Kiwi folk duo Tattletale Saints win second Tūī at Auckland Folk Festival

Tūī award winners Tattletale Saints, based in Tennessee but from New Zealand. Photo / Natia Cinco

Tennessee-based New Zealand duo Tattletale Saints won the 2021 Tui for Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa, Best Folk Artist at the Auckland Folk Festivalon the weekend.

The group won for their third studio album, Dancing Under The Dogwoods. This is the second time the duo has won Best Folk Artist, winning in 2014 for their album How Red Is The Blood.

Made up of Cy Winstanley and Vanessa McGowan, Tattletale Saints crafted an album which showcases the band's perfectly intertwined harmony vocals and Winstanley's clever yet emotional songwriting.

Recorded Music NZ Kaiwhakahaere o Nga Tohu Puoro o Aotearoa Sarah Owen says the duo are well deserving of the 2021 Tui, with their dynamic folk sound earning them recognition for the second time.

"Nga mihi nui to Cy and Vanessa for crafting another incredibly well-rounded folk album. The talented pair are an exciting group to watch and I can't wait to see what they create next."

The duo has often performed in Whanganui where Vanessa's father John McGowan lives.

The other finalists for the 2021 Best Folk Artist Tui were politically engaged folk-blues artist Darren Watson and newcomers You, Me, Everybody for their debut self-titled EP.

The 2021 Tui was presented at the Auckland Folk Festival, an annual festival of music, song and dance held at Kumeu Showground, northwest of Auckland.