Shihad will get best classic record award at Taite Music Prize
The rock band will score a prize for their album, Killjoy, which set them on their way to New Zealand legend status.
New Zealand legendary rock band Shihad will score a Best Classic Record Award at this year's Taite Music Prize.
Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ) will acknowledge the second album from the rock band, Killjoy, which broke through in 1995 with the colossal riffs and pop sensibility that the band became known for.
Killjoy spawned two top 20 singles, ‘You Again’ and ‘Bitter’, and won four Aotearoa Music Awards (AMAs) - including Album of the Year, kicking off a streak seeing the band bag 18 AMAs throughout their career and be inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
Shihad play their second to last show ever, ending the Loud Forever tour, on 14 March, 2025, at Auckland's Spark Arena.
Supplied/ Nick Paulsen
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After 37 years of making noise, Shihad officially called it a day earlier this month, wrapping up their Loud Forever NZ tour with one last show at Wellington's Homegrown festival.
IMNZ has also named the finalists for the Auckland Live Best Independent Debut Award, recongnising emerging talent in the NZ music scene.
Pony Baby.
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Pony Baby is the country music brainchild of Arahi (Te Matau-a-Māui) and songwriter Jazmine Mary from Australia. Their self-titled debut release, Pony Baby, blends gentle melodies with proudly country sounds like banjos, cowbells, and twangy guitars.
VIDA.
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VIDA Gibson is a Tāmaki-based artist and musician whose debut EP, Aquatopialien, fuses soul, art pop, jazz, and funk. Inspired by their alien alter ego, Takavi, VIDA crafts immersive, ritualistic soundscapes that blend performance, storytelling, and music into transformative live experiences.
Flowerstream.
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And 花溪 Flowerstream is a Māori/Chinese psychedelic noise duo from Auckland, blending electric guzheng and drums into an experimental sound rooted in Chinese traditions. Their 2024 EP Flowers Dream captures a world of chaotic energy and transcendent beauty, weaving together dreamy textures and experimental noise.
The Taite Music Prize - named after the legendary music journalist Dylan Taite - honours the most creative Kiwi album of the year. The ten homegrown albums in the running for the major 2025 Taite Prize were named earlier this month.
Ideal Home Noise - a collection of songs about "love and strife between myself and myself' - won Wellington songwriter Vera Allen the prestigious prize (which includes $12,500 cash) last year.
This year's awards are set for 15 April at Auckland's Q Theatre.
