Breakthrough Artist of the Year is an Aotearoa Music Award that honours New Zealand music artists for outstanding recordings. Artists who have previously been nominated for a New Zealand Music Award (excluding Critics' Choice Prize and technical awards) or has had a previous album reach the top 20 of the Official New Zealand Music Chart are ineligible. The award was first awarded in 1973 as Best New Artist.

Recipients

Best New Artist (1973-1976)

Year Winner 1973 Shona Laing 1974 Bunny Walters 1975 Space Waltz 1976 Dr Tree 1977

Most Promising (1978-2000)

Year Award Winner Finalists 1978 Most Promising Male Artist Dennis O’Brien rowspan="9" Most Promising Female Artist Kim Hart Most Promising Group Citizen Band 1979 Most Promising Male Artist Jon Stevens Most Promising Female Artist Tina Cross Most Promising Group Street Talk 1980 Most Promising Male Artist Jon Stevens Most Promising Female Artist Most Promising Group The Crocodiles 1981 Most Promising Male Artist Dave McArtney Paul Schreider David Hollis Richard Eriwata Most Promising Female Artist Anne Dumont Celine Toner Jenny Morris Most Promising Group Dave McArtney Blam Blam Blam Pop Mechanix 1982 Most Promising Male Vocalist Dave Dobbyn (DD Smash) rowspan="3" Most Promising Female Vocalist Jodi Vaughn Most Promising Group Dance Exponents 1983 Most Promising Male Vocalist Andrew McLennan (Coconut Rough) Dick Driver (Hip Singles) Gary Smith (The Body Electric) Most Promising Female Vocalist Sonya Waters Rhonda Jones Bronwyn Jones (Precious) Most Promising Group Coconut Rough Hip Singles The Body Electric 1984 Most Promising Male Vocalist Martin Phillipps (The Chills) Ross McKenzie (The Idles) Wayne Gillespie Most Promising Female Vocalist Meryl Yvonne Janice Lampen Sharon Dubont Most Promising Group The Chills Jive Bombers You're a Movie 1985 Most Promising Male Vocalist Mark Loveys (Satellite Spies) Paul Eversden (Katango) James Gaylyn (Rise) Most Promising Female Vocalist Debbie Harwood Dianne Swann (Everything That Flies) Betty-Anne Monga (IQU) Most Promising Group Satellite Spies - "Destiny In Motion" Everything That Flies - "Bleeding Hearts" Katango - "Dial L for Love" 1986 Most Promising Male Vocalist Tex Pistol Simon Alexandra Lyonel Grant Most Promising Female Vocalist Tania Rowles Ainsley Day Liz Diamond Most Promising Group Ardijah Chrome Safari Wentworth Brewster & Co 1987 Most Promising Male Vocalist Al Hunter Wayne Elliot (Knightshade) David Parker (Rhythm Cage) Most Promising Female Vocalist Moana Darlene Adair Kara Pewhairangi Most Promising Group Monga and Harwood Rhythm Cage Knightshade 1988 Most Promising Male Vocalist Peter Marshall Rikki Morris Thom Nepia Most Promising Female Vocalist Mara Finau Tracey Birnie Helen Mulholland Most Promising Group Holidaymakers Straitjacket Fits The Tunnellers 1989 Most Promising Male Vocalist Paul Ubana Jones Greg Johnson Darren Watson Most Promising Female Artist Janet Roddick Belinda Bradley Julie Collier Most Promising Group The Front Lawn Double J and Twice the T Upper Hutt Posse 1990 Most Promising Male Vocalist Guy Wishart Alan Galloway John Kempt Most Promising Female Vocalist Merenia Ngaire Caroline Easther Most Promising Group Strawpeople Merenia & Where's Billy D-Faction 1991 colspan="3" 1992 Most Promising Male Vocalist David Parker (Parker Project) Jon Toogood (Shihad) James Gaylyn Most Promising Female Vocalist Teremoana Rapley (Moana and the Moahunters) Christina Fuemana (House Party) Lorina Harding Most Promising Group Shihad The Exponents These Wilding Ways 1993 Most Promising Male Vocalist Ted Brown Jay Rei Kevin Greaves Most Promising Female Vocalist Jan Hellriegel Jules Issa Maree Sheehan Most Promising Group Head Like a Hole Dead Flowers Kantuta 1994 Most Promising Male Vocalist Matty J (Matty J and the Soul Syndicate) Michael Gregg and Brendan Gregg (Holy Toledos) Jason Ioasa (Grace) Most Promising Female Vocalist Emma Paki Jan Preston Rima Te Wiata Most Promising Group Urban Disturbance Holy Toledos The 3Ds 1995 Most Promising Male Vocalist Brent Milligan (Pumpkinhead) Peter Daube (Bilge Festival) Evan Woodruffe (Melon Twister) Most Promising Female Vocalist Sulata Foai Chloe Reeves Helen Goudge (Melon Twister) Most Promising Group Sisters Underground 3 the Hard Way Purest Form 1996 Most Promising Male Vocalist Pauly Fuemana (OMC) Jeremy Eade (Garageland) Otis Frizzell (Joint Force) Most Promising Female Vocalist Bic Runga Celia Mancini (King Loser) Jordan Reyne Most Promising Group OMC Garageland Joint Force 1997 Most Promising Male Vocalist Daniel Haimona (Dam Native) Andrew Tilby (Breathe) Ed Cake (Bressa Creeting Cake) Most Promising Female Vocalist Lole Usoalii Andrea Cook Maryanne Antonuvich (D-Faction) Most Promising Group Dam Native Bike Bressa Creeting Cake Cinematic 1998 Most Promising Male Vocalist Darcy Clay Dave Yetton (The Stereo Bus) James Reid (The Feelers) Most Promising Female Vocalist Alesha Siosiua (Moizna) Maisey Rika (St Joseph's Māori Girls' College) Jordan Reyne Most Promising Group Moizna The Feelers The Stereo Bus 1999 Most Promising Male Vocalist Andrew Tilby (Breathe) King Kapisi Nathan King (Zed) Most Promising Female Vocalist Boh Runga (Stellar) Liz Faalogo (NV) Sina Saipaia Most Promising Group Stellar Breathe (Zed) 2000 Most Promising Male Vocalist Aaron Tokona (Weta) Sama Feo (AKA Brown) Conan Wilcox (Salmonella Dub) Most Promising Female Vocalist Vanessa Kelly (Deep Obsession) Maybelle Galuvao (Ma-V-Elle) Lavina Williams (The Invasion Band/Ma-V-Elle) Most Promising Group Weta Breathe AKA Brown

