 Media Release: Saturday 11 December 2021 The Pacific music community celebrated another year of outstanding music at the 17th annual Pacific Music Awards. Due to COVID restrictions, the winners were celebrated in a pre-recorded online awards ceremony this evening, screened by Tagata Pasifika on TP+ (tpplus.co.nz). A highlights show will be available next weekend (18 December). The big winner of the night was Jawsh 685 taking three wins. He rose to fame last year with his song ‘Savage Love (Laxed-Siren Beat)’ with Jason Derulo and received his first ever music award at the 2020 Pacific Music Awards. This year he’s celebrating three wins with APRA Best Pacific Song, NZ On Air Radio Airplay Award and the NZ On Air Streaming Award. Soul funk artist Lou’ana takes two wins with her seven-piece band this year. She won Auckland Council Best Pacific Female Artist and Best Producer with Nathan Judd for her debut album Midnight Madness. Tree scooped two awards this year, first for her self-produced album Mrs Tree she took out Recorded Music NZ Best Pacific Music Album and second the NZ On Air Best Pacific Music Video for ‘Afio Ane Loa,’ directed by Tree Manu & Quincy Filiga. Hip hop sensation Melodownz won both of the categories he was a finalist for with his track ‘Fine.’ He took out the top spot for NZ Music Commission Best Pacific Male Artist and Base FM & Island Base Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist. This year’s Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award honoured Pacific music pioneer George ‘Fiji’ Veikoso. Fiji’s music captured hearts across the Pacific music scene with his blend of classic reggae, hip hop, RnB and jazz. Other winners from the night include Lepani (Best Pacific Soul/R&B Artist), Victor J Sefo (One Love Best Pacific Roots/Reggae Artist), Tenelle (Niu FM Best International Pacific Artist), Marley Sola (531pi Best Pacific Gospel Artist), Team Dynamite (Flava Best Pacific Group), Emily Muli (Phillip Fuemana Award – Most Promising Pacific Artist) Shepherds Reign (SunPix Best Pacific Language) and Samson Squad (SunPix People’s Choice Best Pacific Artist). In addition to these winners, Nick Afoa was awarded the Ministry for Pacific Peoples Special Recognition Award for 2021 for his role in ‘The Lion King’ musical as well as his social work in the South Auckland community. Event Producer, Petrina Togi-Sa’ena says: “We have had a challenging time on our journey towards the 2021 Pacific Music Awards. We had to postpone the ceremony a few times but we were always committed to the awards taking place, and to producing the event in the best and safest way possible. “We wanted to end the year with an awesome celebration, shining the light on our amazing Pacific artists, sharing unity through music, and showing our love of Pacific music. We are so grateful to the team, sponsors and supporters of the Pacific Music Awards and thank you so much to everyone who joined us to celebrate online.” Chairman and spokesperson Rev. Mua Strickson-Pua says: “For our 2021 Pacific Music Awards a key theme is ‘Amanaki/Hope. “To our 2021 Pacific Music Awards finalists, winners and special award recipients, fa’afetai lava, fakamalo, kia ora, thank you, for your musika, miusiki, rangi music, for your pese, fo’i hiva, waiata, song, that uplifts our people and our nations. Pacific music is about being family of humanity, being safe, being kind and being a team of 5 million.” The awards provided a showcase of the best in Pacific music, with an incredible line up throughout the night. Alongside the opening performance by Oceans Before Me, honouring the Polynesian Panthers, and the special tribute performance for Lifetime Achievement recipient George ‘Fiji’ Veikoso by Wellington artists Brownhill (Fiji’s live band when he performs in New Zealand), Wayno and Tomorrow People , there were finalist performances by Lepani, Emily Muli, Diggy Dupe, Hawkins,, Melodownz and Tree. 2021 Pacific Music Awards Winners Auckland Council Best Pacific Female Artist:
NZ Music Commission Best Pacific Male Artist:
Flava Best Pacific Group:
NZ On Air Best Pacific Music Video:
APRA Best Pacific Song:
One Love Best Pacific Roots/Reggae Artist:
531pi Best Pacific Gospel Artist:
Niu FM Best International Pacific Artist:
Recorded Music NZ Best Pacific Music Album:
Best Producer
Phillip Fuemana Award – Most Promising Pacific Artist
NZ On Air Radio Airplay Award
NZ On Air Streaming Award
SunPix People’s Choice Award – Best Pacific Artist
Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award
Contact: Adam Warin | 021 029 01388 | adam.warin@pead.co.nz
