Under the soft glow of the Viaduct Events Centre chandeliers and the harder gleam of cell phone screens, the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards unfolded like a lovingly chaotic mixtape. Heartfelt, unfiltered, and absolutely ours.
Hosted by Kara Rickard and Jesse Mulligan, he of the perfectly pitched political jabs (as he quipped, I said them in a weird order, so you didn’t know when to boo, after reading the list of political attendees).
The night celebrated the vibrancy, weirdness, and unstoppable force that is New Zealand music.
If there was a theme to the evening, it might have been, make it raw, make it real.
No one embodied that better than Hori Shaw, who accepted Breakthrough Artist of the Year in camo top and hat, stubby shorts, and blood-streaked Crocs.
Yes, blood. I’ve still got a bit of blood on my croc from last night, he deadpanned, clearly more comfortable in the bush than on the stage. Shaw’s speech, or rather the lack of one, had Mulligan doing verbal gymnastics to get more than a few words out of him.
It was pure Aotearoa authenticity. A reminder that sometimes the next big thing starts with a wild night in the ngahere.
The major wins painted a portrait of an industry pushing boundaries.
Fazerdaze (a.k.a. Amelia Murray) took home both Album of the Year and Best Solo Artist for Soft Power, a shoe gaze-drenched masterpiece that shimmers with vulnerability and strength. Her rise is as quiet and powerful as the music itself. Proof that introspection can roar.
Meanwhile, the Pop culture tectonic plates shifted with Single of the Year going to Charli XCX and Lorde for the meta-banger Girl, so confusing featuring lorde.
Call it Pop’s mirror moment. Two icons turning their complicated camaraderie into a song that’s as self-aware as it is danceable. It’s official, the Lorde-issance is still on.
Elsewhere, the rock categories roared. Earth Tongue, the psych-Rock duo from Wellington, haunted the stage with their win for Best Group, while the ever-irreverent DARTZ claimed Best Rock Artist and Best Music Video Content for Dangerous Day to Be A Cold One and Paradise, respectively.
On the genre side, Stan Walker reaffirmed his mana, winning both Best Māori Artist and Mana Reo for Māori Ki Te Ao. His speech? Soulful, grounded, and a nod to his role as a cultural torchbearer.
David Dallas returned to the top with Best Hip Hop Artist for Vita, a mature, reflective record that’s less about flexing and more about navigating life in the fast lane with his foot hovering over the brake.
From the Jazz-cosmic explorations of Lucien Johnson (Ancient Relics) to the Folk reveries of Holly Arrowsmith (Blue Dreams), the night confirmed that genre lines are blurring—and Aotearoa’s artists are all the better for it.
SIX60 topped the sales charts (again), Devilskin took out the People’s Choice, and L.A.B were honoured with both Outstanding Contribution and Radio Airplay Record of the Year, underscoring their continued dominance.
Tami Neilson’s Neilson Sings Nelson not only earned her Best Country Music Artist but also netted designer Matt Sinclair the Best Album Artwork nod. Expect vinyl sales to spike.
Behind the scenes, the unsung heroes got their flowers. Simon Gooding’s engineering on CHAII’s Safar won Best Engineer, while Nic Manders’ lush production on Georgia Lines’ The Rose of Jericho took out Best Producer.
Tonight was more than just an awards night. It was a concert. It was a coronation, a cultural coming-of-age, and a thundering love letter to New Zealand’s musical soul.
The evenings live performances included Fazerdaze, the Christchurch-based dream-Pop luminary, stepping softly into the spotlight and sweeping the crowd into her introspective universe.
Fresh off her double win, she performed like someone both arriving and ascending. With her guitar as a compass, she navigated through oceans of reverb and reflection, each note a whispered revelation.
Then came L.A.B, the genre-bending juggernaut who took home the Outstanding Contribution award. Their set was a tightrope walk between roots, Funk and Soul, and a showcase of why they’re one of the most beloved acts in Kiwi music history. You could feel it in the crowd’s roar—the acknowledgment of a legacy still in motion.
Speaking of seismic shifts, Atomic, the all-female supergroup, exploded onto the stage. A living, breathing billboard for the power of wāhine toa in the industry. Their performance was a genre-defying thrill ride that gave feminism a Marshall stack and cranked the volume to 11.
And then came Stan Walker. With his powerhouse vocals and a band that matched him note for note, Walker brought te reo Māori to the front row and beyond. Winning tonight, he stood as a beacon for indigenous pride and Pop perfection. His performance was more than moving, it was a moment in history.
