FKA twigs Earns Libera Awards Nomination for Video of the Year

FKA twigs is celebrating a Sad recognition…

The nominees for the 10th annual A2IM Libera Awards, presented by Merlin, have been revealed, with the 33-year-old part-Spanish singer earning a nod in one of the top categories.

FKA-twigs

FKA twigs is up for Video of the Year for her “Sad Day” clip. The song appears on her chart-topping album Magdalene.

Lido Pimienta has picked up a nod in the Best Alternative Rock Record category.

The 35-year-old Colombian Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter earned the nod for her acclaimed Miss Colombia album.

Raul Midon is nominated in the Best Jazz Record category.

The 55-year-old half-Argentine American singer-songwriter and guitarist earned the nod for his The Mirror album.

Bebel Gilberto has earned a nod in the Best World Record category.

The 54-year-old Brazilian American singer picked up the nod for her album Agora.

The Best Latin Record category features a competitive group of nominees, including Bad Bunny (El Último Tour Del Mundo), Gabriel Garzón-Montano (Agüita) and The Mavericks (En Español).

A2IM is the New York-based trade organization that works to strengthen the independent recorded music sector.

This marks the second year that the Libera Awards will be held as a livestreaming ceremony, open to the public. Produced by The Control Room, the June 17 show will feature performances from nominees as well as the presentation of this year’s Independent Icon Awards. This is the second year that Sweet Relief will serve as A2IM’s official charity partner for the Libera Awards. All proceeds raised during the show will be donated to career musicians and music industry professionals in need.

The Libera Awards are the culmination of Indie Week, the world’s largest independent music conference, taking place from June 14 to 17. Sponsored by SoundExchange, Indie Week features keynotes, panels, networking sessions and more. Indie Week 2021 will mark the second year A2IM will hold the event virtually.

“As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the A2IM Libera Awards, it is extremely satisfying to see the remarkable growth of the independent sector,” said Richard James Burgess, A2IM CEO. “The A2IM Libera Awards is an acknowledgement, celebration and representation of everything independents work so hard to accomplish.”

The 2021 Libera Awards are presented by Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner.

Voting is open to A2IM members until 11:59 p.m. ET on April 5. Follow A2IM on Instagram and Twitter for programming updates. RSVP to the Libera Awards by visiting A2IM’s YouTube page or liberaawards.com.To learn more about Indie Week 2021, visit a2im.org/indieweek.

Here’s a full list of 2021 Libera Award nominees:

Record of the Year
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher (Dead Oceans)
Run the Jewels – RTJ4 (Jewel Runners, Inc.)
Perfume Genius – Set My Heart On Fire Immediately (Matador Records)
Yves Tumor – Heaven To A Tortured Mind (Warp Records)
Thundercat – It Is What It Is (Brainfeeder)
Waxahatchee – Saint Cloud (Merge Records)

Video of the Year
FKA twigs – “Sad Day” (Young Turks)
Perfume Genius – “Describe” (Matador Records)
Phoebe Bridgers – “Savior Complex” (Dead Oceans)
Run the Jewels – “Ooh La La” (Jewel Runners, Inc.)
Christine and the Queens – “La vita nuova” (Because Music)
ford. – “Fruit&Sun” (Foreign Family Collective)

Best Live/Livestream Act
Run the Jewels (Jewel Runners, LLC.)
Phoebe Bridgers (Dead Oceans)
Fontaines D.C. (Partisan Records)
Perfume Genius (Matador Records)
Arca (XL Recordings)

Breakthrough Artist/Release (Presented by Ingrooves)
Arlo Parks (Transgressive/[PIAS])
Bonny Light Horseman (37d03d)
Overcoats (Loma Vista Recordings)
Arlo McKinley (Oh Boy Records)
Orion Sun (Mom + Pop Music)

A2IM Humanitarian Award
Rev. Moose (Marauder/NIVA)
Killer Mike & El-P of Run the Jewels (Jewel Runners, Inc.)
Megan Thee Stallion (300 Entertainment)
Paul Redding (Beggars Group)
Kevin Liles (300 Entertainment)

