Three all-new Tūī categories to be presented at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards
The new awards will recognise emerging artists, and those who have made a significant impact on the music landscape.
The Aotearoa Music Awards returns this month with all-new Tūī to be presented for the very first time.
The commercial music landscape is in a state of transition, full of complexity, for artists and music from Aotearoa. The industry is continuing to evolve – internationally and locally – and artists are exploring and excelling in areas that don’t always fall into traditional award categories.
The Aotearoa Music Awards wants to acknowledge these artists and are implementing two changes for AMA 2024 to achieve this. There has been a rethink of the Breakthrough Artist award category so that it can better reflect what’s happening in the market in Aotearoa – and the changing shape of what commercial success looks like. In addition, a new Tūī has been introduced to recognise artists that have had a significant impact on the music landscape during the AMA 2024 eligibility period (1 August 2022–31 December 2023).
A rethink of the Breakthrough Artist category
A group of emerging artists will be acknowledged at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards, with a Tūī being awarded for both Te Tino Waiata Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Single and Te Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year – rather than just Breakthrough Artist as was previously the case. For 2024, Breakthrough Artist is presented by Radio BurgerFuel and the winner will receive free BurgerFuel for the rest of 2024.
In the running for Te Tino Waiata Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Single of the Year are:
- Cassie Henderson – Whatever
- Corrella – Blue Eyed Māori
- Jordan Gavet – He Said
- Navvy – Till You’re Ready
- teo glacier – close with desires
The contenders for Radio BurgerFuel Te Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year are:
- 9lives
- COTERIE
- Hori Shaw
- MOHI
- SXMPRA
Find more information about each artist at the end of this post.
New category recognising significant impact
Te Manu Mātārae is another new category being introduced in 2024. Named by Māori Cultural and Language Development agency Kauwaka with guidance from Dr Sir Tīmoti Kāretu, the title was chosen as a prestigious acknowledgement of someone of particular standing or rank. At AMA 2024, it will be awarded to two artists that have made a significant impact on the music landscape during the AMA 2024 eligibility period.
How are the artists selected?
The contenders for Radio BurgerFuel Te Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Te Tino Waiata Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Single of the Year were determined based on data illustrating audience growth and commercial performance of recordings in Aotearoa during the AMA 2024 eligibility period (1 August 2022–31 December 2023). Winners for both of these categories were then decided upon by the AMA Discretionary Panel, which this year consists of the members of the Recorded Music NZ Board. The Panel also met to discuss and select the inaugural Te Manu Mātārae recipients.
Find the full criteria for the AMA 2024 discretionary awards here
Viewing information
The Aotearoa Music Awards will be livestreamed via AMA Official Media Partner RNZ – at rnz.co.nz and across its social media channels from 6pm on 30 May.Viewers who don’t catch the live broadcast will be able to stream the Awards on TVNZ+ from Friday 31 May.
The live broadcast and on-demand stream are funded by NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho.
About Aotearoa Music Awards
The Aotearoa Music Awards is the annual showcase event for the music industry, celebrating artists and music from Aotearoa. The event recognises the biggest musical successes of the year while also providing a platform to promote emerging artists. Grounded in nearly 60 years of history, the Aotearoa Music Awards has evolved to reflect our unique cultural identity. It has launched music careers, told artists’ stories and created memorable moments.
Recorded Music NZ produces the Aotearoa Music Awards and acts as its kaitiaki – preserving our musical heritage, celebrating the hits of today and paving the way for the artists of tomorrow.
For more please visit aotearoamusicawards.nz
Code of Conduct
Aotearoa Music Awards is committed to a safe and inclusive environment for everyone involved. All participants, including nominees, are required to abide by the AMA Code of Conduct
AMA 24 Partners
View all AMA 24 partner information here
Please direct media enquiries to:
Lauren Went, Pead
027 363 0291
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ARTIST BIOS
Te Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year:
9Lives
Max Jardine a.k.a 9lives released his first project in late-2022 and almost immediately met with global success, garnering 350 million-plus streams to date on Spotify alone. He’s topped viral charts worldwide, with thousands of people – including Kim Kardashian and DaBaby – dancing to his songs on TikTok, generating millions of views.