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 We are calling out to everyone in Aotearoa and around the world to join us for the 2021 Pacific Music Awards. Gather your favourite people together and come celebrate Pacific music with us. We had to adapt and delay our plans, but the music hasn’t changed and our artists are still awesome and amazing! Here are the details for the 2021 Pacific Music Awards online presentation: 2021 Pacific Music Awards Celebrating Pacific Music Saturday 11 December, 7pm screened by Tagata Pasifika on TP+ (tpplus.co.nz) Featuring performances by 2021 PMA Finalists #PMA2021 Please share the love – and share this far and wide so we can build an amazing audience for the awards night. For Saturday 11 December, all you need to do is choose the screen works for you, your phone, TV, your home projector or a big screen somewhere – and find some awesome people to share the celebration with. We want to connect our celebrations and are asking everyone to post and share your watching party with us. Post and tag us in - to share the love for the Pacific music. As a little incentive, we have a prize package, for the best photo, which includes an Apple iPhone (SE64GB Black) thanks to our Associate Sponsor and Media Partner, SunPix. We look forward to seeing your photos! Check our website and Facebook page for further updates: https://www.pacificmusicawards.org.nz/ https://www.facebook.com/pacificmusicawards If you have any questions or need more information, please contact us Pacific Music Awards Trust Hawaiian music legend Fiji to receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Genre pioneer George ‘Fiji’ Veikoso to be celebrated at the 2021 Pacific Music Awards With more than four decades of music under his belt, George ‘Fiji’ Veikoso will be recognised as the recipient of the 2021 Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award. The Pacific Music Awards Trust is proud to celebrate Fiji’s contribution to Pacific music at the 2021 Pacific Music Awards on 11 December. As an eight-year-old with a love of singing in church, Fiji’s first professional performance earned him $5 from the audience. It also earned him the disappointment of his mother who didn't want her son singing "worldly" music. Since leaving his Fijian island homeland and settling in Hawai’i at 14-years-old, Fiji has become a legend in the Pacific music scene. His 1994 debut album Evolution encapsulates the hip hop sound coming out of the islands in the 90s. It was followed three years later by Born & Raised in 1997, which catapulted Fiji into the spotlight and is now considered one of the most influential albums in Pacific music. With his melodious voice and wonderful blend of music - which includes a fusion of classic reggae, hip hop, RnB and jazz - he is a pioneer in the Fiji and Pacific music field. He is also renowned and respected for recording songs in multiple Pacific languages. More than just a singer, his prowess as a song writer, composer and producer has set him apart from the rest and led to international acclaim and fame. Fiji’s popularity and presence in the local music industry was made clear to all when he won the Hawai’i Academy of Record Arts' Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Male Vocalist of the Year and the public balloting for Favourite Entertainer of the Year in 1998. Fiji also won the first Best Pacific International Artist Award at the 2014 Pacific Music Awards. Since the release of Born & Raised, Fiji has dropped nine diverse albums showcasing his abilities to stretch Polynesian music as far as he can take it – from smooth soul music on projects like Born & Raised II: The Rebirth to straight hip hop tracks on projects like Indigenous Life. Throughout his career, Fiji has collaborated and performed with many legends of the genre including Gladys Knight, Aaron Neville, Beres Hammond, Damian Jr. Gong Marley, Ziggy Marley, Ky-mani Marley, Steel Pulse, Maxi Priest and Inner Circle. Now as an elder in the scene, he’s shown his devotion by helping bring up other artists and encouraging Polynesian unity through the TokoUso movement by promoting consciousness against gang violence for Pacific Islanders across the globe. There will be a special tribute performance by Wellington artists Brownhill (Fiji’s live band when he performs in New Zealand), Wayno and Tomorrow People. Pacific Music Awards show postponed to December Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions in Auckland, the Pacific Music Awards Trust has decided to postpone the date for the online presentation of the 2021 awards ceremony. The winners will instead be celebrated in an online awards ceremony on Saturday 11 December at 7pm, screened by Tagata Pasifika on TP+ (tpplus.co.nz). This will be pre-recorded in line with Alert Level restrictions and include performances from the 2021 finalists. Rev Mua Strickson-Pua says: “With this announcement we continue our thoughts of the saogalemu (safety) and manuia (wellbeing) of our communities and share our support during this time. We acknowledge the historic moment, the hard work of everyone involved and this opportunity to comfort, empower, and affirm our communities. “Our Trust and event team are motivated to managing the challenges that Covid-19 brings and committed to producing the Pacific Music Awards event, to celebrate the Pacific music community. We hope everyone will join our online event and continue to take care and keep safe at this time. Be kind to each other. Together we are keeping to our tikanga and fa'avae, with wairua and alofa.” ENDS Issued for the Pacific Music Awards by Pead Contact: Adam Warin, Pead | 021 029 01388 | adam.warin@pead.co.nz |
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