Lorde is fast becoming an international superstar, so it’s not surprising that she is also getting recognised in her own country. The 16-year-old Kiwi songstress has been shortlisted in the prestigious Apra Silver Scroll Award for 2013.

The Silver Scroll Awards is considered the most prestigious songwriting awards in New Zealand, where nominees are nominated on their songs’ merits rather than sales.

Lorde’s “Royals” will be up against Anna Coddington’s “Bird in Hand, Cy Winstanley’s “Complicated Man,” The Phoenix Foundations’ “Thames Soup,” and Aaradhna’s “Wake Up.”

“Hundreds of entries representing thousands of songwriting hours have been whittled down to the top five songs in line for the 2013 Apra Silver Scroll Awards. We are proud to be able to pay homage to this exceptional collection of exquisitely crafted songs,” Apra’s Anthony Healey was quoted by Fairfax NZ News as saying.

Apra will announce the winner on October 15 at the Vector Arena in Auckland.

In August, Lorde broke records in the U.S. by becoming the first female solo act in 17 years to top the Billboard Alternative Songs Charts with “Royals.” The track also peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Meanwhile, the Auckland student, whose real name Ella Yelich-O’Connor, has released a new single titled “Team.” It will hit stores on September 27.

“In that song, there are a few lines which are kind of me being the ‘realistic’ pop star: ‘We live in cities you’ll never see onscreen,’ which is like, no one comes to New Zealand, no one knows anything about New Zealand, and here I am, trying to grow up an become a person,” Lorde said of her single “Team” to Billboard.com.

“I’ve been countering that with going to New York and seeing this place that’s in every movie and every TV show. Part of me wanted to go back to writing for me and for my friends, and write something that I felt related to us a little bit.”

Listen to “Team”

Related:
Selena Gomez Covers Lorde’s Hit ‘Royals [Read]

Lorde Launches Debut Album ‘Pure Heroine’ At Intimate Auckland Show [Read]

Lorde Takes Over Billboard; Kiwi Teen Singer Becomes First Woman In 17 Years To Top Chart [Read]

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