Eighteen-year-old Kawerau singer-songwriter Nikau Grace was up for two awards at last night’s Aotearoa Music Awards.

Grace was nominated for the People’s Choice Award alongside artists Stan Walker, Alien Weaponry, Lorde and Troy Kingi.

She was also nominated for the Mana Reo Award for her waiata, He Aha Te Aha, featuring Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue, which was commissioned and featured on Waiata Anthems last year.

The waiata is a memorial song for the 28th Māori Battalion and other New Zealand soldiers.

She was up against artists including Hamo Dell, Marlon Williams, MOHI, Rob Ruha and Walker for the Mana Reo award.

Grace said she was excited when she found out about the nominations.

“I pulled over and called my mum” she said.

She also said she did not realise she had been nominated for two awards until she saw a friend post a photo of her under the People’s Choice category on social media.

The Beacon spoke to Grace before the event, when she said she was excited to attend the awards as a finalist and expected to be starstruck seeing celebrities there.

“It’s a real privilege to be amongst such amazing people,” she said.

Grace said it was an awesome opportunity, especially after previously attending the awards when Dame Hinewehi Mohi was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

“This time I’m going as a finalist and walking the red carpet,” she said.

Grace’s first solo show, Ko Au, Ko Koe, is coming up in June, and she said she had taken charge creatively by giving it the narrative of strong wāhine.

She will perform a mix of original songs and covers across a range of genres, from musicals and opera to pop.

Grace said the experience of preparing for the show had been “a roller coaster”, but she was looking forward to the rest of the process and hoped people enjoyed the show.

Her aim is for the audience to feel comfortable and part of the experience rather than simply watching the performance.

Although the show focuses on strong wāhine, she said it was intended to be enjoyable for anyone who attended.

The solo show is on June 27 at the Civic Theatre in Auckland. It starts at 6.30pm and runs for an hour, with tickets available through Ticketmaster.

Grace encouraged young people to follow their hearts, set goals that seem impossible, and work hard to achieve them, advice she said has helped guide her own journey to becoming an Aotearoa Music Awards finalist at just 18 years old.

“Little me had the courage to set these insane goals, so it’s my job to make them come true for her,” she said.