2021 Pacific Music Awards Winners Celebration
The Pacific music community celebrated another year of outstanding music at the 17th annual Pacific Music Awards.
Due to COVID restrictions, the winners were celebrated this evening during a pre-recorded online awards ceremony, screened by Tagata Pasifika on TP+ (tpplus.co.nz). A flagship show will be available next weekend (December 18).
The big winner of the evening was Jawsh 685 with three wins. He rose to fame last year with his song ‘Savage Love (Laxed-Siren Beat)’ featuring Jason Derulo and received his first-ever music award at the 2020 Pacific Music Awards.
This year he celebrates three wins with APRA Best Pacific Song, NZ On Air Radio Airplay Award and NZ On Air Streaming Award.
Soul funk artist Lou’ana scores two wins with her seven-piece band this year. She won the Auckland Council Best Pacific Female Artist and Best Producer with Nathan Judd for her debut album Midnight Madness.
Tree won two awards this year, the first for her self-produced album Mrs Tree, she released Recorded Music NZ Best Pacific Music Album and the second the NZ On Air Best Pacific Music Video for ‘Afio Ane Loa’, directed by Tree Manu & Quincy Filiga.
Hip hop sensation Melodownz won both categories for which he was a finalist with his track “Fine.” He won first place for Best Pacific Male Artist from NZ Music Commission and Best Pacific Hip-Hop Artist from Base FM & Island Base.
This year, the Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award honored Pacific music pioneer George “Fiji” Veikoso. Fiji’s music has captured the hearts of the Pacific music scene with its blend of classic reggae, hip hop, RnB and jazz.
Other winners of the night include Lepani (Best Pacific Soul/R&B Artist), Victor J Sefo (One Love Best Pacific Roots/Reggae Artist), Tenelle (Niu FM Best International Pacific Artist), Marley Sola (531pi Best Pacific Gospel Artist ), Team Dynamite (Flava Best Pacific Group), Emily Muli (Phillip Fuemana Award – Most Promising Pacific Artist) Shepherds Reign (SunPix Best Pacific Language) and Samson Squad (SunPix People’s Choice Best Pacific Artist).
In addition to these winners, Nick Afoa received the Ministry of Pacific Peoples Special Recognition Award for 2021 for his role in the musical ‘The Lion King’ as well as for his social work in the South Auckland community.
Petrina Togi-Sa’ena, Event Producer, says, “We’ve been through a tough time on our journey to the 2021 Pacific Music Awards. We’ve had to postpone the ceremony multiple times, but we’re still committed to this. that the prizes take place and to produce the event in the best and safest way possible.
“We wanted to end the year with an awesome celebration, spotlighting our amazing Pacific artists, sharing unity through music and showing our love of Pacific music. We are so grateful to the Pacific Music Awards team, sponsors and supporters and thank you so much to everyone who joined us in celebrating online.
Chairman and Spokesperson Reverend Mua Strickson-Pua said, “For our 2021 Pacific Music Awards, a key theme is ‘Amanaki/Hope’.
“To our 2021 Pacific Music Awards Finalists, Winners, and Special Award Recipients, fa’afetai lava, fakamalo, kia ora, thank you, for your music musika, miusiki, rangi, for your pese, fo’i hiva, waiata, song , who uplifts our people and nations. Pacific Music is about being a family of humanity, being safe, being kind, and being a team of 5 million.
The awards offered a showcase of the best in Pacific music, with incredible programming throughout the night.
Alongside the opening performance of Oceans Before Me, honoring the Polynesian Panthers, and the special performance honoring lifetime achievement recipient George ‘Fiji’ Veikoso by Wellington artists Brownhill (the live band from Fiji when performing in New Zealand), Wayno and Tomorrow People, there were runner-up performances from Lepani, Emily Muli, Diggy Dupe, Hawkins, Melodownz and Tree.
