Te Vaka Wins Best Pacific Song & Album

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Te Vaka and Vince Harder have dominated this year’s Pacific Music Awards, which were announced in New Zealand last night.

Both the Best Pacific Song and Best Pacific Album awards were won by Te Vaka.

Songwriter and vocalist Opetaia Foa’I wasn’t in the building to accept the award; he had to skip the ceremony this year as he’s currently working on the soundtrack to Moana, a Disney film due out in November .

The event, which was held at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau, also saw Vince Harder lock in three awards – Best Pacific Male Artist, Best Pacific Urban Artist and Best Producer.

Other winners on the night included Sol3 Mio (Best Pacific Group), Savage (Radio Airplay and Outstanding Achievement). Annie Grace (Best Pacific Female Artist), Common Kings (Best International Pacific Artist),

Pacific Underground, the music and arts collective, were also honored on the night with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Earlier in the evening, Pacific Underground took a moment to pay tribute to Bill Sevisi, an icon of Pasifika music who was inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame late last year and passed away just over a month ago.

With a career that spanned decades, the Tongan-born musician recorded a huge collection of songs and mentored many local musicians after entering the scene in the early-1950s.

Pacific Music Awards Trust chairperson Rev. Mua Strickson-Pua said that the nominees are a sign that Pacific music continues to lead the way in the industry.

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