Marlon Williams wins NZ’s prestigious Silver Scroll songwriter award

Marlon Williams has won the 2018 APRA Silver Scroll Award last night for his poignant ballad Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore.

The four other finalists: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Troy Kingi, Chelsea Jade and The Beths.

Accepting the $5,000 cash win, Williams revealed to the audience at Auckland’s Spark Arena, “I’ve always been a bit of a coward when it comes to writing my songs.

“The idea of putting anything of myself into a song is equally nauseating and enthralling.”

He thanked his former partner and fellow musician Aldous Harding, who also appears on the winning song.

Later, backstage, Williams quipped, “There’s always that New Zealand thing of feeling guilty that you’re not worthy of it, but it’s in my hands and I’m very proud that it is.

“I haven’t got an award like this since I played soccer and I got a Player of the Day award.”

Williams, who has had stints living in Australia, first emerged in Christchurch alt-folk band The Unfaithful Ways, before partnering with first Delaney Davidson and then Tami Neilson (Silver Scroll nominee and winner, respectively) on two collaborative records.

His self-titled debut solo album in 2016 included Dark Child which was a Silver Scroll finalist.

His second solo album Make Way For Love gave him international recognition.

The Silver Scroll is regarded as the most prestigious songwriter award by the NZ music industry.

Winners in its 53-year history included Neil Finn, The Swingers, Scribe, Bic Runga, Lorde, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Tami Neilson, Brooke Fraser, Don McGlashan and Dave Dobbyn.

Runga, incidentally, was music director of this year’s ceremony, which was hosted by Anika Mao, and broadcast on TV, radio and online.

Performing renditions of nominated songs were Teeks, Ladyhawke, Lontalius, Finn Andrews and Aaradhna.

Other wins were:

Ria Hall, along with co-writers Tiki Taane and Te Ori Paki took the APRA Maioha Award, for Te Ahi Kai Pō which raises awareness of inter-generational cultural disenfranchisement and draws on Ria’s own family history.

Wellington composer Michael Norris won the SOUNZ Contemporary Award for the second time (his previous win was in 2014 for Inner Phases), with his composition Sygyt for throat singer, chamber ensemble, and live electronics.

Sygyt was commissioned by contemporary ensemble Stroma to explore the interesting textures and harmonics of throat singing.

The Phoenix Foundation’s Conrad Wedde, Lukasz Buda and Samuel Scott received the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award for their soundtrack for Australian TV series Cleverman, a futuristic drama with roots in Aboriginal mythology.

David Long (The Muttonbirds, Teeth) got the APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award for his dramatic score for McLaren – the documentary about NZ racing driver Bruce McLaren.

Jenny Morris was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, with a tribute to the trailblazing work by NZ prime minister Jacinda Ardern, a long time fan, and a performance of Break In The Weather by Ladyhawke.