The Sunday Series: Aotearoa Music Awards 2020

The list of finalists in the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards has just been released.

There’s a history to these awards “starting from it’s single-award beginnings in 1965 to the 30 categories presented today!” and the AMA site has a specific history category. https://aotearoamusicawards.nz/award-history/

AMA FINALISTS 2020

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 Tōtahi 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 Māngai Pāho Te Kaipuoro Māori 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 Māngai Pāho Mana Reo Award
Maimoa
Mōhau
Six60

13. Te Kaipuoro Tāhiko 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 Kōwhiri 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

No we didn’t include a music video for every artist and every category. “Take it from the top…” so we took it from the bottom of the list and if we’d already included one of their videos, then the next one from the bottom of the alphabetical list. What’s so inspiring is all the talent, all the musicality, the spectrum of music genres. Make sure you take a look (looks) at the Aotearoa Music Awards site – it’s excellent. Congratulations to “winners” already announced and best wishes to category finalists.

This article for The Sunday Series on ARTbop is compiled from text, information and YouTube videos available online.

Rosemary Balu. Rosemary Balu is the founding and current Managing Editor of ARTbop. Rosemary has arts and law degrees from the University of Auckland. She has been a working lawyer and has participated in a wide variety of community activities where information gathering, submission writing, community advocacy and education have been involved. Interested in all forms of the arts since childhood Rosemary is focused on further developing and expanding multi-media ARTbop as the magazine for all the creative arts in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand