six60 is in the running for Mentos Album of the Year, Best Group, Single of the Year for White Lines, and The Edge Best Pop Album.

Vodafone NZ Music Award regulars Shihad can add three more finals spots to its awards history list this year for Mentos Album of the Year, Best Group and Best Rock Album.

Internationally acclaimed Broods, which last year took home its first Tui for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, is back again. This year the debut album Evergreen has gained three Tui nods for Mentos Album of the Year, Best Group and The Edge Best Pop Album.

Hamilton hard rock band Devilskin gains its first VNZMA nods for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Best Rock Album. Moana and The Tribe is also up for two Tuis for Best Roots Album and Best Maori Album.

Recorded Music New Zealand Chief Executive Damian Vaughan is impressed by the high standard of this year’s VNZMA finalists.

“The past year has been remarkable for New Zealand music,” Vaughan says. “We’ve seen new artists burst onto the local and international music scenes and more established artists release albums that remind us why they’ve featured on the VNZMA finalist list many times before.”

“Recorded Music is looking forward to the main event where we can all celebrate 50 years of VNZMA history and this year’s talented and deserving finalists.”

The line-up was revealed at an event held at the Pullman Auckland Hotel this evening (Tuesday 13 October).

Live on the night

The Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards would not be complete without the ever special live performances on the night.

This year New Zealand music fans will be treated to live performances from Marlon Williams, Broods, Gin Wigmore, Savage, Janine and The Mixtape and Devilskin. There will also be a special performance dedicated to the 2015 NZ Herald Legacy Award recipient.

This momentous night of celebrating NZ music can be experienced by fans all over the country with a live broadcast on TV3 with the support of NZ On Air.

The show is preceded by The Mentos Red Carpet Special from 8.00pm onwards on The Edge TV (Channels – Sky 114 and Freeview 11), hosted by Sharyn Casey and Clint Roberts from The Edge Afternoons.

Technical Award winners

The winners of the 2015 Technical Awards have also been revealed at the finalist announcement event with Sean Donnelly taking the Massey University Best Producer Tui for self-produced album Saint John Divine.

Lee Prebble and Oliver Harmer can share a toast for their Best Engineer victory for Mel Parsons, Drylands.

Kelvin Soh completes the technical awards winners line-up, taking out the Best Album Cover category for the cover of Broods’ Evergreen.

The International Achievement and Legacy Awards are judged by the Recorded Music NZ Board and awarded at the Board’s discretion. No finalists are announced for these categories.

Tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.co.nz and cost just $25 including booking fees.

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

ENDS

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