Alien Weaponry, Troy Kingi and Katchafire are up for the Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Artist Award at this year’s Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.
The three finalists have contributed to the ongoing revival of te reo Māori through popular culture and music as well as representing their own unique aspects of the Māori culture.
This award recognises the contribution these three finalists have made to the music of Aotearoa over the past year.
Alien Weaponry has had a successful year so far from debuting their Tū album in June to touring through Europe at heavy metal festivals, they were also finalists for this award last year.
Singer, songwriter, and actor, Troy Kingi, is being recognised for his Shake That Skinny Ass All The Way To Zygertron album he released last November and the 2003 'Highest Selling Single' Tui winners, Katchafire, are recognised for the success of their sixth album Legacy.
Recorded Music New Zealand CEO Damian Vaughan says, "Whether it's the paired intensity of te reo Māori and Alien Weaponry's riffs, Troy Kingi's psychedelic funk-fuelled space odyssey or inspirational reggae from Katchafire, the incredibly diverse scope and quality of today's Māori artists is remarkable."
The winner of the 2018 Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Artist will be announced at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards on 15 November at 8.30pm.