Musicians and artists will be celebrated in Auckland next month for the Aotearoa Music awards to close out New Zealand music month.
Among the finalists are award winning artist Aaradhna who is back on the scene, ahead of the release of her first album in eight years. She’s up for Best Soul/RnB Artist, the genre category she helped to create when she regifted her 2016 Tūī for Best Urban/Hip Hop to SWIDT.
Sam V is also up for Best Soul/RnB Artist.
Recorded Music New Zealand CEO Jo Oliver says it’s incredibly special to bring back the Aotearoa Music Awards after a pause in 2023.
“Congratulations to all the finalists for the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards. We are so lucky to have such a wide range of remarkably talented artists and behind-the-scenes specialists in Aotearoa. This ceremony at the end of Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa | New Zealand Music Month is a chance to truly reflect on all that has been achieved in the music industry across the course of the nomination period.
“The Aotearoa Music Awards was paused in 2023, as we considered the outcomes of the review we undertook in 2022. It was important to us to engage with artists and the wider music community about the format, purpose and meaning of AMA.
“The message from the community was clear: the Aotearoa Music Awards is seen as essential, and aspirational for emerging artists. We heard strong support for our continuing commitment to embed te ao Māori and te reo and to reflect the unique cultural identity of Aotearoa. We also heard that more clarity was needed around the judging criteria and processes.
