Aotearoa Music Awards Announce 2021 Finalists
Written by Admin on November 12, 2021
Celebrating 36 finalists across 15 different categories in a special live television event
The 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards will be a live television event screened on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ OnDemand from the Aotea Centre. The event will take place in December and will be rescheduled to a date in early 2022 if Covid-19 restrictions prevent the ceremony from going ahead.
Announcing the finalists for the 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards
No stranger to the music awards, Troy Kingi emerges as the frontrunner for the 2021 awards with six nominations.
With four Tūi already to his name, Troy Kingi celebrates being a finalist across Te Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of the Year for his fourth album The Ghost of Freddie Cesar and Te Waiata Tōtahi o te Tau | Single of the Year for ‘Sleep (Slumber)’.
He’s also a finalist for for Te Kaipuoro Takitahi Toa | Best Solo Artist, Te Māngai Pāho Te Kaipuoro Māori Toa | Best Māori Artist, Te Kaipuoro Awe Toa | Best Soul/RnB Artist, in addition to a nomination for Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo award with blues and roots trio The Nudge.
Following the release of his debut album in March, singer songwriter TEEKS has had a hugely successful year – including a sold out nationwide tour.
Fast becoming an iconic Kiwi band, L.A.B are back and finalists for four Tūi. This year they have stepped it up with a multitude of sold out shows, from Mt Smart Stadium in March to selling out their two arena shows in Hamilton and Wellington within one day.
They are finalists for Te Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of the Year for L.A.B. IV,Te Waiata Tōtahi o te Tau | Single of the Year for ‘Why Oh Why’, Te Roopu Toa | Best Group and Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa | Best Roots Artist.
The finalists for the 2021 Mana Reo award are Rei, The Nudge & Troy Kingi, and Te Nūtube – the dynamic duo of Atareta Milne (11) and Te Haakura Ihimaera-Manley (9) who are nominated for ‘Peke’ – their waiata from Season 3 of their popular Māori Television children’s show.
Diggy Dupè, SWIDT and Team Dynamite celebrate their nomination for Te Kaipuoro Hipihope Toa | Best Hip Hop Artist.
Other 2021 Aotearoa Music Award finalists includes Mara TK (Te Māngai Pāho Te Kaipuoro Māori Toa | Best Māori Artist and Te Kaipuoro Awe Toa | Best Soul/RnB Artist), Shapeshifter (Te Roopu Toa | Best Group), Grove Roots and Tomorrow People (Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa | Best Roots Artist) and Best Electronic Artist finalists Shapeshifter and Sola Rosa.
Check out the offical Aotearoa Music Awards finalist playlist HERE!