Best Alternative Rock Record
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher (Dead Oceans)
Soccer Mommy – Color Theory (Loma Vista Recordings)
Car Seat Headrest – Making A Door Less Open (Matador Records)
Lido Pimienta – Miss Colombia (Anti- Records)
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Sideways to New Italy (Sub Pop Records)

Best Americana Record
Bonny Light Horseman – Bonny Light Horseman (37d03d)
Kevin Morby – Sundowner (Dead Oceans)
Calexico – Seasonal Shift (Anti- Records)
Courtney Marie Andrews – Old Flowers (Fat Possum Records)
Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels (Highway 20/Thirty Tigers)

Best Blues Record
Bobby Rush – Rawer Than Raw (Deep Rush Records/Thirty Tigers)
Don Bryant – You Make Me Feel (Fat Possum Records)
Robert Cray Band – That’s What I Heard (Nozzle Records/Thirty Tigers)
Fantastic Negrito – Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? (Cooking Vinyl Ltd.)
Sonny Landreth – Blacktop Run (Provogue Records)

Best Classical Record
Erik Hall – Music for 18 Musicians (Steve Reich) (Western Vinyl)
Paul Moravec – Sanctuary Road (Naxos American Classics)
Echo Collective – The See Within (7K!)
Niklas Paschburg – Svalbard (7K!)
Vitamin String Quartet – Vitamin String Quartet Performs Lana Del Rey (CMH Label Group/Vitamin Records)

Best Country Record
Margo Price – That’s How Rumors Get Started (Loma Vista Recordings)
Waxahatchee – Saint Cloud (Merge Records)
Colter Wall – Western Swing & Waltzes And Other Punchy Songs (La Honda Records/Thirty Tigers)
Various Artists – Willie Nelson American Outlaw (Live At Bridgestone Arena/2019) (Blackbird Productions)
Jaime Wyatt – Neon Cross (New West Records)

Best Dance/Electronic Record
Caribou – Suddenly (Merge Records)
Arca – KiCk i (XL Recordings)
Ela Minus – acts of rebellion (Domino Recording Co.)
Yaeji – What We Drew (XL Recordings)
Actress – Karma & Desire (Ninja Tune)

Best Folk/Bluegrass Record
Ben Harper – Winter Is For Lovers (Anti- Records)
Angel Olsen- Whole New Mess (Jagjaguwar)
Gillian Welch – Boots No. 2: The Lost Songs (Acony Records)
Jason Molina – Eight Gates (Secretly Canadian)
Laura Marling – Song For Our Daughter (Partisan Records)

Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record (Presented by Virgin Music)
Run the Jewels – RTJ4 (Jewel Runners, Inc.)
clipping. – Visions of Bodies Being Burned (Sub Pop Records)
Little Simz – Drop 6 (AGE101/AWAL)
The Koreatown Oddity – Little Dominiques Nosebleed (Stones Throw Records)
Naeem – Startisha (37d03d)

Best Jazz Record (Presented by Qobuz)
Gil-Scott Heron & Makaya McCraven – We’re New Again – A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven (XL Recordings)
Jeff Parker – Suite for Max Brown (International Anthem)
Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge – Azymuth JID004 (Jazz Is Dead)
Christian McBride – The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons (Mack Avenue Music Group)
John Carroll Kirby – My Garden (Stones Throw Records)
Raul Midon – The Mirror (Artistry Music)
Jyoti – Mama, You Can Bet! (SomeOthaShip/eOne)

Best Latin Record
Bad Bunny – El Último Tour Del Mundo (Rimas Entertainment)
Gabriel Garzón-Montano – Agüita (Jagjaguwar in partnership with Stones Throw Records)
The Mavericks – En Español (Mono Mundo Recordings/Thirty Tigers)
Buscabulla – Regresa (Ribbon Music)
Jungle Fire – Jungle Fire (Nacional Records)

