Wellington singer-songwriter and internationally acclaimed musician Thomas Oliver (Cushla Aston) has won the 2016 APRA Silver Scroll Award with his captivating love song ‘If I Move To Mars’.
Thomas Oliver accepted the prestigious award at a ceremony held at Vector Arena in Auckland tonight. The accolade acknowledges excellence in songwriting and has in the past been awarded to some of the most recognisable names and songs in New Zealand music, from the Swingers’ ‘Counting The Beat’ and Bic Runga’s ‘Drive’ to Scribe and P Money’s ‘Not Many’ and Lorde and Joel Little’s ‘Royals’.
A sweet and simple, yet compelling, love song, Thomas Oliver says, “On the surface, it's a light-hearted song about taking someone to Mars and lying in the dirt, drinking Cognac and listening to records. But at its core, it's a love song and I meant every word."
“It’s a wonderful thing to recognise talented and hardworking songwriters like Thomas” says Anthony Healey, Head of NZ Operations for APRA AMCOS. “The acclaim of your peers is special, it’s the highest praise and in this case a well-deserved accolade.”
Critically acclaimed musician and songwriter Sean James Donnelly (SJD) was the musical director of tonight’s 51st APRA Silver Scrolls ceremony, which saw a host of other Kiwi songwriters collect awards.
The incomparable Rob Ruha (Cilla Ruha) took the esteemed APRA Maioha Award, recognising exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori, for his stirring battle anthem ‘Kariri’. The East Coast singer-songwriter is now a two-time recipient of the award.
Wellington composer and violinist, Salina Fisher, won the SOUNZ Contemporary Awardfor her exquisite composition ‘Rainphase’, inspired by the beauty and chaos of rain in the capital.
The APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award was won by Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper and Tama Waipara for their work on the Lee Tamahori-directed movie Mahana.
One-time Supergroove frontman and well-known composer of music for film and television, Karl Steven, received the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award for the drama 800 Words.
Rounding off the evening was the induction of Moana Maniapoto into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. As one of the most recognisable and important voices in Aotearoa, Moana Maniapoto was honoured for the significant impact she has had on the New Zealand life and culture through her music.