Finalists Announced for the 2015 APRA Silver Scroll Award

August 20th 2015
APRA AMCOS are proud to announce the five finalists in line for the 2015 APRA Silver Scroll Award.

The biggest names in music alongside some of New Zealand's most critically acclaimed artists and songwriters - APRA AMCOS are proud to announce the five finalists in line for the 2015 APRA Silver Scroll Award.

Prodigiously gifted songwriter Ella Yelich-O'Connor (Lorde) is a finalist this year for Yellow Flicker Beat, alongside co-writer and super-producer Joel Little. This is the third year running as a finalist for Little, who was in the Top 5 last year for his work with Broods, and in 2013 when he jointly won the APRA Silver Scroll Award with Lorde for Royals.

Brothers Ruban and Kody Nielson are also finalists with Multi-Love, the Unknown Mortal Orchestra song that chronicles the trials and tribulations of polyamory. This is the second time the critically acclaimed Portland-based electronic psych-funk band have been finalists for the award, having made the Top 5 in 2011 with Ffunny Ffrends.

Lyttleton's golden boy Marlon Williams makes this year's list with Dark Child, which was co-written with fellow ex-pat New Zealand songwriter Tim Moore. Widely tipped as New Zealand's next international success story, Marlon Williams has been garnering widespread acclaim, with glowing reviews for both his live and recorded output.

Deft urban storyteller Anthonie Tonnon is also a contender for the award with Water Underground, a cleverly constructed song about the ‘political masterstroke' involving land use in the Canterbury plains. Water Underground is taken from his recently released and critically acclaimed album Successor.

First time Silver Scroll finalist Mel Parsons rounds out the list with Get Out Alive, a song she wrote after a brush with death in a vehicle accident last year. With three solo albums to her name, Mel Parsons is well known as one of NZ's indie-folk song-writing stars.

"These five songs illustrate everything great about our music right now - diverse, original and assured" says Anthony Healey. "We are extremely proud to be celebrating songs of such quality on the 50th anniversary of the award."

The APRA Silver Scroll Award holds a very special place in the New Zealand music industry. The award was first presented in 1965, and is widely considered the most important music award in the country. The finalists and the winner of the APRA Silver Scroll Award are determined by the votes of APRA members - over 10,000 songwriters and composers.

On the night the highly anticipated ‘Lost Scroll' of 1981 will also be presented, and guitarist and songwriter Bill Sevesi will be inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

Finalists in the following categories will be announced next week:

APRA Maioha Award
SOUNZ Contemporary Award
APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award
APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award

The five songs in line for the APRA Silver Scroll Award are:

Dark Child, written by Tim Moore and Marlon Williams, performed by Marlon Williams (Native Tongue Music Publishing).

Get Out Alive, written and performed by Mel Parsons (Native Tongue Music Publishing).

Multi-Love, written by Ruban and Kody Nielson, performed by Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Mushroom Music New Zealand).

Water Underground, written and performed by Anthonie Tonnon (Native Tongue Music Publishing).

Yellow Flicker Beat, written by Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little, performed by Lorde (Native Tongue Music Publishing on behalf of SONGS Music Publishing LLC / EMI Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd).


The five finalists for the 1981 APRA Silver Scroll Award are:

Counting the Beat, written by Phil Judd, Mark Hough, Wayne Stevens, performed by The Swingers (Mushroom Music Pty Ltd).

One Step Ahead, written by Neil Finn, performed by Split Enz (Kobalt Music Publishing Australia P/L).

See Me Go, written by Tony Drumm, Peter Van Der Fluit, Michael O'Neill* and Lawrence Landwer-Johan, performed by The Screaming Meemees (*Mushroom Music NZ Ltd).

Tally Ho, written by David Kilgour, Hamish Kilgour, Robert Scott, performed by The Clean (Mushroom Music Pty Ltd / Mushroom Music NZ Ltd).

No Depression in New Zealand, written by Don McGlashan* and Richard von Sturmer, performed by Blam Blam Blam (*Native Tongue Music Publishing).

This year marks the 50th presentation of the APRA Silver Scroll Award, New Zealand's only peer-voted music award. The APRA Silver Scroll Awards will be held at Vector Arena in Auckland on Thursday 17th September 2015. A big thanks to our sponsors Becks and Peter Yealands Wines. The awards will be streamed live via www.95bfm.com and the APRA AMCOS website: www.apraamcos.co.nz.

 

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