Diversity Celebrated at the 2005 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards

6th October 2005

A mix of new and seasoned Kiwi music talent has taken home the 21 Tui Awards at the 2005 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards announced last night (Wednesday October 5) at the Aotea Centre-The Edge in Auckland.

The unique sounds of Wellington's Fat Freddy's Drop on the platinum-selling album 'Based On A True Story' earn the seven-piece band four Tuis, the most on the night.

The self-styled 'Pacific purveyors of hi-tek soul' receive awards for The PlayStation2 SingStar Album of the Year, Best Aotearoa Roots Album and Coke Fridge Best Group. The band picks up an additional Tui for the Vodafone People's Choice Award.

Other multiple winners are Yulia, P-Money and Dei Hamo, all with two Tuis.

Yulia is a first time (double) winner for Best Female Solo Artist and the 42BELOW Highest Selling New Zealand Album for her debut album 'Into The West'.

P-Money takes home two Tuis for Best Male Solo Artist and Durex Best Urban / Hip Hop Album for 'Magic City'. P-Money collected two Tuis in 2004 for Best Producer (Scribe's - The Crusader) and Songwriter of the Year for the Not Many - The Remix (co-written with Scribe, Con Psy & Savage).

The Highest Selling New Zealand Single is We Gon Ride by Dei Hamo. Dei Hamo is also a co-winner with Chris Graham in the C4 Best Music Video category, again for the We Gon Ride video.

There was a tie for the Tui in the Best Classical Album category with the judges unable to separate Jonathan Lemalu's 'Opera Arias' and 'The Complete Piano Music of Douglas Lilburn, Volume 1' by Dan Poynton.

Young North Shore (Auckland) rockers The Checks get the nod for Clean & Clear Breakthrough Artist of the Year with What You Heard.

Breaks Co-Op - aka Andy Lovegrove, Zane Lowe and Hamish Clark - nabbed KIWI Single of the Year for The Otherside from platinum selling album 'The Sound Inside'.

Best Dance / Electronica Album goes to Del Rey System - aka Dean Godward - for his self-titled album which Godward describes as 'a journey from Hip Hop to Garage to House and Latin infused flavours'.

Shihad paid a long-overdue visit to the Tui stage for Best Rock Album 'Love Is The New Hate'. This is the band's fifth album, Shihad last collected a Tui in 2001 when the four-piece band won its second International Achievement Award.

Dave Dobbyn continues on his way as an inspirational force in New Zealand music taking The New Zealand Herald Songwriter of the Year Award for Welcome Home.

Three International Achievement Awards presented this year go to the Finn Brothers, Scribe and Evermore.

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) music awards spokesperson Adam Holt says presenting three International Achievement Awards this year is a breakthrough for the industry and a sure sign of our growing confidence on the world stage.

"It's great to see such a wide selection of artists being honoured this year and it is truly reflective of what has been a great year in music.

"Forty years on from the first Loxene Golden Disc Award, tonight highlights the amazing development of the New Zealand Music Industry and the pride New Zealand has in its talented artists, songwriters and performers," Mr Holt said.

The Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards are presented by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) and are held annually to celebrate the achievements of New Zealand musicians. 2005 is the 40th anniversary of the awards and television audiences will see delayed broadcasts on C4 on Thursday October 6 from 8.30 pm repeated on Sunday October 9 at the same time. TV3 also broadcasts the show on Saturday October 8 at 11.30pm.

WINNERS & FINALISTS FOR THE 2005 VODAFONE NEW ZEALAND MUSIC AWARDS

PlayStation2 SingStar Album of the Year
Winner:             Fat Freddy's Drop - Based On A True Story
Finalists:            Breaks Co-Op - The Sound Inside
                          Finn Brothers - Everyone Is Here
                          Shihad - Love Is The New Hate
                          The Phoenix Foundation - Pegasus

KIWI Single of the Year
Winner:             Breaks Co-Op - The Otherside
Finalists:           Brooke Fraser - Arithmetic
                         Dave Dobbyn - Welcome Home
                          Finn Brothers - Won't Give In
                          P-Money - Stop The Music

