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Music Video for Man Of The Year by Lorde
In the music video for Man Of The Year, the second song off Lorde's album Virgin, the Auckland singer lays herself bare on a pile of soil.
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The Spinoff
a day ago
- The Spinoff
A ranking of all 46 Lorde songs
If you love Solar Power, this ranking is probably not for you. Lorde's new album is coming out next month, teased with the singles 'What Was That' and 'Man of the Year'. The first one sounds OK, the second one we'll get to in time. Having a new album on the horizon has pushed me to finish what I've been meaning to write for years: a full ranking of Lorde's songs from worst to best, which I want to get in before we have nine new songs to contend with. Much as New Zealanders always worry about the propriety of dunking on our internationally famous celebrities, these lists only work when the artist's work varies widely in quality and you're prepared to be rude about it. As a Solar Power hater, I am going to be mean about some of Lorde's clangers. But I only have opinions on her entire discography because I've listened to half of it enough times to memorise lyrics upon lyrics. She's a good artist! We all make dumb art sometimes, and someone has to appoint themselves to sort the wheat from the chaff. To narrow things down, I've only included songs with a writing credit for Ella Yelich-O'Connor; no covers, songs that were written by someone else, or remixes (except one). This is a referendum on both her writing and delivery (with some asides about her videos). If you want to make an irate post about why my ranking is wrong, Bluesky is pretty public so I might see it there. 46. 'Secrets from a Girl (Who's Seen It All)' – Solar Power I like the video for this song, meaning I have unfortunately listened to it more times than it deserves. The detached nature of the lyrics eliminates any emotions one could get from it ('Remember what you thought was grief before you got the call?' could have been good in some sort of present tense), and in the end, the throughline only boils down to 'I'm so wise'. The melody is grating, twee and closes with a bafflingly bad cameo from Robyn to boot. Just awful stuff. 45. 'Meltdown (with Stromae, Pusha T, Q-Tip and HAIM)' 'My name is Lorde and I'm here to say / These hip hoppers rap in a rapping way' is made weirder by it being a part of the Hunger Games soundtrack, which Lorde curated. 44. 'The Path' – Solar Power There are two worlds within Waiheke Island. The rich people who buy up holiday homes and largely leave them empty, and the locals increasingly sleeping in sheds or cars as a result. At the time Lorde was filming her Solar Power music videos at Cactus Bay, a group called Protect Pūtiki was (and still is, I think) opposing a marina development at Kennedy Point, with land protectors spending hours freezing in kayaks and getting assaulted by police. To her credit, Lorde donated to the group and promoted it on Twitter (possibly elsewhere as well). Nevertheless, Kieran McLean was right to call Solar Power a 'Climate of Denial'. Watching the videos, I always wonder if the sounds of the security guards ramming a protector with a motorboat echoed, in any way, to the other side of the motu. This all feels more interesting to talk about than the whiny vocals and dull hopes of 'The Path'. 'If you're looking for a saviour, well, that's not me.' Guess not! 43. 'Fallen Fruit' – Solar Power As surefire a way to clear a party as a hippie girl loudly belting out Kumbaya on a guitar. 42. 'Mood Ring' – Solar Power Let's get this out of the way: Lorde has argued that Solar Power is meant to be satirical, not an earnest representation of herself. But self-satire (as opposed to self-deprecation) is hard to do well, and the album isn't witty or cutting enough for the satire to be particularly evident. Even if Lorde feels uncomfortable about rich white women and their foibles, the power that comes with being one can't just be handwaved or self-deprecated away. Like a live-in landlord who 'doesn't want there to be a power dynamic', she's trying to act like one of us while retaining the material trappings that unite her with them. This hits worst on 'Mood Ring'; that 'Let's fly somewhere Eastern' musical bit is dire. 41. 'No Better' – Pure Heroine (Extended) Too right it isn't! 40. 'Dominoes' – Solar Power Fine, I think? I forgot how it went while I was listening to it. It's a song off Solar Power, is what I'm saying. 39. 'Stoned at the Nail Salon' – Solar Power The chorus sounds melodically like the superior 'Wild At Heart' by Lana Del Rey, which in turn borrows from Lana's towering perfection of ' Hope Is A Dangerous Thing '. Go listen to that instead! 38. 'The Man with the Axe' – Solar Power The music in the Spotify ads is more compelling than this album. 37. 'California' – Solar Power There are interesting songs about struggling with fame; this isn't one of them. 36. 'Hold No Grudge' – Solar Power A retrospective on heartbreak years after the dust has settled, with slivers of embarrassment and wonder at your own past feelings, and a little regret that you don't feel deeply about it now. Finally, she's written lyrics that properly fit the sparse musical feeling of Solar Power, but the music is still a bit average. 35. 'Helen of Troy' – Solar Power extended version 'The city's fallin' for me just like I'm Helen of Troy' girl shut up. 34. 'Yellow Flicker Beat' – The Hunger Games soundtrack 'I am newly famous and also an introvert.' 33. 'Still Sane' – Pure Heroine Pure Heroine's most skippable track. 32. 'Million Dollar Bills' – The Love Club EP I respect the musical weirdness of the beat, but I don't necessarily want to listen to it a lot. 31. 'Liability (Reprise)' – Melodrama This only ranks low because it's inherently slight; it's good as a pause between 'Supercut' and 'Perfect Places' and doesn't need to be anything more. 30. 'Biting Down' – The Love Club EP My initial notes were 'Chomp chomp', while waiting for the rest of the song to kick in so I could say something else. It's an OK track but feels like it had more potential. 29. 'Leader of a New Regime' – Solar Power This endears itself to me by sounding slightly like a downbeat Of Montreal song (like this one). It'd be better if she'd paired it, as they do, with some exuberant, energetic songs (like this one). 28. 'Bravado' – The Love Club EP I'm biased towards songs in B Minor, the saddest key, but you can tell this is a song from an early EP. 27. 'Solar Power' – Solar Power This one was OK as a single, at least before commercial overplay; I do remember listening to it and thinking good for you mate, nice that you're feeling a bit better. Sadly, it didn't have enough energy to capture the joy or bliss she (or the character she was playing? whatever) seemed to be feeling, and came off as detached. 26. 'Oceanic Feeling' – Solar Power Pretty and peaceful, like floating in a quiet body of water. 'Breathe out, tune in' is corny though – stop yelling at me to relax, hot yoga teacher Lorde! 25. 'Sober II (Melodrama)' – Melodrama 'Loveless' sounded a bit more upbeat, maybe the maudlin grieving was on its way out? Hell no, it's back baby, and I mean that as a compliment. Grief is annoying and repetitive, and this captures the feeling of cleaning up the champagne glasses, nursing a headache and aware of how stupid the argument you're having is but needing to see it through. It's limited by being just a reprise, but I'm not mad at it. 24. 'A World Alone' – Pure Heroine Fine as an album closer, but ultimately just a lesser imitation of 'Ribs'. 23. 'Big Star' – Solar Power This song is the only one from Solar Power I slightly sing along to and would consider learning how to play. Unfortunately, it gets lost in the endless noodling of soft guitar music and low emotional stakes of the album, and it makes the grief over a dead dog feel sort of ambient. It's decent but I want more from it. 22. 'The Love Club' – The Love Club EP The main song off her EP I repeatedly listened to (outside of 'Royals'); nothing spectacular but it's light and sweet and knowing. 21. 'White Teeth Teens' – Pure Heroine It's a decent song, with a certain quiet anger. It would be better surrounded by different songs to make it feel more cohesive, but there's something aching about the vocals throughout which works well. 20. 'Glory and Gore' – Pure Heroine Musically this song is very listenable. Lyrically paired with the music…it feels like someone putting on a play about bloodlust more than the real thing. Maybe it's supposed to? Whatever, I still like it. 19. 'Perfect Places' – Melodrama As a single, 'Perfect Places' sounds like easily digestible pap that a politician could claim as their favourite song. As an album closer, it's transformed, providing not a perfect resolution but the beginnings of dawn after the hectic and emotional night out of Melodrama. 18. 'Homemade Dynamite' – Melodrama This has a certain soaring quality to it and the intro sounds sinister, which is cool. But I always remain quite aware that this is a song someone has written and recorded; I can't lose myself in it. 17. 'Team' – Pure Heroine Maybe it's the name, but this song does sometimes make me feel like I'm getting told to throw my hands up in the air, which – as she says! – dulls my enthusiasm for it. It's still pretty singable though. 16. 'Writer in the Dark' – Melodrama This one gained a reputation for Lorde shushing everyone at her concerts for singing along with her, but it's a good song! She should've recorded it a cappella, like Tracy Chapman's 'Behind The Wall'; it works best as an unadorned solo line and I can see why she wants to perform it that way. 15. 'What Was That' – Virgin This feels like an echo of Melodrama, which gives one a sense of unease – does Lorde think we only like her when she's taking a scalpel to her insides? Nevertheless, like Melodrama it sounds good and has a pulsating urgency. 14. 'Magnets' (with Disclosure) This one is inseparable from one of the best videos she's ever done, a tiny narrative about affairs and domestic violence revenge plots. The song is a bop too. 13. 'Hard Feelings/Loveless' – Melodrama 'Hard Feelings' is so glum (complimentary). I like how she alternates between barely choking the words out and confessing things in a rapid stream so the other person doesn't have time to interject before you say your full piece. 'Loveless' is fine as its other half, lightly angry. 12. 'Tennis Court' – Pure Heroine The video is fun, and even though the lyrics don't touch on it directly, this song feels like Lorde reacting to the sudden fame brought on by 'Royals'. It's also fun to watch her start a chorus meditating on teen archetypes and let it devolve into 'Let's go down to the tennis court, and talk it up like yeah'. Only teenagers have those stirrings of analysis combined with incoherence! 11. 'Ribs' – Pure Heroine I have to be honest, I like 'Ribs' well enough, but as critic Anthony Fantano said, some of the lyrics on Pure Heroine felt a bit limited topically because of Lorde's age, and 'Ribs' does this musically as well. It feels like nostalgia and longing specifically designed for teenagers, and at age 35 it's not for me. It's still good! We've just got better songs to come. 10. 'Green Light' – Melodrama From the moment the piano slams down, we know something's wrong; we're not exactly here to have a bad time, but Lorde has plainly been riddled with angst and needs to vomit it out. At its best, Melodrama wrestles with the tension of how breakups have a misery and yet a heightened energy, the passion of having loved someone even if it went wrong. I don't know that she fully does want that green light, because staying in that pain seems like a way to hold onto the love. 9. 'Man of the Year' – Virgin Lorde said this is the song she's proudest of off Virgin, and deservedly so. She has merged the stripped back sound of Solar Power with the synthy angst of Melodrama, and in this song it's paying off big-time. The main reasons I haven't ranked it higher are mostly because I find the double-tracking vocals slightly grating and because it turns out 'repeat listenability' was an unconscious criterion for my list, and I'm not always in the mood to have my heart ripped out. Lorde says she's cis but 'in the middle gender-wise', which I can relate to as a femme-of-centre person of woman experience whose gender moves around a lot. Cisness and transness are states of being more than rigid identities, exemplified by the shifts she describes ('I'm a woman except for the days when I'm a man'). Temporary dysphoria isn't as hard as the persistent kind, but it's also quite annoying because – since even DIY trans healthcare pioneers haven't invented shape-shifting yet – it means you can't really take any concrete actions about it, or even fully desire them. You could cut your hair short or get top surgery if you know you might want your hair or tits back again in five years, but not when you know you'll probably want them back in two weeks. Does Lorde relate to what I'm saying? Who knows! She got me to write some stuff about gender! There are times of my life when 'Man of the Yea r' and its video, which may beat out 'Magnets', would've made me sob uncontrollably. It makes me want to ask Lorde if she's watched I Saw The TV Glow yet. She's back! 8. '400 Lux' – Pure Heroine She wrote this at age 17, but feeling ennui that's relieved by going out for a drive in your shitty suburban town with someone you love feels universal. I also love that skidding synth in the chorus. Lovely, sweet song. 7. The 'Girl, So Confusing' Remix (with Charli XCX) When I was 24, a friend texted to apologise for loosely standing me up the previous week. Unused to proactive apologies from men, I cautiously replied that yes, it had hurt my feelings. He wrote back, 'All things aside, I value this friendship and clearly I need to put some effort in myself and send it your way. Coffee next week?' The reason I remember almost the exact wording a decade later is because it literally changed my life and helped me become a stronger person. This song and Lorde's verse is that unexpected relief – oh shit, you do care about me, I'm not a burden? – writ large, combined with pain and anger at a misogynist culture and industry. 6. 'Royals' – Pure Heroine The original article about how racist this song is felt exhaustingly Tumblrite, but it was kind of vindicated when Lorde (as I recall) said in an interview that she was using hip hop beats to critique the genre. We say dumb stuff as teens, but I hated seeing the Labour Party use this song in their campaign, and I wish Lorde would make Winz take it off their hold music playlist. Listening purely to the music, however, it's easy to see why 'Royals' was Lorde's breakout hit. The sparse beat, the crescendos and soaring of the chorus, the bemusement at watching plutocrat consumption patterns, it all still feels as compelling and fresh as when she recorded it. 5. 'Sober' – Melodrama This song starts tense and never lets up its sense of dread, except for a brief loosening in the bridge, perfectly capturing the drunk haziness of thinking that hooking up with your ex again is a good idea. A perfect follower to 'Green Light', reaffirming that we're not here to relax. 4. 'Buzzcut Season' – Pure Heroine This is what Lorde does best: songs that feel wide open and full of possibility and poignance, but also like an ordinary experience you might have with your friends. 3. 'Liability' – Melodrama Using Pachelbel's Canon as a base tune allows some of Lorde's best lyrics to shine through on this track. It's also a perfect comedown after 'The Louvre', the mournfulness of sitting in a dark room and letting your heartbreak permeate your entire, disgusted sense of self; not only am I unlovable, but my friends probably all hate me too. And in Lorde's case, this includes her sense of self as a public figure and product – remember all the 'oh my god, how is she only 17 she's practically a savant' gushing of the early 2010s? The second verse burns an audience who dehumanised her as a genius anomaly among teenage girls. Much of the backlash to Solar Power was because of how unrelatable the themes were to her working-class fans. But one night this very week I was sitting in a deserted carpark having a crying meltdown after a fight with a loved one, and 'Liability' came into my head. Thank u, Lorde. 2. 'Supercut' – Melodrama The music builds perfectly from sparse laments to a banger, the theme is relatable in a particularly vulnerable place, the energy of the song captures both the joy and the pain of toxic nostalgia. Perfect pop tune. 1. 'The Louvre' – Melodrama After looking up 'The Louvre', I feel like I may have misread it for years, interpreting it as about inexorably going back for breakup sex and breakup emotions, when as written it's more about the first obsessive stages of a crush. But all throughout 'Homemade Dynamite', I'm waiting for those opening chords of 'The Louvre' to start. The music swells and pulsates and feels open and expansive but never quite releases the tension; the spoken-word bit shouldn't work but somehow completely does. 'Blow all my friendships to sit in hell with you' at once feels startlingly original and deeply familiar. Can you hear the violence? So far, 'The Louvre' is Lorde's best song.
1News
30-05-2025
- 1News
Lorde lights up music awards night
Lorde has joined the party with New Zealand's top music stars at the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards. Fresh from releasing a new single and music video, the singer arrived at the ceremony in a dark grey outfit with silver shoes. Lorde told 1News it was great to be back in Auckland and had enjoyed swimming. 'I've been having the nicest swims, everyone's been amazing. I'm staying with my parents, the vibes are good." When asked if there would be a New Zealand tour, Lorde said: "This is a good question but I would go off the fact I have never missed a New Zealand tour. You know? I think it's going to happen." Lorde released Man of the Year, the second single off the new album, Virgin, and a music video to accompany it, this afternoon. The pop star's appearance music awards wasn't entirely a surprise after a pop up event in Auckland's YMCA washroom the night before. Asked why a YMCA toilet was chosen, of all places, Lorde said: 'Never ask why, you know, I can't tell you the answer.'
Scoop
29-05-2025
- Scoop
Aotearoa Music Awards Reveal 2025 Tūī Winners
A night celebrating 60 years of the Music Awards, 50 years of the Official Music Charts in Aotearoa Produced by Recorded Music NZ, the Aotearoa Music Awards tonight celebrated a standout group of Tūī winners at the Viaduct Events Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau, closing out Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa | New Zealand Music Month with a bang. The event marked 60 years of the Music Awards and 50 years of the Official Music Charts in Aotearoa. Fazerdaze was awarded the Te Tino Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of The Year and Te Tino Reo o te Tau | Best Solo Artist Tūī, cutting through in two categories stacked with incredible talent. The artist's acclaimed 2024 LP Soft Power has made an impact both at home and internationally, putting Amelia Murray firmly back in the spotlight. Lorde won Te Tino Waiata o te Tau | Single of the Year with her Charli xcx collaboration, 'Girl, so confusing featuring lorde'. In the midst of promoting her new chart-topping single 'What Was That' and her highly anticipated forthcoming album Virgin, the superstar was present to collect the Tūī and celebrate with her fellow NZ artists. Lorde's latest single 'Man of the Year' is out today. Earth Tongue was named Te Tino Kāhui Manu Taki o te Tau | Best Group. The duo features guitarist Gussie Larkin, also a member of 2024 Best Alternative finalists Mermaidens, and drummer Ezra Simons. Along with Oscar Keys and Kristin Li, Simons is also one of the director trio that won this year's NZ On Air Te Taumata o te Ataata | Best Music Video Content for 'Paradise' (DARTZ). Stan Walker took home both Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo for his chart-topping anthem 'Maori Ki Te Ao' and Te Māngai Pāho Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau | Best Māori Artist. This follows from his 2024 success as the inaugural recipient of the Te Manu Mātārae award. Walker has a long history with the Awards, having now won 11 Tūī to date and performed and co-hosted on multiple memorable occasions. L.A.B and 9Lives were both awarded a Te Manu Mātārae Tūī at AMA 2025. The award was introduced in 2024 to recognise artists that have made a significant impact on the music landscape during the eligibility period, but whose success may not be captured by traditional award categories. L.A.B received the award in recognition of their phenomenal all-round success in 2024. Having long been one of the biggest acts in Aotearoa, it was a truly remarkable year for the group – ranging from their streaming and chart success to a sell-out US tour. The band released its sixth album, L.A.B VI – which went to #1 in the Official Top 40 Albums Chart, one of only two NZ albums to do so in 2024. The group also received the NZ On Air Te Taumata o te Horapa | Radio Airplay Record of the Year Tūī for the second year running, this time for their hit single 'Casanova'. Max Jardine a.k.a 9Lives was also awarded a Te Manu Mātārae Tūī in acknowledgement of the electronic artist's extraordinary success in 2024, particularly in the US. Originally from Hawke's Bay, the producer and artist has streaming numbers in the billions, and two RIAA gold-certified songs. 