Best Country Music Artist went to Delaney Davidson & Barry Saunders, and Best Country Song went to Tami Neilson for ‘Hey Bus Driver!’.
With the 2020 Country Music Awards in Gore cancelled due to the Covid19 crisis, the winners were announced live on Radio New Zealand’s Music 101 this afternoon.
For their collaboration Word Gets Around, Delaney Davidson & Barry Saunders have received the 2020 Tui for Recorded Music NZ’s Best Country Artist.
After success in their respective solo careers and a significant number of collaborations with acclaimed Kiwi musicians, their joint venture is a tour de force of atmospheric, striking country music.
Taking out APRA’s Best Country Song, Tami Neilson has further cemented her spot as one of New Zealand’s most energetic and diverse country musicians.
Tami adds this year’s award to an increasingly populated mantel, having previously won Best Country Album four times (2009, 2010, 2012, and 2015) as part of the New Zealand Music Awards, Best Female Artist at the New Zealand Country Music Awards in 2010, 2011 and 2014, and Best Country Music Song in 2014 for ‘Whiskey and Kisses’ with Delaney Davidson.
Other finalists for the Recorded Music NZ Best Country Artist were Katie Thompson for her album Bittersweet, and Kendall Elise for her album Red Earth.
‘Any Fool With A Heart’ by Tami Neilson, ‘That Summer’ by Kaylee Bell and ‘West Coast’ by Katie Thompson were the other finalists for the APRA Best Country Music Song.
