Moana Maniapoto has consistently pushed the boundaries of Maori music with her unique blend of traditional Maori musical elements and contemporary western grooves.
Now she has won the Grand Jury Prize of the 2003 International Songwriting Competition a major international accolade emerging the winner from over 11 000 entries. Moana Maniapoto has consistently pushed the boundaries of Maori music with her unique blend of traditional Maori musical elements and contemporary western grooves.
Now she has won the Grand Jury Prize of the 2003 International Songwriting Competition a major international accolade emerging the winner from over 11 000 entries."When MOKO reached the finals, I was thrilled but never expected to win the category it was placed in. So when competition organiser Candace Avery rang me from Nashville, with Lou Dorren on the line in San Francisco - I was totally gobsmacked. When she mentioned that it was the judging panel who selected my song as the best one, I was even more impressed. The panel included B.B King, CEOs of Universal, Atlantic, Mushroom and a host of other luminaries. Then Lou told me I had won a home recording studio courtesy of his firm worth $U.S21,000.

To visit Moana's website, go to http://www.moananz.com
Click here to hear the Grand Prize-winning song "Moko."