COTERIE
The first signee to Six60’s label Massive Records, COTERIE has crafted a unique blend of soulful rock reggae, elevated by the familial harmonies of the four brothers who comprise the band. Their hit ‘Cool It Down’ shot to number one on the New Zealand Airplay Chart, and their debut self-titled album has clocked over 17 million streams – and spent more than a year in the NZ Top 20 Album Chart.
Hori Shaw
From the small Bay of Plenty town of Ōpōtiki comes roots reggae artist Hori Shaw. Hori’s track ‘Back In My Arms’ is his most recent to climb the Independent Music NZ Charts. Other much-loved tracks include the artist’s version of John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ – ‘Country Roads’ – and ‘Paradise 35’, a song about the State Highway that runs from his hometown, and around the East Cape.
MOHI
Hailing from Te Tai Tokerau, MOHI is a neo soul artist who merges te reo Māori and ancient Māori storytelling with reo Pākehā lyrics and urban influences. Following the release of his LP Elements Of Aroha, MOHI clinched the coveted APRA MAIOHA AWARD in 2023 with Hēmi Kelly, Amy Boroevich a.k.a HINA and Noema Te Hau III, for their waiata ‘Me Pēhea Rā’.
SXMPRA
2023 was a huge year for SXMPRA, seeing him clock over four million monthly listeners on Spotify and multiple international chart placements, as well as a record deal with US label 10k Projects and a publishing deal with BMG. Hit songs ‘COWBELL WARRIOR!’ and ‘Step Back!’ have continued to reign supreme on Spotify and TikTok.
Te Tino Waiata Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Single of the Year:
Cassie Henderson – ‘Whatever’
Cassie Henderson has been captivating audiences with her pop prowess since she started dropping singles in 2020. The artist’s 2023 debut The Pink Chapter features the hit track ‘Whatever’, which became the most played local song on NZ radio for over three months – the longest run by a New Zealand female artist since Lorde’s ‘Perfect Places’ in 2017.
Corrella – ‘Blue Eyed Māori’
Roots reggae act Corrella have fast become a favourite in the Aotearoa music scene. The 8-piece act's ‘Blue Eyed Māori’ is the sleeper hit of 2023 – it’s in its 41st straight week at number one on the Top20 NZ Singles Chart, the second longest reign of all time. Corrella's debut album Road From 26 is a sun-soaked mix of funk, soul and pop-rock.
Jordan Gavet – ‘He Said’
It’s the fans that made it happen. Jordan Gavet first released ‘He Said’ as a SoundCloud demo in 2008, encouraged by her dad. 2023 was the year it blew up for her though, following the release of a studio version produced with the Grammy-nominated Willstah. ‘He Said’ has had a huge 2.3 million streams on Spotify to date.
Navvy – ‘Till You’re Ready’
Songwriter Navvy followed her co-write of Rita Ora’s hit single ‘You Only Love Me’ with her own
certified single ‘Till You’re Ready’ – the song that's been all over your feed on TikTok. It’s a lovesick anthem that details the universal lament of waiting for someone who may never oblige. Navvy supported Kaylee Bell on her recent Aotearoa tour. The two also collaborated on the banger ‘Life Is Tough (But So Am I)’.
teo glacier – ‘close with desires’
Enchanting his audience with 90s RnB-inspired sultry tunes, teo glacier signed to US major Capitol Records in May 2023. He released his hit single ‘close with desires (right person wrong timing)’ around the same time, and the track steadily gained traction. To date, it’s garnered over 50 million streams across all streaming platforms. In no time at all, teo has cemented himself as one to watch.