Best Alternative Artist () is an Aotearoa Music Award that honours New Zealand artists for outstanding alternative recordings.
The inaugural award was presented as Best Alternative Album in 2011 to The Naked and Famous for their album Passive Me, Aggressive You. In 2017, the award was changed to Best Alternative Artist. The change was made to all the genre-specific awards, and was to reflect the changing release climate in which full albums had become less common. Under the new rules, an artist who has released "an album OR a minimum of five tracks" can be nominated.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra have the most awards with three wins, followed by The Beths who have won it twice.
Recipients
Best Alternative Album (2010 - 2016) Year Winner Album Other finalists 2011The Naked and FamousPassive Me, Aggressive You Street Chant – Means Die! Die! Die! – Form 2012OpossomElectric Hawaii Ladyhawke – Anxiety Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchestra 2013Unknown Mortal OrchestraII Lawrence Arabia – The Sparrow The Phoenix Foundation – Fandango 2014Tiny RuinsBrightly Painted Ones Liam Finn – The Nihilist Grayson Gilmour – Infinite Life! 2015Unknown Mortal OrchestraMulti-Love Marlon Williams – Marlon Williams She's So Rad – Tango 2016Lawrence ArabiaAbsolute Truth The Phoenix Foundation – Give Up Your Dreams Silicon – Personal Computer Best Alternative Artist (2017 - present) Year Winner Other finalists 2017Aldous Harding Fazerdaze Nadia Reid 2018 Unknown Mortal Orchestra Marlon Williams Wax Chattels 2019The Beths – Future Me Hates Me Aldous Harding – Designer Tiny Ruins – Olympic Girls 2020The Beths Mermaidens Reb Fountain 2021Na Noise Anthonie Tonnon Wax Chattels 2022Vera Ellen Ben Woods Te Kaahu 2023 colspan="3" 2024Princess Chelsea Grecco Romank Mermaidens 2025Jim Nothing – Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn Louis Nicklin – The Big Sulk
Vera Ellen – heartbreak for jetlag
References
External links
Official Aotearoa Music Awards website