The Independent Music NZ (IMNZ) Classic Record Award will be awarded to Shona Laing for her 1987 album South at this year’s Taite Music Prize.
The award celebrates an iconic record that has shaped Aotearoa’s music scene and continues to inspire us today.
This year, IMNZ is paying respect to Shona Laing for her synth-soaked album South released in 1987 on Pagan Records. The album includes seminal track ‘(Glad I’m) Not A Kennedy’.
The synth-pop sound on South marked a significant shift for Shona, but her poetic and political lyrics remained.
Following South, Shona toured internationally, produced five more albums, received an APRA Silver Scroll award for her 1992 song ‘Mercy of Love’, and was inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame.
Shona Laing will receive the Independent Music NZ Classic Record award at the Taite Music Prize awards ‘ceremony’ on April 20th. Details on how the event will take place to come!