Silver Scrolls 2020: Benee, Troy Kingi, Nadia Reid, Reb Fountain, and L.A.B. announced as finalists

Nadia Reid, Benee, and Troy Kingi are three of the five artists named as finalists for the Silver Scroll award. Photos / Supplied

Indie-pop star Benee and reggae band L.A.B. are among the top five finalists for New Zealand's top songwriting honour.

Songs written and performed by Reb Fountain, Nadia Reid, and Troy Kingi round out the list of finalists this year for the coveted APRA Silver Scroll award. APRA voters narrowed down the five tracks from a list of 20 songs, a tough job considering the strength of Kiwi songwriting talent.

The rise of pop superstar Benee gains additional momentum with her top five honour for Glitter, having achieved a back-to-back nomination with her nod for Soaked last year. She penned both songs with the same co-writers, Djeisan Suskov and Joshua Fountain. The 20-year-old is going from strength to strength following appearances on US talk shows Ellen and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in recent months.

Likewise, the honour adds to a massive year for reggae band L.A.B. The Scroll-finalist track In The Air became the first song from an independent artist to top the NZ singles chart since 2012. In The Air spent three weeks in the top chart spot.

Folk noir artist Reb Fountain is a Silver Scroll finalist for her song Don't You Know Who I Am. Photo / Supplied

Nadia Reid and Troy Kingi both make the top five for the second time. Reid is up for her raw and emotional track Get The Devil Out, and Kingi for Mighty Invader. Reid was last a finalist for her soaring ballad Richard in 2017, and Kingi was up for his song Aztechknowledgey in 2018.

Fountain's track Don't You Know Who I Am rounds out the finalist list. The singer-songwriter released her self-titled album in May this year.

The Silver Scroll has gone to some of New Zealand's most iconic artists, including Neil Finn, Don McGlashan and Lorde, who has won the award twice.

L.A.B.'s chart-topping song In The Air has been named a finalist. Photo / Supplied

Last year Aldous Harding took out the award for her song The Barrel, the first single off her third album, Designer.

The Silver Scroll will be presented during a ceremony on Wednesday October 14 at Auckland's Town Hall.

Other awards presented on the night will be the APRA Maioha Award for exceptional waiata featuring te reo, the SOUNZ Contemporary Award for excellence in contemporary composition, the award for best original music in a feature film, and the award for best original music in a series.

2020 APRA Silver Scroll Award Top Five

Don't You Know Who I Am, written and performed by Reb Fountain.

Get The Devil Out, written and performed by Nadia Reid.

Mighty Invader, written and performed by Troy Kingi.

Glitter written by Stella Bennett, Joshua Fountain and Djeisan Suskov, performed by Benee.

In The Air, written by Arapekanga Adams-Tamatea, Brad Kora, Stuart Kora, Joel Shadbolt, and Miharo Gregory, performed by L.A.B.