Best Metal Record
Architects – “Animals” (Epitaph Records)
HUM – Inlet (Earth Analog Records)
Ghostemane – Anti-Icon (Blackmage)
Ingested – Where Only Gods May Tread (Unique Leader Records)
Pyrrhon – Abscess Time (Willowtip Records)

Best Outlier Record (Presented by The Orchard)
Khruangbin – Mordechai (Dead Oceans)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Magic Oneohtrix Point Never (Warp Records)
Yves Tumor – Heaven To A Tortured Mind (Warp Records)
Beverly Glenn-Copeland – Transmissions (Transgressive/[PIAS])
Mary Lattimore – Silver Ladders (Ghostly International)
Moses Sumney – Græ (Jagjaguwar)

Best Punk Record
IDLES – Ultra Mono (Partisan Records)
Protomartyr – Ultimate Success Today (Domino Recording Co.)
METZ – Atlas Vending (Sub Pop Records)
Viagra Boys – Common Sense (YEAR0001/AWAL)
Porridge Radio – Every Bad (Secretly Canadian)

Best R&B Record
Thundercat – It Is What It Is (Brainfeeder)
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Texas Sun (Dead Oceans)
Robert Glasper – “Better Than I Imagined” (feat. H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello) (Loma Vista Recordings)
Son Little – aloha (Anti- Records)
Orion Sun – Hold Space For Me (Mom + Pop Music)
Steve Arrington – Down To The Lowest Terms (Stones Throw Records)

Best Rock Record (Presented by Mitchell; Silberberg & Knupp LLP)
Fontaines D.C. – A Hero’s Death (Partisan Records)
King Krule – Man Alive! (True Panther Sounds/Matador)
Bartees Strange – Mustang (Single Memory Music)
Bob Mould – Blue Hearts (Merge Records)
Caroline Rose – Superstar (New West Records)

Best Spiritual Record
Sun Ra Arkestra – Swirling (STRUT)
Lecrae – Restoration (Reach Records)
Jon Hopkins – “Singing Bowl (Ascension)” (Domino Recording Co.)
Thad Cockrell – If In Case You Feel The Same (ATO Records)
Wande – EXIT (Reach Records)

Best World Record (Presented by Redeye Worldwide)
Antibalas – Fu Chronicles (Daptone Records)
Bebel Gilberto – Agora ([PIAS])
Altin Gün – “Ordunun Dereleri” (ATO Records)
Songhoy Blues – Optimisme (Fat Possum Records)
Emel – The Tunis Diaries (Partisan Records)

Best Re-Issue
J Dilla – Donuts (Jelly Edition) (Stones Throw Records)
Pylon – Pylon Box (New West Records)
Hiroshi Yoshimura – GREEN (Light In The Attic)
Pixies – Bossanova 30th Anniversary Reissue (4AD)
Motorhead – Ace of Spades 40th Anniversary (Sanctuary Records)
Elliott Smith – Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition (Kill Rock Stars)
Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump 20th Anniversary Collection (Dangerbird Records)

Best Sync Usage
Run the Jewels (Jewel Runners, Inc.) – “Ooh LA LA” – Season three of Netflix’s Ozark
Black Pumas (ATO Records) “Colors” – Samsung Galaxy S20
Brittany Howard (ATO Records) “You’ll Never Walk Alone” – Johnnie Walker’s #KeepWalking Campaign
Blood Orange (Domino Recording Co.) “Tuesday Feeling (Choose to Stay)” – Season four of HBO’s Insecure
IDLES (Partisan Records) “Grounds” – Watch Dogs: Legion

Creative Packaging
Soccer Mommy – Color Theory limited edition back to school binder (Loma Vista Recordings)
Black Pumas – Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition) – ATO Records
Perfume Genius – Set My Heart On Fire Immediately vinyl (Matador Records)
Pylon – Pylon Box [CD Box Set](New West Records)
IDLES – Ultra Mono (Partisan Records)

Independent Champion (Presented by Merlin)
Bandcamp
SoundExchange
Secretly Distribution
TuneCore
The Orchard