9Lives has collaborated with an ever-increasing number of international artists, including Lil Nas X and Kanii. Entirely decided by public vote, JD Sports Tā te Iwi | People's Choice was won by Hamilton rock and metal mainstays Devilskin. The band has earned a formidable reputation and a legion of loyal fans since forming in 2010. This Tūī win is backed by Devilskin's latest EP, SURFACING. Te Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year was won by 2024 People's Choice winner Hori Shaw. The Ōpōtiki-based roots reggae artist's single 'Back in My Arms' first charted in May 2024 and remains at the top end of the Aotearoa Top 20 Singles Chart a full year on. 2025 Taite Music Prize winner MOKOTRON won Te Manu Taki Tāhiko o te Tau | Best Electronic Artist with his Sun Return release WAEREA. MOKOTRON is the artist persona of Tiopira McDowell, Head of School of Māori and Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland. The 2025 Te Manu Taki Tuawhenua o te Tau | Best Country Music Artist winner, at a time when Country's really making itself (re)known, is the inimitable Tami Neilson. The genre icon claims the award for the seventh time, this time for her very special homage to Willie Nelson, Neilson Sings Nelson – right after receiving the newly established Country Music Honour for Contribution to Country Music in Aotearoa at the annual Country Music Honours in Gore. Matt Sinclair also won Te Taumata o te Toi | Best Album Artwork for the painting that graces the cover of Neilson Sings Nelson (Tami Neilson). Aaradhna claimed Te Manu Taki Manako o te Tau | Best Soul/RnB Artist for the second year running, for her 2024 return Sweet Surrender. The record saw Aaradhna take full creative control, as both songwriter and producer. Holly Arrowsmith was awarded Te Manu Taki Ahurea o te Tau | Best Folk, for her compelling Americana record Blue Dreams. Arrowsmith just won the APRA Best Country Music Song Award for the second consecutive year, for the record's title track (and in 2024 for 'Desert Dove'). She also won the Best Folk Tūī in 2016, for her debut album For The Weary Traveller. Jim Nothing 's homage to inner city Auckland, Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn won the garage troubadour the 2025 Tūī for Te Manu Taki Whanokē o te Tau | Best Alternative Artist. The self-described green-thumbed, guitar-slinging artist is new to the Awards – 2025 saw both his first finalist nod and win. 2024 Te Manu Taki Taketake o te Tau | Best Roots and Te Tino Waiata ā-Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Single winners Corrella take the Best Roots Artist Tūī once again, following the release of their 2024 album Skeleton. The eight-piece planted themselves firmly on the map with their hugely popular waiata 'Blue Eyed Māori'. Cassie Henderson had a great year on radio, reflected in her win for Te Manu Taki Arotini o te Tau | Best Pop Artist. Henderson's Single of the Year-nominated track 'Seconds To Midnight (11:59)' spent 15 consecutive weeks at #1 on the RadioScope NZ Airplay Chart from August–December 2024, the longest run by a local female artist since 2017. Hitmaker David Dallas made a comeback, securing Te Manu Taki Ātete o te Tau | Best Hip Hop Artist for Vita. The Frontline-produced EP was written while David, or 'Vita', was based back in the South Auckland house he grew up in, following the passing of his brother. Dallas has won the category twice before, first in 2010 and again in 2014. Backing up their directors' Best Music Video Content Tūī, DARTZ took home Te Manu Taki Rakapioi o te Tau | Best Rock Artist for their chart-topping second album Dangerous Day To Be A Cold One. The record debuted at #1 on the Official Aotearoa Music Charts Top 40, a feat achieved by very few others. 