APRA Silver Scroll finalists announced

The top five finalists have been announced for the 2022 APRA Silver Scroll Award | Kaitito Kaiaka.

The coveted award has been a mark of excellence in New Zealand songwriting for over 55 years and this year’s finalists represent an eclectic group hoping to join the Silver Scroll legacy.

• Girl At Night written by Natalie Hutton, Minnie Robberds, Joel Becker, Angus Murray, performed by There’s A Tuesday (Native Tongue Music Publishing)
• 35 written by Rob Ruha, Kaea Hills, Te Amorutu Broughton, Ainsley Tai, Dan Martin, Whenua Patuwai, performed by Ka Hao and Rob Ruha.
• Beyond the Stars written by Tami Neilson and Delaney Davidson performed by Tami Neilson and Willie Nelson (Native Tongue Music Publishing)
• He Ōrite written by Troy Kingi*, Iraia Whakamoe, Ryan Prebble, James Coyle, performed by Troy Kingi and The Nudge (*LOOP Publishing Limited/Kobalt Music Publishing)
• My Boy written and performed by Marlon Williams (Native Tongue Music Publishing)

Off the back of the winning the 2021 Silver Scroll for All Your Ships Have Sailed Troy Kingi returns to the Silver Scroll Top 5 for the second year running. This time accompanied by Iraia Whakamoe, Ryan Prebble and James Coyle AKA The Nudge for their waiata reo Māori, He Ōrite.

Christchurch based four-piece indie-pop band There’s A Tuesday land in this year’s Top 5 with their earworm Girl At Night”off their recently released six track EP titled Boy Scout.

Made up of Natalie Hutton, Minnie Robberds, Angus Murray and Joel Becker, the band catapulted onto the Aotearoa music scene after winning Smoke-free Rockquest in 2019, before going on to drop their debut EP Dance With Me Before We Cry.

Te Tairāwhiti choir Ka Hao and Rob Ruha’s feel-ood waiata35 also makes the list. The song, which is a nod to the highway that runs along the East Coast, was written by Rob Ruha, Kaea Hills, Te Amorutu Broughton, Ainsley Tai, Dan Martin and Whenua Patuwai and was Ka Hao’s first single preceding the release of their debut album Ka Hao: One Tira, One Voice.

Tami Neilson lands a spot as a finalist for Beyond the Stars off her 5th album Kingmaker. Written alongside New Zealand’s accoladed & adored country troubadour Delaney Davidson, Beyond the Stars sees Neilson collaborate with American country icon Willie Neilson to explore themes of all-consuming grief.

Decorated artist Marlon Williams is the fifth finalist for this years Silver Scroll | Kaitito Kaiaka for his latest hit My Boy.

Ahead of his album release by the same name, due 9 September, Marlon said: “My Boy is a pop song with a Māori folk strum. The urge to turn every song on the planet into a Māori strummer descended on me like a fever sometime during the long and winding tour cycle of Make Way for Love. So, writing it into my artistic life became the only way to get the fever to lift.”

The 2022 APRA Silver Scroll Awards ceremony will be held at Spark Arena, Tāmaki Makaurau on Tuesday 18 October.