Best New Act (2001-2002)

Year Winner AlbumOther finalists 2001 Betchadupa Splitter Dan Sperber and Luke Casey 2002 Goodshirt Good K'Lee - "Broken Wings" Pluto - Redlight Syndrome

Breakthrough Artist of the Year (2003-current)

Year Winner AlbumOther finalists 2003 The Datsuns The Datsuns Goldenhorse - Riverhead Blindspott - Blindspott 2004 Brooke Fraser What to Do with Daylight Minuit - The 88 Adeaze - Always and for Real 2005 The Checks "What You Heard" Dei Hamo – First Edition Tha Feelstyle – Break It to Pieces 2006 Bleeders As Sweet as Sin Aaradhna - I Love You Frontline - Borrowed Time 2007 Hollie Smith Long Player Liam Finn - Second Chance Atlas - "Crawl" 2008 Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords Cut Off Your Hands - Blue On Blue Tiki Taane - Past, Present, Future 2009 Ladyhawke Ladyhawke Midnight Youth Smashproof 2010Holy SmokeArtisan Guns – Autumn Dane Rumble – The Experiment2011Passive Me, Aggressive YouSix60 – "Rise Up 2.0" Avalanche City – Our New Life Above The Ground2012KimbraVowsAnnah Mac – Little Stranger Home Brew – Home Brew2013LordeThe Love Club EPJamie McDell - Six Strings and a Sailboat Willy Moon - Here's Willy Moon2014 Broods Broods Sol3 Mio Doprah 2015 Marlon Williams Marlon Williams Devilskin Ginny Blackmore 2016 Kings "Don't Worry Bout It" Leisure – "All Over You" Nomad – "Oh My My" SACHI – Lunch with Bianca (EP) 2017Aldous HardingParty Fazerdaze Nadia Reid Teeks 2018Drax Project JessB L.A.B. Robinson2019BeneeFire on Marzz Baynk Church & AP The Beths2020Jawsh 685 Chaii Melodownz Paige2021Harper Finn"Dance Away These Days" Foley Muroki Niko Walters2022Georgia LinesHuman Coterie Jordan Rakei There's a Tuesday2023 colspan="3" 2024COTERIE 9lives Hori Shaw MOHI SXMPRA 2025Hori Shaw DARTZ A.R.T

References