Coke Fridge Best Group
Winner:             Fat Freddy's Drop - Based On A True Story
Finalists:            Goldenhorse - Out Of The Moon
                         Shihad - Love Is The New Hate

Best Male Solo Artist
Winner:             P-Money - Magic City
Finalists:           Savage - Moonshine
                         SJD - Southern Lights

Best Female Solo Artist
Winner:             Yulia - Into The West
Finalists:            Debbie Harwood - Soothe Me
                          Jordan Reyne - Passenger

Clean & Clear Breakthrough Artist of the Year
Winner:             The Checks - What You Heard
Finalists:            Dei Hamo - First Edition
                          Tha Feelstyle - Break It To Pieces

The New Zealand Herald Songwriter of the Year
Winner:             Dave Dobbyn - Welcome Home
Finalists:           Andy Lovegrove, Zane Lowe & Hamish Clark - The Otherside (Breaks Co-op)
                          Brooke Fraser - Arithmetic

42BELOW Highest Selling New Zealand Album
Winner:             Yulia - Into The West
Finalists:            Brooke Fraser - What To Do With Daylight
                          Finn Brothers - Everyone Is Here

Highest Selling New Zealand Single
Winner:             Dei Hamo - We Gon Ride
Finalists:           P-Money - Stop The Music
                          Savage - Moonshine

Best Rock Album
Winner:             Shihad - Love Is The New Hate
Finalists:           Pluto - Pipeline Under The Ocean
                          The D4 - Out Of My Head

Durex Best Urban / Hip Hop Album
Winner:            P-Money - Magic City
Finalists:            Savage - Moonshine
                         Tha Feelstyle - Break It To Pieces

Best Dance / Electronica Album*
Winner:             Del Rey System - Del Rey System
Finalists:            Audiosauce - Contimental Drift
                         Baitercell & Schumacher - The Wall of Bass Technique
                         Mark de Clive-Lowe - Tide's Arising
*Please note there were four finalists due to a judging tie for the third place.

Best Aotearoa Roots Album
Winner:             Fat Freddy's Drop - Based On A True Story
Finalists:            Katchafire - Slow Burning
                         TrinityRoots - Home, Land & Sea

C4 Best Music Video
Winner:             Chris Graham & Dei Hamo - We Gon Ride
Finalists:            Greg Page & P-Money - Stop The Music
                          Reuben Sutherland & The Phoenix Foundation - Hitchcock

Best Classical Album*
Winners:           Dan Poynton - The Complete Piano Music of Douglas Lilburn, Volume 1
                         Jonathan Lemalu - Opera Arias
Finalist:              Tower New Zealand Youth Choir - Gaude/Rejoice
Two Tui Award winners in the Best Classical Album category

Vodafone People's Choice Award
Winner:             Fat Freddy's Drop
Other finalists:   P-Money
                          Savage
                          Shihad
                          the feelers

International Achievement Award
Scribe
Evermore
Finn Brothers
(Please note there were three winners and no finalists for this award, all winners were announced and Tui trophies presented on the night.)

WINNERS OF TECHNICAL AWARDS TUIS (presented at the Finalists' Announcement & Technical Awards on September 2, 2005

Best Album Cover
Kas Futialo, Andy Morton, Grant Osborne & Andrew B. White for Break It To Pieces (Tha Feelstyle)

Best Engineer
Angus McNaughton for Southern Lights (SJD)

Best Producer
Angus McNaughton &Sean Donnelly for Southern Lights (SJD)

Awards presented during the year

Best Folk Album (presented in January 2005 at the Auckland Folk Festival)
Bob McNeill for Turn The Diesels

Best Pacific Music Album (presented in March 2005 at the Pacific Music Awards)
Ardijah for Journey

Outstanding Contribution to the Growth in NZ Music on Radio (presented in April at the NZ Radio Awards)
Camille Guzzwell,David Ridler

Best Country Music Album (presented in June 2005 at the Gold Guitar Awards)
Kylie Harris for Kylie Harris

Best Jazz Album (presented in June 2005 at the Manawatu International Jazz & Blues Festival)
The Kevin Clark Trio LIVE with guest artists for The Sandbar Sessions

www.nzmusicawards.co.nz