Marketing Genius
Jewel Runners, LLC – Run the Jewels x Cyberpunk2077 “No Save Point”
Beggars Group – Supporting Indie Retail #loverecordstores Campaign
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher (Dead Oceans)
Light In The Attic – Social Media & Digital Marketing
Perfume Genius – Set My Heart On Fire Immediately Campaign (Matador Records)

Label of the Year (Big) (Presented by ADA)
Partisan Records
Sub Pop Records
Warp Records
Stones Throw Records
Ninja Tune

Label of the Year (Medium)
Light In The Attic
Sacred Bones Records
Matador Records
Ghostly International
Rough Trade Records

Label of the Year (Small) (Presented by Spotify)
Daptone Records
Innovative Leisure
Fire Talk Records
International Anthem
Hardly Art
Oh Boy Records

Jhené Aiko to Host the Grammy Awards’ Premiere Ceremony

Jhené Aiko is makin’ a little Grammy history…

The 32-year-old part-Spanish and part-Dominican American singer will host the Grammy AwardsPremiere Ceremony, taking place at noon PT on March 14, where the vast majority of the Grammys are awarded.

Jhené Aiko

At 5:00 pm, Aiko will shift her attention to the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, where her Chilombo is nominated for album of the year.

This is the first time the host of the Premiere Ceremony has been an album of the year nominee.

Chilombo is also nominated for best progressive R&B album. Aiko has a third nomination this year, best R&B performance for “Lightning & Thunder.”

Aiko will be compensated for her efforts, as will all seven performers at the Premiere Ceremony, who are all current Grammy nominees.

The performers (and the categories in which they are nominated) are Burna Boy (best global music album for Twice As Tall), Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science (best jazz instrumental album for The Waiting Game), Jimmy “Duck” Holmes (best traditional blues album for Cypress Grove), pianist Igor Levit (best classical instrumental solo for Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas), Lido Pimienta (best Latin rock or alternative album for Miss Colombia), Poppy (best metal performance for “Bloodmoney”) and Rufus Wainwright (best traditional pop vocal album for Unfollow the Rules).

Kicking off the event will be a performance celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Marvin Gaye classic “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology).”

The artists who will perform the song are Grammy nominees], including Afro-Peruvian Jazz Orchestra, Thana Alexa, John Beasley, Camilo, Regina Carter, Alexandre Desplat, Bebel Gilberto, Lupita Infante, Sarah Jarosz, Mykal Kilgore, Ledisi, Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez, PJ Morton, Gregory Porter, Grace Potter, säje, Gustavo Santaolalla (Bajofondo), Anoushka Shankar, and Kamasi Washington.

“Mercy Mercy Me” was one of the standout tracks on Gaye’s landmark album, What’s Going On. The album was severely under-recognized at the Grammys for 1971. Gaye’s only nomination that year was for another track on the album, “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler),” which was nominated for best R&B vocal performance, male.

Bill Burr, Chika, Infante and Jimmy Jam, former Recording Academy chair, will present the first Grammy Awards of the day.

Imogen Heap hosted last year’s Premiere Ceremony. Shaggy hosted the event two years ago.

The Premiere Ceremony will stream live internationally on Grammy.com. The Grammy telecast will be broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+ from 8:00–11:30 p.m. ET and 5:00–8:30 p.m. PT.

Blacc Covers Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” for amfAR’s New AIDS Benefit Compilation, “The Time is Now”

Aloe Blacc is giving one of the King of Pop’s hits a modern makeover… And, it’s all for charity.

The 37-year-old Panamanian American singer-songwriter, who is participating in Netflix’s animated Beatles-themed series Beat Bugs, is one of the featured artists on for amfAR‘s new AIDS benefit compilation, The Time is Now.

Aloe Blacc

The 14-track, 1980s-inspired covers album will be released October 7 via Republic Records and Mass Appeal with proceeds benefiting AIDS research foundation amfAR.

The first track released from the set is Blacc’s bluesy cover of Michael Jackson‘s classic “Billie Jean.”

In addition to Blacc, the compilation album includes tracks by Phantogram, DNCE, LP, Theophilus London and more.

