New Zealand singer-songwriter Aly Cook is returning to the Kiwi Pro-Am National Country Music Awards in Hamilton on Saturday to present the Horizon Award winner with a Maton guitar.
Cook was the recipient of the Kiwi Pro-Am New Zealand Female Country Artist of the Year in 2012 and is endorsed by Maton Guitars in Australia.
“I have arranged the Maton sponsorship for this year’s award winner, ” says Cook.
While in Australia Cook also tutored at a song writing retreat at The Dag Sheep Station in Nundle NSW, where funding from APRA (NZ) was also secured.
“I have bought that to the Hamilton awards so one of the finalists of the Horizon Award will win five days at the song writing retreat next July with all airfares included courtesy of APRA.” Cook says she enjoys helping and inspiring budding country artists to fuel and promote the genre.
“It is part of my ethos, ” she says.
Cook has also been busy for the past year writing songs for her new album Horseshoe Radio Hotel, due for release in October. It is the follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut, Brand New Day in 2009.
Both albums were funded by the
