Five top-notch Kiwi songs have made the top five for the 2019 APRA Silver Scroll Award, recognising excellence in songwriting.
Benee, Elizabeth Stokes of The Beths, Tom Scott of Avantdale Bowling Club, Hollie Fullbrook of Tiny Ruins, and Aldous Harding Photo: Supplied
- The Beths ‘Happy Unhappy’, written by Elizabeth Stokes
- Tiny Ruins ‘Olympic Girls’, written by Hollie Fullbrook
- Benee ‘Soaked’, written by Stella Bennett, Djeisan Suskov, and Josh Fountain
- Aldous Harding ‘The Barrel’, written by Hannah Topp
- Avantdale Bowling Club ‘Years Gone By’, written by Tom Scott, Hayden Dick, Julien Dyne, Guy Harrison, and Tom Dennison
RNZ Music will have extensive live coverage of the Silver Scrolls at rnz.co.nz/music and on the RNZ Music Facebook page, from 7pm, Wednesday, October 2.
The APRA Silver Scroll Award is considered one of the most coveted awards in New Zealand music. Previous winners include Lorde, Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga, Tami Neilson and Marlon Williams.
Four other songwriting awards will be presented at the Silver Scroll award ceremony:
- APRA Maioha Award, celebrating exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori > See the finalists
- SOUNZ Contemporary Award, celebrating excellence in contemporary composition > See the finalists
- APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award > See the finalists
- APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award > See the finalists
Also on the night, the musicians behind the 1947 hit song ‘Blue Smoke’ will be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame. Ruru Karaitiana, Pixie Williams, and Jim Carter will be honoured for their work as the creative forces behind Aotearoa’s first true pop hit 'Blue Smoke', but also their ongoing contributions to New Zealand’s cultural landscape.
All awards will be presented at Spark Arena in Auckland on Wednesday 2nd October.
More on this year’s top five:
The Beths ‘Happy Unhappy’
Having been a finalist in 2018 for 'Future Me Hates Me', Elizabeth Stokes and The Beths return with their follow up hit 'Happy Unhappy', a pitch perfect, elegantly and eloquently mad-at-love song which swoops and soars and gets stuck in your head the same way a crush can.
Tiny Ruins ‘Olympic Girls’
Also a former finalist, Hollie Fullbrook aka Tiny Ruins is shortlisted this year for 'Olympic Girls' from her recently released third album of the same name. With a richly cinematic scope, it’s a beautiful, graceful alt-folk song full of wistful imagery, and determined questioning.
Benee ‘Soaked’
Having captured attention with her first ever release, 'Tough Guy' in late 2017, Stella Bennett (Benee) along with co-writers Djeisan Suskov and Josh Fountain have taken out a finalist spot with their irresistible funk pop hit 'Soaked'. The summery guitars, 80s swagger, and bold lyrics make for a bona fide earworm.
Aldous Harding ‘The Barrel’
Aldous Harding (Hannah Topp) has also returned to be a finalist for the second time. Having spellbound everyone with her singular song Horizon in 2017, this time she’s a finalist for 'The Barrel' from her recent album Designer. It’s a fearless, delicate, grooving, multi-layered, adventurous pop tune that is bound by no boxes.
Avantdale Bowling Club ‘Years Gone By’
Tom Scott's Avantdale Bowling Club took out the Taite Prize earlier this year. The album's opening track 'Years Gone By' is a tour de force hip hop tale of Tom’s life, told with vulnerability and freaky jazz accompaniment.
