Lorde has won the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Award for her international hit song 'Green Light'.
Ella Yelich O’Connor, along with her co-writers Jack Antonoff and Joel Little were unable to be at the ceremony held at the Dunedin Town Hall last night, but were thrilled to win the award, and Ella sent this message from America.
“I can’t believe it. I really wanted to win the Silver Scroll Award, I just feel like it’s so prestigious and important. I always love and respect the songs that end up in the Silver Scrolls.
“Thank you for honouring 'Green Light', which is a song I love so much, and am so proud of. The second it came out, I knew it felt like a bit of my heart, right in the song. Thank you so much, I wish I was there!”
It’s the third time Lorde has been a finalist in her short career, and her second win with co-writer Joel Little, after being awarded the trophy for 'Royals' in 2013. The award acknowledges excellence in songwriting and has been given to some of the most recognisable names and songs in New Zealand music during its 52 year history, from the Swingers’ ‘Counting The Beat’ and Bic Runga’s ‘Drive’ to Scribe and P Money’s ‘Not Many’.
“As a song, 'Green Light' instantly hit its mark. Ella has captured that moment in her life and shared it beautifully with us all” says Anthony Healey, Head of NZ Operations for APRA AMCOS. “Along with Joel and Jack she’s crafted something that’s been critically acclaimed all over the world. But 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 Shayne Carter (Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer) was the musical director of tonight’s 52nd APRA Silver Scrolls ceremony, which saw a host of other Kiwi songwriters collect awards.
Newcomers Alien Weaponry (Henry de Jong, Lewis de Jong, and Ethan Trembath) took the esteemed APRA Maioha Award, recognising exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori, for their heavy metal anthem 'Raupatu'. The song raises awareness of land confiscations by the colonial government with a startling performance.
Wellington composer and violinist, Salina Fisher, won the SOUNZ Contemporary Award for the second year in a row, with her haunting composition 'Torino', which was inspired by the work of taonga puoro artist Rob Thorne. Rob was able to accept the award on Salina’s behalf, because she is currently based in New York, studying at the Manhattan School of Music.
First time finalist Claire Cowan received the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award for her rich and varied soundtrack for TV mini-series 'Hillary', which celebrated the life of Sir Edmund Hillary .
The APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award was won by Tim Prebble for his emotive work on beautiful independent film 'One Thousand Ropes'.
Rounding off the evening was the induction of The Clean into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, with a wonderful tribute to the iconic Dunedin band from poet David Merritt, film-maker Stuart Page, and musicians Astro Children and Billy TK.
The winner of all awards were:
APRA Silver Scroll Award: Ella Yelich O’Connor, Jack Antonoff, Joel Little (Lorde) – Green Light
APRA Maioha Award: Henry de Jong, Lewis de Jong, Ethan Trembath (Alien Weaponry) – Raupatu
SOUNZ Contemporary Award: Salina Fisher – Torino
APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award: Claire Cowan – Hillary
APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award: Tim Prebble – One Thousand Ropes
Hall of Fame: The Clean – Hamish Kilgour, David Kilgour, Robert Scott, and Peter Gutteridge