Announcing The Music Directors For The 2021 APRA Silver Scroll Awards | Kaitito Kaiaka: Rob And Cilla Ruha

APRA AMCOS NZ are honoured to announce that Rob and Cilla Ruha (Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Ngāti Porou) are taking the helm as joint Music Directors for the 2021 APRA Silver Scroll Awards | Kaitito Kaiaka. The Music Directors are responsible for all the performances throughout the ceremony and we’re humbled and excited that Rob and Cilla have accepted this role, and look forward to the beautiful, vibrant show they will create.

Rob is no stranger to the Silver Scroll Awards, having been a finalist and winner of the Maioha Award on multiple occasions, as well as taking part in judging, and performing on stage. He is a luminary figure in our music community, a leader of waiata reo Māori, and an inspiration to musical rangatahi with his ability to weave contemporary sounds with historical narratives, always grounded in indigenous identity. Cilla is an equally powerful force in the creative community as a manager and mentor to artists like Teeks, Ka Hao, and Kaaterama and Executive Producer to award winning projects such as the live visual album Mōhau, together they connect artists and creatives all over Aotearoa.

Rob also has great experience in working across the mediums of film and TV, as part of Te Matatini broadcasts, consulting on the soundtrack for ‘Mahana’, and re-versioning the huge Disney animation ‘Moana’ into Te Reo Māori. Combined with his talents as a weaver and painter which were passed down by his grandmothers, this experience gives him a unique perspective from which to celebrate our kaitito puoro songwriters.

Having recently burned up the charts with 35, a bi-lingual waiata collaboration between Rob and rising young group Ka Hao, which was released for Waiata Anthems week, Rob is also on the cusp of releasing a new record ‘Preservation of Scenery’ out this Friday Oct 8.

Blending influences from the worlds of kapa haka, roots reggae, and dynamic RnB hits, the new album is a strong indication of Ruha’s abilities to cross genres and cultures with great innovation, aroha, and style, all while focusing on the resonation of indigenous truth, and we look forward to seeing this on stage at the Silver Scroll Awards also.

“Our vision is to fully realise the unique musical distinction and cultural vibrancy of our Aotearoa Nation. To empower our nation’s waiata reo māori beyond Maori language week and to contribute to the naturalisation of reo Maori artists inside of major labels, festivals, online platforms and industry events”.

On the night the five Silver Scroll | Kaitito Kaiaka finalists’ songs, as well as the winners of the Tohu Maioha and SOUNZ Contemporary Award – Te Tohu Auaha, are reinterpreted by different artists, bands, and once-in-a-lifetime, one-off collaborations.

All finalists were announced in August, and we have one very special announcement about Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa | New Zealand Music Hall of Fame to make in the coming weeks.

All awards will be presented at Spark Arena on Wednesday 10 November.

The awards are proudly supported by NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho, with thanks to Hallertau

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