Dunedin five-piece Six60 took home a total of five Tuis at the 2018 Vodafone NZ Music Awards, which took place at Auckland’s Spark Arena tonight.
Marlon Williams, Kimbra, Troy Kingi and Alien Weaponry Photo: Supplied
Marlon Williams has won Best Solo Artist and Album of the Year for his 2018 album Make Way For Love at tonight's NZ Music Awards.
Check out RNZ's live coverage of the ceremony here.
After winning Best Music Video for ‘Vampire Again’ at the Artisan Awards in Wellington last week, as well as his 2015 awards for Best Male Solo Artist and Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Williams now has five Tuis to his name.
Earlier in the year he won the country’s top songwriting award the Silver Scroll.
Dunedin five-piece Six60 took home the most awards, winning a total of five Tuis: Best Group, Highest Selling Album, Highest Selling Single, Radio Airplay Record of the Year and the People’s Choice Award.
After kicking the ceremony off with a performance of their song ‘Kai Tangata’, Alien Weaponry won Best Rock Artist. Their debut album Tū in June reached #5 on the New Zealand album charts, and since releasing it the band have had a whirlwind year of international tour and success.
Best Alternative Artist went to Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Best Pop Artist went to Kimbra.
Northland psych soul musician Troy Kingi took home Best Māori Artist and Best Soul/R&B Artist for his genre-bending album Shake That Skinny Ass All the Way to Zygertron
Onehunga crew SWIDT won Best Hip Hop Artist, their second NZ Music Awards after winning Best Group in 2017. The group were famously offered the Trophy for Best Urban/Hip-Hop artist in 2016 by Aaradhna after she refused to accept it.
Aotearoa hip-hop pioneers Upper Hutt Posse were inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame with Che Fu and The Kratez performing a version their hit ‘E Tū’ featuring 14-year-old DMC DJ World Champ K-Swizz.
Wellington's Drax Project took home Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for ‘Woke Up Late’.
The 2018 International Achievement recipient was Brooke Ligertwood aka Brooke Fraser.
Ligertwood’s albums have been certified 15x Platinum in NZ, and her recent work with worship group Hillsong earned her a Grammy earlier this year.
Sons of Zion were awarded Best Roots Artist, Equippers Revolution received Best Worship Artist, and Eve de Castro Robinson won Best Classical Artist for 2018.
The ceremony, held at Auckland’s Spark Arena, included performances from Six60, Alien Weaponry, Robinson, Drax Project, JessB, Sons of Zion, a special In Memoriam performance by Stan Walker and a tribute performance by Che Fu and The Kratez for the 2018 Legacy Award recipient Upper Hutt Posse.
Full list of winners:
Te Pukaemi o te Tau/Hallensteins Album of the Year
- Winner: Marlon Williams – Make Way For Love
- Alien Weaponry – Tū
- Julia Deans – We Light Fire
- Six60 – Six60
- Tami Neilson – Sassafrass!
- Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Sex & Food
Te Waiata Tōtahi o te Tau/Vodafone Single of the Year
- Winner: Drax Project – ‘Woke Up Late’
- Mitch James – ‘21’
- Robinson – ‘Nothing To Regret’
- Six60 – ‘Don't Give It Up’
- Sons Of Zion – ‘Drift Away’
- Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Hunnybee’
Te Roopu Toa/THREE Best Group
- Winner: Six60 – Six60
- Alien Weaponry – Tū
- Drax Project – Noon
- Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Sex & Food
Te Kaipuoro Takitahi Toa/Best Solo Artist
- Winner: Marlon Williams – Make Way For Love
- Julia Deans – We Light Fire
- Kimbra – Primal Heart
- Tami Neilson – Sassafrass!