2024 APRA Best Jazz Composition Award winner Lucien Johnson won Te Manu Taki Tautito o te Tau | Best Jazz Artist and renowned concert pianist Jian Liu (Where Fairburn Walked) was awarded Te Manu Taki Tuauki o te Tau | Best Classical Artist. Nic Manders won Te Taumata o te Kaiwhakaputa | Best Producer for his work on Georgia Lines' debut album, The Rose Of Jericho, and Simon Gooding won Te Taumata o te Pūkenga Oro | Best Engineer for his contribution to Safar (CHAII). SIX60 was awarded the first-ever Aotearoa Charts Icon award. The Icon award has been established by Recorded Music NZ to recognise local artists that have had significant success in the Official Charts over an extended period. The hugely successful act was also awarded Te Taumata o te Hokona | Highest Selling Artist for a record-extending seventh time. Recorded Music New Zealand CEO Jo Oliver says: 'Congratulations to all the winners of the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards. These outstanding artists illustrate the breadth and depth of musical talent we have here in Aotearoa, and the impact our artists and music are having at home and beyond. 'It has been a privilege this year to mark an incredible 60 years of the Music Awards in Aotearoa, and 50 years of the Official Music Charts. Produced by Recorded Music NZ, the Awards and the Charts reflect our rich musical heritage and inspire the next generation of artists and music fans.' The 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards was co-hosted by Kara Rickard and Jesse Mulligan. It was livestreamed by AMA Official Media Partner RNZ via and across its social media channels. The broadcast will be available to stream on TVNZ+ from the evening of Friday 30 May. AMA 2025 was brought to our screens by Irirangi Te Motu | NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho. Aotearoa Music Awards 2025 Winners List NZ On Air Te Tino Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of the Year Fazerdaze – Soft Power Spotify Te Tino Waiata o te Tau | Single of the Year Lorde – 'Girl, so confusing featuring lorde' (Charli xcx, Lorde) Spotify Te Tino Reo o te Tau | Best Solo Artist Fazerdaze – Soft Power Te Tino Kāhui Manu Taki o te Tau | Best Group Earth Tongue – Great Haunting Te Manu Mātārae 9Lives Te Manu Mātārae L.A.B Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo Stan Walker – 'Māori Ki Te Ao' Te Māngai Pāho Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau | Best Māori Artist Stan Walker Te Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year Hori Shaw Te Manu Taki Whanokē o te Tau | Best Alternative Artist Jim Nothing – Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn Te Manu Taki Tuauki o te Tau | Best Classical Artist Jian Liu – Where Fairburn Walked Te Manu Taki Tuawhenua o te Tau | Best Country Music Artist Tami Neilson – Neilson Sings Nelson Te Manu Taki Tāhiko o te Tau | Best Electronic Artist MOKOTRON – WAEREA Te Manu Taki Ahurea o te Tau | Best Folk Artist Holly Arrowsmith – Blue Dreams Te Manu Taki Ātete o te Tau | Best Hip Hop Artist David Dallas – Vita Te Manu Taki Tautito o te Tau | Best Jazz Artist Lucien Johnson – Ancient Relics Te Manu Taki Arotini o te Tau | Best Pop Artist Cassie Henderson – The Yellow Chapter Te Manu Taki Rakapioi o te Tau | Best Rock Artist DARTZ – Dangerous Day To Be A Cold One Te Manu Taki Taketake o te Tau | Best Roots Artist Corrella – Skeletons Te Manu Taki Manako o te Tau | Best Soul/RnB Artist Aaradhna – Sweet Surrender Te Taumata o te Toi | Best Album Artwork Matt Sinclair – Neilson Sings Nelson (Tami Neilson) Te Taumata o te Pūkenga Oro | Best Engineer Simon Gooding – Safar (CHAII) NZ On Air Te Taumata o te Ataata | Best Music Video Content Oscar Keys, Ezra Simons, Kristin Li – 'Paradise' (DARTZ) Te Taumata o te Kaiwhakaputa | Best Producer Nic Manders – The Rose Of Jericho (Georgia Lines) Te Taumata o te Hokona | Highest Selling Artist Six60 NZ On Air Te Taumata o te Horapa | Radio Airplay Record of the Year L.A.B JD Sports Tā te Iwi | People's Choice Devilskin AMA 2025 category sponsors NZ On Air Te Tino Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of the Year Te Taumata o te Horapa | Radio Airplay Record of the Year Te Taumata o te Ataata | Best Music Video Content Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau | Best Māori Artist Spotify Te Tino Waiata o te Tau | Single of the Year Te Tino Reo o te Tau | Best Solo Artist JD Sports Tā te Iwi | People's Choice 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 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.
