Pacific Music Awards 2020: all the winners

The winners of the 2020 Pacific Music Awards have been announced in an online ceremony, which included musical performances from the cream of the Pacific music community.

Elijah Manu and Albert Purcell – better known as hip hop duo Church & AP won Best Pacific Group, and Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist, for their debut album Teeth, as well as the Radio Airplay Award for their single ‘Ready or Not’. The pair’s producer Dera Meelan took out Best Producer for his work on Teeth.

Skip to full list of winners

Singer songwriter Olivia Foa’i of Te Vaka and ‘Moana’ fame celebrated with three awards of her own, recognising her tremendous success as a solo artist.

She won Auckland Council Best Pacific Female Artist, Sunpix Best Pacific Language, and Recorded Music NZ Best Pacific Music Album for her debut solo album Candid.

The legacy of the late Fijian guitarist Daniel Rae Costello was honoured with the Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award.

Costello released his debut album Tropical Sunset in 1979 and went on to put out 19 more throughout his lifetime. His hits such as ‘Take Me to the Island’, ‘Dark Moon’ and ‘Samba’, are ubiquitous on radio, and at nightclubs and family gatherings across the Pacific to this day.

Gospel singer Lani Alo, who took a break from his work with previous winners EFKS Te Atatu Junior Youth Choir,  to release his first single ‘Alo I Ou Faiva’. The track won Best Pacific Song, and Lani took home Best Pacific Gospel Artist.

Kiwi hip hop sensation Kings won the Streaming Award for his single ‘6 Figures’, while the award for Best Pacific Male Artist went to rapper Poetik for Hamofied EP 2, which continues to put Polynesian culture and issues on the map.

A Special Recognition Award was presented to Jawsh 685 – AKA Josh Nanai – a 17-year-old producer from Manurewa who’s catchy ‘Laxed (Siren Beat)’ went viral on social media platform TikTok, before being picked up by US pop star Jason Derulo.

The resulting collaboration ‘Savage Love / Laxed (Siren Beat)’ has seen global success, reaching the #1 spot in seventeen countries including New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Performances on the night showcased the new wave of Pacific talent with sets from finalists Church & AP, Lomez Brown, Lou’ana, Shepherds Reign, Lani Alo, and Disciple Pati. There was also a special tribute performance for Lifetime Achievement recipient Daniel Rae Costello by Stevie Heatley and TCB, the band that toured with Daniel across NZ and the Pacific from 2013 to 2015.

Chairman and spokesperson Rev. Mua Strickson-Pua says, "The 2020 Pacific Music Awards again travel new oceans of richness, diversity and inclusivity, mirroring the Pasifika wairuatanga/spirit of overcoming life struggles and giving back to loved ones from Atua/God, to sacred tupuga/tupuna/ancestors."

2020 Pacific Music Awards Winners

Auckland Council Best Pacific Female Artist

• WINNER: Olivia Foa’i – Candid
• Bella Kalolo – ‘Ends of the Earth’
• Lou’ana – ‘Move Along’

NZ Music Commission Best Pacific Male Artist

• WINNER: Poetik – HAMOFIED 2 EP
• Lepani – ‘Pockets Full of Love’
• Noah Slee – Twice

Flava Best Pacific Group

• WINNER: Church & AP – Teeth
• Shepherds Reign – ‘Le Manu’
• Tomorrow People – ‘Fever feat. Fiji’

NZ On Air Best Pacific Music Video

• WINNER: Disciple Pati – ‘The Boy Who Cried Woman’, directed by Shae Stirling and Sapati Apa
• Lou’ana – ‘Eye To Eye’, directed by Annie Duckworth
• SWIDT – ‘Bunga', directed by Anahera Parata

APRA Best Pacific Song

• WINNER: Lani Alo – ‘Alo I Ou Faiva’, written by Metitilani Alo and Livingstone Efu
• General Fiyah – ‘It’s You feat. Three Houses Down’, written by Charlie Pome’e and Nicholas Pome’e
• Shepherds Reign – ‘Le Manu’, written by Oliver Leupolu, Filivaa James, Joseph Oti–George, Gideon Voon, Shaymen Rameka

SunPix Best Pacific Language

• WINNER: Olivia Foa’i – Candid
• Lani Alo – ‘Alo I Ou Faiva’
• Punialava’a – Sili’aga I Fa’atufugaga, Beyond Our Stories
• Shepherds Reign – ‘Le Manu’

Base FM NZ & Island Base Samoa Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist

• WINNER: Church & AP – Teeth
• Melodownz – ‘No Mercy feat. Denzel Curry’
• Poetik – HAMOFIED 2 EP

Best Pacific Soul/R&B Artist

• WINNER: Jordan Gavet – ‘Hesitation’
• Lepani – ‘Pocket Full of Love’
• Lou’ana – ‘Move Along’
• Noah Slee – Twice

Pato Entertainment Best Pacific Roots/Reggae Artist

• WINNER: Tomorrow People – ‘Fever feat. Fiji’
• General Fiyah – ‘Its You feat. Three Houses Down’
• Lomez Brown – ‘Tell Me’
• Raggadat Cris – I Swear

531pi Best Pacific Gospel Artist

• WINNER: Lani Alo – ‘Alo I Ou Faiva’
• Punialava’a – Sili’aga I Fa’atufugaga, Beyond Our Stories
• JXN – ‘Talako Dragon’

Niu FM Best International Pacific Artist

• WINNER: Josh Tatofi – Ua Kui A Lawa
• HP Boyz – ‘Engineers’
• Kaiit – ‘Miss Shiney’

Recorded Music NZ Best Pacific Music Album

• WINNER: Olivia Foa’I – Candid
• Church & AP – Teeth
• POETIK – HAMOFIED 2 EP

Red Bull Best Producer

• WINNER: Dera Meelan (Church & AP – Teeth)
• Kings (Kings – ‘Hit That’)
• Tia Drumma and EDY (Mikey Mayz – ‘Wild People’)
• Matatia Foa'I (Olivia Foa’i – Candid)

Phillip Fuemana Award – Most Promising Pacific Artist

• WINNER: Victor J Sefo

NZ On Air Radio Airplay Award

• WINNER: Church & AP – ‘Ready or Not’

NZ On Air Streaming Award

• WINNER: Kings – ‘6 Figures’

SunPix People’s Choice Award – Best Pacific Artist

• WINNER: HP Boyz

Special Recognition Award

• WINNER: Jawsh 685

Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award

• WINNER: Daniel Rae Costello