Te Kaituhura Puoro Toa o te Tau/Jaguar Breakthrough Artist of the Year
- Winner: Drax Project
- JessB
- L.A.B
- Robinson
Te Kaipuoro Māori Toa/Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Artist
- Winner: Troy Kingi
- Alien Weaponry
- Katchafire
Te Kaipuoro Arotini Toa/The Edge Best Pop Artist
- Winner: Kimbra
- Drax Project
- Six60
Te Kaipuoro Manohi Toa/Best Alternative Artist
- Winner: Unknown Mortal Orchestra
- Marlon Williams
- Wax Chattels
Te Kaipuoro Awe Toa/Best Soul/RnB Artist
- Winner: Troy Kingi
- Israel Starr
- Vince Harder
Te Kaipuoro Hipihope Toa/Best Hip Hop Artist
- Winner: SWIDT
- JessB
- Kings
Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa/Best Roots Artist
- Winner: Sons of Zion
- Katchafire
- Tomorrow People
Te Kaipuoro Tāhiko Toa/Best Electronic Artist
- Winner: Chores
- Arma Del Amor
- Boycrush
Te Kaipuoro Rakapioi Toa/Best Rock Artist
- Winner: Alien Weaponry
- Cairo Knife Fight
- Skinny Hobos
Te Kaipuoro Kairangi Toa/Best Worship Artist
- Winner: Equippers Revolution
- EFKS Te Atatu Junior Youth
- Kane Adams
Te Kaipuoro Inamata Toa/Best Classical Artist
- Winner: Eve de Castro Robinson
- Henry Wong Doe
- Michael Houstoun
Te Kōwhiri o te Nuinga/Vodafone People’s Choice Award
Six60
Tohu Whakareretanga/Legacy Award
Upper Hutt Posse
Te Tōtahi Hoko Teitei/Vodafone Highest Selling Single
Six60 – ‘Don't Give It Up’
Te Pukaemi Hoko Teitei/Highest Selling Album
Six60 – Six60
Te Rikoata Marakerake o te Tau/NZ On Air Radio Airplay Record of the Year
Six60 – ‘Don't Give It Up’
Tohu Tutuki o te Ao/International Achievement
Brooke Fraser
Artisan Awards
Te Puoro Ataata Toa/NZ On Air Best Music Video
- Winner: Marlon Williams – ‘Vampire Again’ (Marlon Williams)
- Chris Graham – ‘Black Crow’ (Louis Baker)
- Shae Sterling – ‘Bloodlines’ (The Adults ft. JessB & Estère)
Te Kōpaki Pukaemi Toa/Best Album Cover
- Winner: Jaime Robertson & Matthias Heiderich – In Spaces EP (Sola Rosa)
- Barny Bewick – Seven (Cairo Knife Fight)
- Tami Neilson, Ashley Church, Xoe Hall & Jules Koblun – Sassafrass! (Tami Neilson)
Te Kaiwhakaputa Toa/Massey University Best Producer
- Winner: Simon Gooding, Tom Larkin & Hammerhead – Tū (Alien Weaponry)
- Estère – My Design, On Others’ Lives (Estère)
- Neil & Liam Finn – Out Of Silence (Neil Finn)
Te Kaipukaha Toa/Best Engineer
- Winner: Jordan Stone & Simon Gooding – Out Of Silence (Neil Finn)
- Chris Chetland – Rangatira (REI)
- Simon Gooding – Tū (Alien Weaponry)
Kaiārahi Puoro o te Tau/Music Teacher of the Year
- Winner: Elizabeth Sneyd – Virtuoso Strings Charitable Trust, Porirua
- Jane Egan – Gisborne Girls High School, Gisborne
- Judith Bell – Chisnallwood Intermediate, Christchurch
Additional Tuis presented in 2018
Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa/Best Folk Artist
- Winner: Albi & The Wolves – One Eye Open
- Reb Fountain – Little Arrows
- Candice Milner – Evergreen
Te Pukaemi Toa o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa/Best Pacific Music Album
- Winner: Ladi 6 – Royal Blue 3000 EP EFKS Te Atatu Junior Youth – Fa'afetai Le Atua
- Noah Slee – Otherland
- Sol3 Mio – A Very Merry Christmas
- SWIDT – Stoneyhunga
Te Kaipuoro Tuawhenua Toa/Best Country Artist
- Winner: Reb Fountain – Hopeful and Hopeless
- Lana Doublet – Beautiful Human
- Phil Doublet – Strength, Love, Music & Light
Te Kaipuoro Tautito Toa/Best Jazz Artist
- Winner: Umar Zakaria – Fearless Music
- Hayden Chisholm, Norman Meehan and Paul Dyne – Unwind
- Lucien Johnson – West of the Sun
Te Kaipuoro Waiata Tamariki Toa/Best Children’s Artist
- Winner: Levity Beet – My Best Friend Jake Is A Cyborg
- Chanelle & Friends – The Little Green Turtle And Other Songs For Kids
- Moe & Friends – The Moe Album