Lorde's song Royals is one of five nominees for the APRA Silver Scroll, the annual song-of-the-year award given by the body representing New Zealand songwriters.
Lorde's song Royals is one of five nominees for the APRA Silver Scroll, the annual song-of-the-year award given by the body representing New Zealand songwriters.
She may have a number-one single - and have a top-five album behind it - in the United States, where she is competing and winning against the biggest global names in pop.
But tonight in Auckland, local pop phenomenon Lorde, with producer and co-writer Joel Little, is up for thefirst major music award of her short but spectacular career, against four other New Zealand acts of lesser profile.
In past years the 10,000 APRA members eligible to vote on the top five have chosen songs that weren't big hits.
But Royals, with its reflective lyrics, indelible tune and original arrangement, would seem to tick enough artistic merit boxes to make it the night's song to beat.
The other four contenders are Thames Soup by the Phoenix Foundation, Wake Up by Aaradhna, Bird In Hand by Anna Coddington and Complicated Man by the Tattletale Saints.
Tonight's event at Vector Arena will also mark the induction of Dave Dobbyn into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame and the presentation of the APRA Maioha Award for contemporary Maori music and the SOUNZ Contemporary Award for contemporary classical.