But nothing prepared us for the grand finale. A medley that can only be described as mythical.
It began with Don McGlashan resurrecting The Mutton Birds’ version of Nature (a cover of The Fourmyula’s 1969 classic), his voice carrying the weight of memory and rebirth.
Then, like a phoenix rising from deep Gospel roots, Hollie Smith brought the house down with Bathe in the River, a track that remains one of New Zealand’s most sacred secular hymns.
Enter Paige, young and luminous, followed by Savage, who detonated the venue with Swing—a throwback that still hits like a freight train.
The crowd turned into a bounce pit, only to be lulled again by the ever-soulful Georgie Lines. The mood shifted with purpose.
Suddenly, McGlashan re-emerged, this time with a French horn no less, blasting a jazzy, avant-garde interlude that confused and delighted in equal measure.
And then… those unmistakable guitar strums. How Bizarre, the late Pauly Fuemana’s spirit was alive and grooving as Tomorrow People and A.R.T. took the mic, the whole room mouthing every lyric like a prayer.
Finally, Troy Kingi, the psychedelic Soul bard, took us home with Slice of Heaven.
But the real climax? Every single artist flooding the stage for one last communal eruption. A unified, joyful haka to the gods of Kiwi music.
By the time the last note rang out, the crowd was levitating. There were more stars on that stage than in the sky above, and we were lucky enough to witness the galaxy align.
And if you weren’t there, well, Hori probably has a spare pair of Crocs with your name on them for next year.
Paul Marshall
Major Awards
- Album of the Year (Te Tino Pukaemi o te Tau): Fazerdaze – Soft Power
- Single of the Year (Te Tino Waiata o te Tau): Lorde – “Girl, so confusing featuring Lorde” (Charli XCX, Lorde)
- Best Solo Artist (Te Tino Reo o te Tau): Fazerdaze
- Best Group (Te Tino Kāhui Manu Taki o te Tau): Earth Tongue – Great Haunting
- Breakthrough Artist of the Year (Te Iti Rearea o te Tau): Hori Shaw
Genre & Specialist Awards
- Best Māori Artist (Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau): Stan Walker
- Mana Reo: Stan Walker – “Māori Ki Te Ao”
- Best Alternative Artist (Te Manu Taki Whanokē o te Tau): Jim Nothing – Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn
- Best Classical Artist (Te Manu Taki Tuauki o te Tau): Jian Liu – Where Fairburn Walked
- Best Country Music Artist (Te Manu Taki Tuawhenua o te Tau): Tami Neilson – Neilson Sings Nelson
- Best Electronic Artist (Te Manu Taki Tāhiko o te Tau): MOKOTRON – WAEREA
- Best Folk Artist (Te Manu Taki Ahurea o te Tau): Holly Arrowsmith – Blue Dreams
- Best Hip Hop Artist (Te Manu Taki Ātete o te Tau): David Dallas – Vita
- Best Jazz Artist (Te Manu Taki Tautito o te Tau): Lucien Johnson – Ancient Relics
- Best Pop Artist (Te Manu Taki Arotini o te Tau): Cassie Henderson – The Yellow Chapter
- Best Rock Artist (Te Manu Taki Rakapioi o te Tau): DARTZ – Dangerous Day To Be A Cold One
- Best Roots Artist (Te Manu Taki Taketake o te Tau): Corrella – Skeletons
- Best Soul/R&B Artist (Te Manu Taki Manako o te Tau): Aaradhna – Sweet Surrender
Special Awards
- Te Manu Mātārae (Outstanding Contribution): L.A.B and 9Lives
- Highest Selling Artist (Te Taumata o te Hokona): SIX60
- Radio Airplay Record of the Year (Te Taumata o te Horapa): L.A.B
- People’s Choice (Tā te Iwi): Devilskin
- Best Album Artwork (Te Taumata o te Toi): Matt Sinclair – Neilson Sings Nelson (Tami Neilson)
- Best Engineer (Te Taumata o te Pūkenga Oro): Simon Gooding – Safar (CHAII)
- Best Producer (Te Taumata o te Kaiwhakaputa): Nic Manders – The Rose Of Jericho (Georgia Lines)
- Best Music Video Content (Te Taumata o te Ataata): Oscar Keys, Ezra Simons, Kristin Li – “Paradise” (DARTZ)
