2005 Pacific Music Award finalists announced

With three nominations each, Ardijah and Tha Feelstyle lead the list of finalists in the 2005 Pacific Music Awards. The winners will be announced at the end of the free opening-night concert of the Pasifika Festival 2005 in Auckland on Friday March 11.

Image: Ardijah - finalist for the inaugural Pacific Music Awards - the beauty of this is that it's a free concert for all Aucklanders.2005 Pacific Music Award finalists announced

With three nominations each, Ardijah and Tha Feelstyle lead the list of finalists in the 2005 Pacific Music Awards. The winners will be announced at the end of the free opening-night concert of the Pasifika Festival 2005 in Auckland on Friday March 11.

Image: Ardijah - finalist for the inaugural Pacific Music Awards - the beauty of this is that it's a free concert for all Aucklanders.Other multiple finalists are Adeaze, Scribe and Dei Hamo with two nominations each. Anna Williams, Kat Theo and Sara-Jane, D1 Family, Aniseto Falemoe and Ephraim are single category nominees.

Finalists are competing for six awards to be presented at the inaugural awards show, which kicks off at 9pm on the first night of the Pasifika Festival at Western Springs in Auckland on March 11.

The Pacific Music Awards show is free and open to the public.

Ardijah is a finalist in Radio 531PI Best Pacific Group and Best Pacific Music Album for "Journey" (Aere'anga) while the group's singer / songwriter Ryan "Capt Fonk" Monga is a finalist in the APRA Best Pacific Song category for "Journey" (the song).

Kas Futialo aka Tha Feelstyle is a finalist in Niu FM Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist and NZMIC Best Pacific Male Artist for the album "Break It To Pieces". He is a joint finalist for APRA Best Pacific Song with Ian Seumanu for "Su'amalie" off the same album.

Adeaze reaches the final three in the Radio 531PI Best Pacific Group and APRA Best Pacific Song for "Getting Stronger", the second hit song from the R&B duo's hit album "Always & For Real".

Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards multiple winner Scribe features in the finals of Niu FM Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist and NZMIC Best Pacific Male Artist for his autobiographical "Dreaming" from "The Crusader".

On the strength of his chart-topping debut single "We Gon' Ride", hip hop artist Dei Hamo (Sane Sagala) features among the finalists for Niu FM Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist and NZMIC Best Pacific Male Artist.

The finalists in the C4 Best Pacific Female Artist category are Anna Williams for "Searching", Kat Theo for "Waiting" and Sara-Jane Auva'a for her self-titled album "Sara-Jane".

The remaining finalists are D1 Family (Radio 531PI Best Pacific Group) for "Koko Luv", Aniseto Falemoe for "Afe O Maila Ole Alofa" and Ephraim for "Moemoea o Avaiki", both in the Best Pacific Music Album category.

"We're thrilled with the calibre of finalists for the Pacific Music Awards," says Awards Chair Rev Mua Strickson-Pua. "This is a reflection of the growth of Pacific music as a genre and we're looking forward to an impressive inaugural awards show. The beauty of this is that it's a free concert for all Aucklanders."