Fat Freddy’s Drop bag iconic prize

The award, in its second year, is given to a local artist who boasts outstanding success in the official charts over an extended period. Last year’s winner was Six60.

Fat Freddy’s Drop, at first an eight-piece act, formed in Wellington in 1999. By 2005, the band was already well on its way to becoming a household name in New Zealand thanks to their live performances.

Listen to an interview with vocalist Dallas Tamaira on RNZ’s Morning Report, Thursday.

That year, the group’s debut studio album, Based On A True Story (BOATS) debuted at number one in the New Zealand music charts, and went gold the same day. The album went on to spend 10 weeks at number one (a first by a New Zealand artist) and it remained in the top 40 for 112 weeks, making it the longest-charting album by a local artist in New Zealand history.

The album earned them four Tūī awards, including album of the year. They went on to bag four more, including a prize for international achievement in 2016.

More recently, Fat Freddy’s Drop has been back in the Top 40 four times since 2020, bringing their overall career charts run to 251 weeks.

Fat Freddy’s Drop is currently in the throws of the BOATS anniversary tour, which includes a string of sold-out shows around Australia, Aotearoa, Europe and the UK.

The 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards will be held 28 May at The Civic in Tāmaki Makaurau. Hosted by Kara Rickard and comedian Tom Sainsbury, AMA 2026 will be livestreamed on RNZ.