NZ’s Silver Scrolls announce five finalists

The five finalists for this year’s Silver Scrolls make up a previous winner (Unknown Mortal Orchestra), two past nominees (Marlon Williams and Chelsea Jade) and two finalist first-timers (Troy Kingi and The Beths’ Elizabeth Stokes).

The Silver Scrolls are organised by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and regarded as New Zealand’s most prestigious songwriter awards.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Ruban Nielson, Kody Nielson, and Jacob Portrait) are up for the dreamy love song Hunnybee which was inspired by Ruban’s baby daughter.

They won the Silver Scroll in 2015 with their single Multi-Love.

Williams is being recognised for Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore, his duet with Aldous Harding.

Jade is up for her second nomination for her pop hit Laugh It Off, which she wrote during an upbeat session in Los Angeles.

The final two are Kingi’s astral journey Aztechknowledgey which he says had a lengthy gestation period, and Stokes’ Future Me Hates Me written during a “tumultuous” year when she was in between relationships.

Bic Runga is announced the music director for the event this year, responsible for the re-arrangements of the final songs (and some of the other categories) to be performed by others through the night.

Runga won the Silver Scroll in 1996 for her trans-Tasman hit Drive.

Singer-songwriter and broadcaster (and three-time Scrolls nominee) Anika Moa will MC the night, held at Spark Arena in Auckland on Thursday, October 4.

She said, “I’m looking forward to standing in front of my musical peers and talking their ears off!

“There is no doubt I will be offensive, rude, and cheeky but I also endeavour to be articulate, wise and singing lots and lots on the night. May the best songwriter win.”

Also to be announced on the night are the Maioha award, celebrating top waiata sung in te reo Māori; the Sounz contemporary award, best original music in a feature film and best original music in a series.

A yet-to-be-announced songwriter will be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame.

Past Silver Scroll winners since 1965 include Neil Finn, Lorde, Sharon O’Neill, Ray Columbus, Dave Dobbyn, Don McGlashan, Evermore, Tami Neilson and Shona Laing.