Photo: RNZ
Three new categories have been added to this year's Aotearoa Music Awards.
The Breakthrough Artist award has been broken down into two categories to better reflect the market in Aotearoa - this will include a Breakthrough Artist of a Year Category and a Breakthrough Single of the Year category.
The inaugural Te Manu Mātārae category award will also be presented this year. The title represents a prestigious acknowledgement of someone of a particular standing or rank and will be presented to two artists that have made a significant impact on the music landscape.
9lives, COTERIE, Hori Shaw, MOHI and SXMPRA are finalists in the Breakthrough Artist of the Year category.
Cassie Henderson, Corrella, Jordan Gavet, Navvy and teo glacier are nominated for Breakthrough Single of the Year.
The Aotearoa Music Awards recognises and celebrates the biggest musical successes of the year, while also providing a platform to promote emerging artists.
This year's awards will be held on 30 May at Auckland's Viaduct Events Centre.
RNZ is the official media partner for the awards and will be streaming live video of the awards ceremony across multiple platforms on the night.