APRA Silver Scrolls 2018

The top five Nominees for 2018 are:

Troy Kingi – ‘Aztechknowledgey’
The Beths – ‘Future Me Hates Me’,  written by Elizabeth Stokes
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Hunnybee’, written by Ruban Nielson, Kody Nielson and Jacob Portrait
Chelsea Jade – ‘Laugh It Off’, written by Chelsea Jade Metcalf and Bradley Hale
Marlon Williams ft. Aldous Harding – ‘Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore’, written by Marlon Williams

The APRA Silver Scroll Awards are a highly anticipated annual event that celebrates outstanding achievement in the craft of songwriting.

Alongside the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll Award, also presented at the awards are the SOUNZ Contemporary and APRA Maioha Awards - for excellence in contemporary composition and Maori music respectively, as well as awards for the best music in a feature film and television series.

Each year the APRA Silver Scroll Awards hosts an induction into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame – recognising those who have had a significant impact on New Zealand life and culture through music.

Alongside the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll Award, also presented at the awards are the SOUNZ Contemporary and APRA Maioha Awards - for excellence in contemporary composition and Maori music respectively, as well as awards for the best music in a feature film and television series.

Each year the APRA Silver Scroll Awards hosts an induction into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame – recognising those who have had a significant impact on New Zealand life and culture through music.

Established in 2007, with inductions shared between APRA and Recorded Music NZ, the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame pays tribute to the legendary figures that have shaped, influenced and advanced popular music in New Zealand.

Established in 2007, with inductions shared between APRA and Recorded Music NZ, the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame pays tribute to the legendary figures that have shaped, influenced and advanced popular music in New Zealand.

Inductees to the Hall of Fame to date include Jordan Luck, Johnny Devlin, The Topp Twins, Straitjacket Fits, Hirini Melbourne & Richard Nunns, Ray Columbus & the Invaders, The Formyula, Shihad, Hello Sailor, Dragon, Toy Love, Herbs, Shona Laing, Dave Dobbyn, Supergroove, Douglas Lilburn, The Exponents, Bill Sevesi, Moana Maniapoto, Bic Runga, Sharon O’Neill, and The Clean.

The 53rd annual APRA Silver Scroll Awards will be held at Spark Arena in Auckland on Thursday 4th October 2018. Over 600 songwriters, musicians, industry and media from New Zealand and around the world will come together to celebrate songwriting at its highest level.

‘Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore’ is a duet with Aldous Harding and is from Williams’ second album Make Way For Love. The record is a break-up album about Harding, who Williams had previously had a relationship with.  Williams told RNZ in February that his and Harding’s parts were recorded separately, with Harding singing down the line from Cardiff, while Williams produced from Portland.  Williams says of the recording: “It was too weighty to be fun, but it was beautiful. There was something really beautiful about it even though it was painful, it felt properly cathartic for sure.”  This is Marlon Williams’ second time in the Top 5, after reaching the finals in 2015 for his song ‘Dark Child’.

Third-time finalists and former winners Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Ruban Nielson, Kody Nielson, and Jacob Portrait) are back in the shortlist for 2018 with their easy-groove track ‘Hunnybee’. The track is from their new album Sex & Food, which came out earlier this year.

UMO won the Scroll in 2015 for ‘Multi-Love’, and were in the top five in 2011 for ‘FFunny FFrends’.

UMO’s Nielson brothers previously played together in renowned Auckland punk band The Mint Chicks, who’d been finalists for the Silver Scroll three times but never won.

Troy Kingi is an actor and musician from Northland, who made one of the best debut albums of 2016 in Guitar Party at Uncle’s Bach. ‘Aztechknowledgey’ is from Kingi’s second album Shake That Skinny Ass All the Way to Zygetron, which came out in late 2017 to critical acclaim. The album’s a soulful psychedelic jam underpinned by funk.

Kingi initially made a name for himself as an actor, with roles in films including Mt Zion and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, in which he played 'selfie dad'.

This is the first time one of Kingi’s songs has been included in the Silver Scroll Top 5. Kingi is also nominated for a Waiata Maori Music Award this year.

Returning for the second year in a row, Chelsea Jade is shortlisted for her delightful synth-driven pop song ‘Laugh It Off’, from her debut album Personal Best. As RNZ’s Nick Bollinger puts it, the album is “made for moving to”.

The LA-based artist, formerly of Teacups and Watercolours, began her music career busking in Auckland’s Botany Town Centre. She went on to win the New Zealand Music Award’s Critic Choice prize in 2012 as Watercolours, and achieved massive chart success earlier this year with The Chainsmokers’ single 'You Owe Me', which she co-wrote.

Chelsea Jade was in the Scrolls Top 5 last year for her song ‘Life of the Party’.

Elizabeth Stokes is lead singer and principal songwriter for Auckland power-pop group The Beths. ‘Future Me Hates Me’ is from the Beths’ excellent debut album of the same name. It’s a breezy, upbeat track typical of their style.

Stokes started her musical career alongside fellow nominee Chelsea Jade in folkie trio Teacups. All four of The Beths members studied at Jazz School, however, there’s no jazz noodling here, it’s straight up high enery pop song.