TMN Tinnies: Songwriter of the Year nominees

In the lead up to TMN’s first annual TMN Tinnies, we’ll be getting to know each of the nominees more intimately before the final winners are determined on Friday,February 2.

We’ll be taking a look at the finalists across each of the eight categories in the comingweeks,withSongwriter of the Year the second category put under the microscope.

Takudzwa Victoria Rosa Maidza (Tkay Maidza)

The pint-sized powerhouse has continued to go from strength to strength in 2017. Moving from triple j favourite to national darling, she attended her first ARIA Awards this year (and even spoke to TMN on the red carpet), and has had a hand in writing some of the biggest bangers of the year, including ‘Glorious’, ‘Bom Bom’ and ‘Mistakes’ with Basenji.

Sarah Aarons

The Aussie songwriting gun-for-hire is now based in Los Angeles and has catapulted herself into the spotlight thanks to pen radio favourite ‘Stay’ by Zedd and Alessia Cara (which spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Pop Chart). Notoriously private, Aarons had her first release as a writer in Australia this year with LDRU’s ‘Keeping Score’, and has also worked with the likes of Flume, Demi Lovato and MØ.

Celia Pavey (Vera Blue)

This year saw the transformation from Celia Pavey to Vera Blue complete, with the 23-year-old Island Records Australia starlet releasing her debut album under the moniker. Fuelled by a break-up and the general aspirations of someone finding themselves, Perennial birthed one of the catchiest synth-pop sounds to hit radio in 2017 ‘Regular Touch’.

Harley Streten (Flume)

Last year’s ARIA Awards may have seen Flume sweep the pool of accolades, but don’t think that this music maestro has been kicking back in 2017. Lending a hand on Vince Staples’ album Big Fish Theory is just one of the many projects Harley Streten has undertaken this year, along with releasing the companion remixes album to his 2016 effort Skin, and claiming the title of Songwriter Of The Year at the 2017 APRA Music Awards.

Alex Hope

The ARIA and APRA Award-winning songwriter, producer and musician is proving to be more than just a flash in the pan. Following up last year’s work with Troye Sivan and Broods, Hope earned some killer songwriting credits on tracks by Jamie Lawson and Tove Lo in 2017. Now based in Los Angeles, she was also named as the only Australian ambassador for Spotify’s inaugural Secret Genius Program this year.