APRA AMCOS with the generous support of NZ On Air and New Zealand Music Commission are delighted to announce SongHubs in Tāmaki Makaurau for March 2024. The five-day songwriting retreat will be curated by acclaimed songwriter Brooke Fraser.
Applications are open now and close Tuesday 19th December at 5pm.
Joining Brooke Fraser as guest writers are two internationally lauded, Grammy Award-winning songwriters Matt Hales (AQUALUNG) and Shungudzo Kuyimba. They will assist participants in their sessions each day, helping to elevate the songwriting process.
Available positions:
Fully funded positions include travel, accommodation, and per diems for the week of SongHubs (5 days). All SongHubs participants will receive per diems for attending SongHubs.
Applicants must be available for the full duration of SongHubs from 4th - 8th of March 2024.
Applications are open to all NZ APRA members, and close at 5pm Tuesday 19th December.
Please read the eligibility criteria before applying.
Brooke is one of Aotearoa’s most lauded songwriters.
She was the 2007 winner of the APRA Silver Scroll for Albertine and has four times been awarded APRA’s Most Performed Work in NZ and twice been awarded APRA’s Most Performed Work overseas award.
Brooke has nine Aotearoa Music Awards to her name, including International Achievement, throughout a career where she has enjoyed massive commercial success. She has multiple platinum awards for her worldwide hit Something in the Water - a top 10 radio song across Europe - and topped the album, single and radio charts in New Zealand numerous times.
Her 2003 debut What To Do With Daylight is one of the best selling local albums of all time – reaching eight times platinum in her home country. Five of her songs have hit number one on the country’s Radioscope 100 airplay chart.
Brooke released three more acclaimed studio albums, Albertine, Flags, Brutal Romantic, two compilation albums (A Sides and B Sides) and has just released her second album as Brooke Ligertwood (her married name), titled EIGHT.
Her Brooke Ligertwood songwriting catalogue spans multiple dozens of titles that have been been streamed globally more than seven billion times, translated into over 15 languages and topped charts with two Number 1’s and several Top 25’s. These works include “King of Kings” (which she performed on USA’s “The Today Show” in 2019), “Honey in the Rock” (which she performed on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2022), “A Thousand Hallelujahs” and “What A Beautiful Name”, the song for which she won her first Grammy Award in 2018. Her song “I Will Exalt You” also featured on the 2023 Grammy winning album in the CCM Album of the Year category.
Matt Hales is a Grammy, Dove and Ivor Novello Award winning songwriter, producer and recording artist based in London, UK.
As a writer/producer Matt is best known for his longtime partnership with Lianne La Havas, working closely on all 3 of her albums to date. He has also worked with Disclosure, Mika, Bat For Lashes, Tom Chaplin (Keane), Elmiene, Sara Bareilles, Reignwolf, Paloma Faith, Mikky Ekko, For King & Country, Mansionair, Kina Grannis and many others.
Most recently Matt collaborated with Olivia Dean producing and co-writing much of her acclaimed debut album Messy.
Matt’s beloved artist project Aqualung is listened to all over the world and is now 7 albums old. The most recent record was ‘Dead Letters’ released in 2022.
Shungudzo is an artist, producer and writer whose belief that art can pave the road to a better future, stems from growing up in a dictatorship without freedom of speech.
Her critically acclaimed debut solo album “I’m not a mother, but I have children” premiered on The Zane Lowe Show and was featured in publications such as Billboard, People, Essence, and Paste Magazine.
Shungudzo’s credits include writing, producing and performing on four songs on Angelique Kidjo’s Grammy-winning album Mother Nature; writing 10 songs on Jessie Ware’s BRIT Album of the Year-nominated project What’s Your Pleasure; and writing and producing across Ware’s follow-up album That! Feels Good!, which was nominated for a 2023 Mercury Prize.
Other credits include writing and featuring on Rudimental's ‘Toast To Our Differences’, Chiiid’s ‘Back to Life’, Oliver Helden’s #1 Billboard Dance song ‘Fire In My Soul’, and vocally featuring on Jim James' album, Eternally Even. Additionally, she has co-written songs for Stormzy, Little Mix, Victoria Monet, Pete Tong, Teddy Swims, MØ, Joy Oladokun, Kylie Minogue, The Chainsmokers, Jess Mauboy, Alina Baraz, Gryffin, TMS, Bantu, Wrabel, L. Devine, Yuna, The Record Company, Cosmos Midnight and more. She is also a member of dance collective, KUU, alongside artist/producers Alex Metric and Riton. Their songs have been remixed by the likes of Diplo and TSHA.
Long before becoming a musician, Shun was the first woman of colour to compete on the Zimbabwean artistic gymnastics team. She is also currently developing multiple feature films/musicals.