Songwriters' organisation Apra has named what it considers the best New Zealand songs written in the past year in the lead-up to the annual Silver Scroll Awards.
This year's 20 contenders range from debut break-out hits like Lorde's Royals and Aaradhna's Wake Up, to past winner Lawrence Arabia for The Listening Times. They range in style from the hip-hop of Tipene's West Side Hori to the alt-country of Marlon Williams and Delaney Davidson's Blood Letter.
The list includes artists who made the cut last year, including L.A. Mitchell and Six60.
The longlist has been compiled by a revolving, anonymous panel of APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association) members. They will now be voted on by more than 10,000 members of the association, with the five finalists to be revealed in mid-September.
The winner will be announced at a gala evening on Tuesday, October 15 at Vector Arena (and streamed live here on NZ Herald Online)