2021 Pacific Music Awards Winners
Auckland Council’s Best Pacific Female Artist:
– WINNER: Lou’ana – Moonlight Madness
– Jordan Gavet – “Do better”
– Tree – Mrs. Tree
NZ Music Commission Best Pacific Male Artist:
– WINNER: Melodownz – “Good”
– Hawkins – ‘Can’t Leave It Alone’/’Streetlights’/’Fireflies’/’I Couldn’t Tell It All’
– Kings – ‘Help Me’
Flava Best Pacific Group:
– WINNER: Team Dynamite – ‘Dragon Fruit ft. Louis Baker’
– Church and AP – At Your Feet
– Reign of the Shepherds – ‘Aiga’
– STNDRD – Keep it STNDRD
NZ On Air Best Pacific Music Video:
– WINNER: Tree – ‘Afio Ane Loa’
o Directed by Tree Manu & Quincy Filiga
– Kings – ‘Help Me’
o Directed by Kings
– Vallé – ‘Trip Advisor’
o Directed by Jadon Calvert
APRA Best Pacific Song:
– WINNER: Jawsh 685 – “Savage Love (Laxed-Siren Beat)”
o Written by Joshua Nani, Phil Greiss, Jason Derula, Jacob Kasher Hindlin
– Kings – ‘Help Me’
o Written by Kingdon Chapple-Wilson, Matt Sadgrove, Sam Eriwata, Joel Latimer
– Team Dynamite – ‘Dragon Fruit ft Louis Baker’
o Written by Tony Sihamau, Lance Fepuleai, Harry Huavi, Louis Baker
SunPix Best Pacific Language:
– WINNER: Shepherds Reign – ‘Aiga’
– Loopy Tunes Preschool Music – ‘Umukisia’
– Team Samson – ‘Taviri/Manea/Te Kuki Airani’
– Tree – Mrs. Tree
Base FM & Island Base Best Pacific Hip-Hop Artist:
– WINNER: Melodownz – “Good”
– Church and AP – At Your Feet
– Diggy Dupé – It’s me, it’s the team
Best Pacific Soul/R&B Artist:
– WINNER: Lepani – In the Moment EP
– Emily Muli – “Personal Care”
– Lou’ana – Madness in the moonlight
One Love Best Pacific Roots/Reggae Artist:
– WINNER: Victor J Sefo – “My Everything”/”It’s Bad”/”I Want”/”I Like”
– Lomez Brown – Feels & Groove EP
– Raggadat Cris – ‘No Sayers’
531ft Best Pacific Gospel Artist:
– WINNER: Marley Sola – “Raise Your Heads High”
– Erakah – ‘How You Love Me’
– TY – ‘Never Too Far’/’Drive’
Niu FM Best Pacific International Artist:
– WINNER: Tenelle – “It’s X”
– DJ Noiz – “Amelia ft Kennyon Brown, Donnell Lewis, Victor J Sefo”
– J Boog – “Siva Mai with Siaosi”
– Mr. Cowboy – ‘Daddy Toe Sau’
Recorded Music NZ Best Pacific Music Album:
– WINNER: Tree – Mrs. Tree
– Lepani – In the Moment EP
– Lou’ana – Madness in the moonlight
Best Producer
– WINNER: Lou’ana – Moonlight Madness
Producer: Nathan Judd
– Jawsh 685 – ‘Savage Love (Laxed-Siren Beat)’
o Producer: Jawsh 685
– Lepani – In the Moment EP
o Producers: Lepani, Rory Noble, Ambian & Sleo, Devin Abrams
Philip Fuemana Award – Most Promising Pacific Artist
– WINNER: Emily Muli
NZ On Air Radio Airplay Award
– WINNER: Jawsh 685 x Jason Derulo – ‘Savage Love (Laxed-Siren Beat)
NZ On Air Streaming Award
– WINNER: Jawsh 685 x Jason Derulo – ‘Savage Love (Laxed-Siren Beat)
SunPix People’s Choice Award – Best Pacific Artist
– WINNER: Team Samson
Ministry of Pacific Peoples Special Recognition Award
– Nick Afoa
Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award
– George “Fiji” Veikoso
For more information: www.pacificmusicawards.org.nz
About the Pacific Music Awards:
In 2004, the Pacific Music Awards Committee (PMAC) was formed to realize a vision and the first Pacific Music Awards debuted at the Pasifika Festival in March 2005. Encouraged by the success of the awards, PMAC set out to develop an annual event as a major highlight of the New Zealand music industry calendar. The Awards Committee has formed a Charitable Trust to organize and host the Awards, and is driven by a simple central goal: to create and manage an event that recognizes the success of Pacific artists, celebrates and promotes excellence in Pacific music. and encourages young Pacific musicians to aspire to a higher level of achievement.
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