Musicianship award for GGHS drummer Sam Booth

Multi-talented Sam Booth won the MAINZ Best Musicianship Award at Tangata Beats for vocals and drumming in the band Salem. The Gisborne Girls' High School student also hit the spotlight last year winning an award for her vocals in the band Mellow. 2017 file picture

Gisborne Girls’ High School student Sam Booth has won the MAINZ Best Musicianship Award At Tangata Beats for vocals and drumming in the band Salem.

Sam had to learn the drums at the last minute when the band’s regular drummer could not make the finals.

“We really needed the drums so I had three weeks and dedicated myself to learning them,” she says.

Sam received $500 for winning the award. She will study for a Bachelor of Commercial Music at Massey University next year.

Entrants in Smokefree Tangata Beats competed over winter in 35 heats and finals from Invercargill to Whangarei, held in conjunction with Smokefreerockquest.

The national finalists were selected from videos sent by the regional winners. Entrants included an element of Maori or Pacifika culture in their performance.

The event motivated young musicians to express themselves with cultural relevance, and to encourage their peers to support original Aotearoa music.

Songs or performances entered into Tangata Beats needed to feature at least one of four possible cultural elements.

These included identity, which Salem met with their song Home, and more than 50 percent of a song’s lyrics needed to be in te reo Maori.

Salem achieved this in their song Fairy Tale.