2016 Best Folk Album finalists announced

Three female artists from the South Island are the finalists in the 2016 Best Folk Album.
 
Amiria Grenell is up for her second Tui for her third recording ‘Autumn’. She is joined by Holly Arrowsmith for ‘For The Weary Traveller’ and Nadia Reid for ‘Listen to the Formation, Look for the Signs’.
 
Winner of the 2012 Best Folk Album with ‘Three Feathers’, Lyttleton based Amiria Grenell  enters quieter territory with ‘Autumn’, a recording that has still met with widespread critical acclaim. Grenell has spent the past year performing extensively around the country, both independently and as part of Fly My Pretties.
 

Photo courtesy of Pead PR

Born in New Mexico and raised in Queenstown, Holly Arrowsmith delivers a stirring sound, poetic lyrics and haunting voice belying her age. At only 21 years old, Arrowsmith has already showcased at multiple festivals, opened for internationally acclaimed folk artist Rodriguez and released her debut album ‘For The Weary Traveller’. She can now add ‘Tui finalist’ to the impressive list.
 
‘Listen to the Formation, Look for the Signs’ has secured Nadia Reid not only a finalist berth in the Best Folk Album category but also a place as one of New Zealand’s most intricate and profound young songwriters. Reid crowd funded the recording costs for the album, her second release following on from her EP ‘Letters I Wrote and Never Sent’.
 
Recorded Music NZ Chief Executive Officer Damian Vaughan is impressed with the high calibre of this year’s finalists.
 

Photo courtesy of Pead PR

“What a fantastic line up of finalists - all with different qualities and tones, but all sharing the same acoustic roots of folk music. I’m full of anticipation as to what they might produce next and my congratulations go to them all.”
 
The Tui for the Best Folk Album 2016 is presented at the 43nd annual Auckland Folk Festival in Kumeu (West Auckland) following the ‘Tui Finalists Concert’ on the evening of Sunday 7 February (Waitangi Weekend).

Online ticket sales for the 2016 festival are open now. For more information visit the Auckland Folk Festival website: www.aucklandfolkfestival.co.nz

NOTE:
The Tui for Best Folk Album 2016 is for recordings released in the 12 months to 30 September 2015. The Folk category was introduced to the Awards in 1984.
 
Recent previous winners of the Tui for Best Folk Album
2010 – Chris Prowse - ‘Trouble On The Waterfront”
2011 – Wires & Wood - ‘Over The Moon’
2012 – Amiria Grenell - ‘Three Feathers’
2013 – Great North - “Halves”
2014 – Tattletale Saints – “How Red Is the Blood”
2015 – Great North - “Up In Smoke”
 
Finalists’ websites
Amiria Grenell: www.amiriagrenell.co.nz
Holly Arrowsmith: www.hollyarrowsmith.com
Nadia Reid: www.nadiareid.com