Newcomer popera trio Sol3 Mio is also up for five awards, including album of the year, best group, breakthrough artist of the year, and the people's choice award, as well as having already collected the award for best Pacific music album earlier in the year.
Neo-soul diva Ladi6 and accomplished hip-hopper David Dallas are not far behind, both up for four awards, repeating their 2011 battle as they go head to head in the best urban/hip hop album category, as well as vying for best female/male solo artist respectively, best single, and while Ladi6 is up for album of the year, Dallas is up for the people's choice award.
Beguiling folk singer Tiny Ruins finds herself nominated for the first time, up for three awards, including best album, best female solo artist, and best alternative album, along with previous big award winners The Naked and Famous, rising sibling duo Broods, and award perennial Stan Walker.
Liam Finn gains two finalist nods, as do roots artists House of Shem and Tama Waipara, and the three finalists for the Critics Choice Award are Randa, Estere, and Lake South.
Joel Little, Lorde's co-writer, producer and engineer, won two early prizes.
The technical category Tuis (as the awards are colloquially known) were given out at the same time as the nominees were announced, and Little took out both Best Producer and Best Engineer awards for his work on Lorde's debut album Pure Heroine.
They're trophies he'll be able to add to his mantelpiece in his new home in Los Angeles, alongside a Grammy Award and an APRA Silver Scroll Award which he's also collected in the past 12 months for his work with Lorde.
The best album cover art award went to Anna Taylor and Ken Clark, who designed the haunting photo cover of Liam Finn's album The Nihilist, and the New Zealand Herald Legacy Award recipient for 2014 was announced as Supergroove.
The popular funk-rock-soul-rap seven piece will be inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards ceremony at Vector Arena on November 20, along with a special tribute performance.
The award acknowledges their remarkable story of local and global domination with their debut album Traction, which was released 20 years ago, and spawned many hits, including Can't Get Enough, Sitting Inside My Head and Scorpio Girls.
Read more: Supergroove win NZ Herald Legacy Award
The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony which will be held at Vector Arena on Thursday November 20 and broadcast live on Four.
The show, hosted by Dai Henwood and Shannon Ryan, will feature live performances by Tiny Ruins, Benny Tipene, Blacklistt, Sol3 Mio, Broods, and David Dallas.
Tickets to the show can be purchased for $25 through Ticketmaster.
VNZMA 2014 Finalists
Album of the Year
Ladi6 - Automatic
Lorde - Pure Heroine
Sol3 Mio - Sol3 Mio
The Naked And Famous - In Rolling Waves
Tiny Ruins - Brightly Painted One
Single of the Year
Broods - Bridges
David Dallas - Runnin
Ladi6 - Diamonds
Lorde - Team
The Naked And Famous - Hearts Like Ours
Best Group
@Peace - @Peace and the Plutonium Noise Symphony
Sol3 Mio - Sol3 Mio
The Naked And Famous - In Rolling Waves
Best Male Solo Artist
David Dallas - Falling Into Place
Liam Finn - The Nihilist
Stan Walker - Inventing Myself
Best Female Solo Artist
Ladi6 - Automatic
Lorde - Pure Heroine
Tiny Ruins - Brightly Painted One
Breakthrough Artist of the Year
Broods
Doprah
Sol3 Mio
Best Rock Album
Blacklistt - Blacklistt
Clap Clap Riot - Nobody/Everybody
Ekko Park - Tomorrow Tomorrow Today
Best Pop Album
Benny Tipene - Toulouse
Lorde - Pure Heroine
Stan Walker - Inventing Myself
Best Alternative Album
Grayson Gilmour - Infinite Life!
Liam Finn - The Nihilist
Tiny Ruins - Brightly Painted One
Best Urban/Hip Hop Album
David Dallas - Falling Into Place
Ladi6 - Automatic
PNC - The Codes
Best Roots Album
House of Shem - Harmony
Mark Vanilau - Dark Horizon
Tama Waipara - Fill Up The Silence
Best Electronica Album
Bulletproof - #Listen
Opiuo - Meraki
Sorceress - Dose
Best Music Video
Campbell Hooper - Hearts Like Ours (The Naked And Famous)
Thunderlips - Stranger People (Doprah)
Tom Gould - Runnin (David Dallas)
Best Maori Album
House of Shem - Harmony
Rob Ruha - Tiki Tapu
Tama Waipara - Fill Up The Silence
Best Gospel Christian Album
Lifestyle (of Worship) - Lifestyle (of Worship)
Mosaic Music - You Surround
Saving Grace - The Urgency
Best Classical Album
Dame Gillian Whitehead - Alice
Jack Body - Poems of Love & War
Voices 16 - Voice of the Soul
Best Album Cover
Winner: Anna Taylor & Ken Clark - The Nihilist (Liam Finn)
Other finalists:
Henrietta Harris - Infinite Life! (Grayson Gilmour)
Robert Wallace - Automatic (Ladi6)
Best Producer
Winner: Joel Little - Pure Heroine (Lorde)
Other finalists:
Thomas Healy - Brightly Painted One (Tiny Ruins)
Thom Powers - In Rolling Waves (The Naked And Famous)
Best Engineer
Winner: Joel Little - Pure Heroine (Lorde)
Other finalists:
Doug Jane - Waiata (Dame Kiri Te Kanawa)
Hayden Taylor - Blacklistt (Blacklistt)
People's Choice Award
Lorde
Sol3 Mio
David Dallas
Broods
Stan Walker
NZ Herald Legacy Award
Supergroove
NZ On Air Critics' Choice Prize line-up
Estére
Lake South
Randa
Additional Tuis presented in 2014:
Auckland Council Best Pacific Music Album:
Winner: Sol3 Mio - Sol3 Mio'
Other finalists:
David Dallas - Falling Into Place
Ladi6 - Automatic
Best Country Album
Winner: Kaylee Bell - Heart First
Other finalists:
Anna van Riel - Whistle and Hum
Marian Burns - The Paris Sessions
Best Folk Album
Winner: Tattletale Saints - How Red is the Blood
Other finalists
Into The East - Fight From the Inside
Chris Priestley - Unsung Heroes
Best Jazz Album
Winner: Nathan Haines - Vermillion Skies
Other finalists
Phil Broadhurst - Flaubert's Dance
Reuben Bradley - Mantis: The Music of Drew Menzies
- nzherald.co.nz