Among the songs featured on the new album are Tina Turner‘s “What’s Love Got to Do With It” revamped by DNCE, Dita Von Teese and Sebastien Tellier taking on Culture Club‘s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” and New Order‘s “Bizarre Love Triangle” covered by Sugar for Sugar, a band consisting of Scarlett Johansson, Julia Haltigan, Holly Miranda and Kendra Morris.

The 14-track covers album will be released October 7 via Republic Records and Mass Appeal with proceeds benefiting AIDS research foundation amfAR.

Here’s the full track list below.

“Take Me Home” (Phil Collins), Performer: Phantogram
“Bizarre Love Triangle” (New Order), Performer: Sugar for Sugar
“Under the Milky Way” (The Church), Performer: Metric
“Whip It” (Devo), Performer: Brazilian Girls
“Rio” (Duran Duran), Performer: Bebel Gilberto
“What’s Love Got to Do With It” (Tina Turner), Performer: DNCE
“Billie Jean”(Michael Jackson), Performer: Aloe Blacc
“Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” (Culture Club), Performer: Dita Von Teese and Sebastien Tellier
“Maneater” (Hall & Oates), Performer: Lower Dens
“Genius of Love” (Tom Tom Club), Performer: Chaos Chaos
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” (Whitney Houston), Performer: Marian Hill
“Pride (In the Name of Love)” (U2), Performer: LP
“Lovesong” (The Cure), Performer: Yuna
“Dance Hall Days” (Wang Chung), Performer: Theophilus London

Buika to Perform at This Year’s Blue Note Jazz Festival

Buika is ready to jazz up one of New York’s most popular events.

The 42-year-old Afro-Spanish torch singer is among the artists set to bring a little Latin sabor to the Blue Note Jazz Festival in June.

Buika

Along with Buika, Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez, neo-bossa nova artist Bebel Gilberto, and Latin Grammy-nominee Natalie Cole will also perform at the event.

The month-long festival will feature an increased Latin music presence during its fifth edition due to the addition of a new Blue Note Entertainment venue in Manhattan. The Latin and World music club Subrosa, which has hosted shows since late 2014, will have its official opening April 14-20.

During the Blue Note Festival, Subrosa will host concerts by Martinez, Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodríguez, Latin soul group Fulaso, and The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra.

Buika, who performs frequently for diverse New York audiences, will play Town Hall, as will Natalie Cole, who will sing cuts from her 2013 Natalie Cole en Español album during another show. Flamenco jazz guitarist Ottmar Liebert, with band Luna Negra, are scheduled for B.B. King’s Blues Club. Gilberto and Latin jazz staple Gato Barbieri will both perform at the Blue Note Jazz Club.

Latin music fans could also be drawn to a concert at Town Hall by Freshlyground. The African collective became known worldwide after collaborating with Shakira on “Waka Waka.” The group will give a concert at B.B. King’s during the Blue Note festival.

Gilberto to Perform During the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Series

Bebel Gilberto is preparing to bring a little bossa nova to Brooklyn…

The 47-year-old Brazilian American singer, who was born in New York City, has been added to the list of headliners for the Celebrate Brooklyn! performing arts series, one of the nation’s longest-running free summer festivals.

Bebel Gilberto

The Grammy– and Latin Grammy-nominated singer will perform alongside Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, drummer and percussionist Vinicius Cantuaria on July 18.

Meanwhile, the Latin, hip hop, and rock bandOzomatli will also perform during this year’s event series. The Grammy-winning seven-piece band will take the stage on June 18.

As Brooklyn’s cachet as a center of musical culture has grown, the reputation of Celebrate Brooklyn! has also risen. After debuting in 1979 during darker days for New York City, in an effort to draw visitors back into Prospect Park, the festival both boosted and benefited from the renaissance of Brooklyn.

Although Brooklyn is only one of the five boroughs that make up New York, its population of 2.6 million means it would rank as the fourth-largest city in the U.S., were it independent. The borough boasts a rich ethnic mix and a tradition of home-grown musicians, the two factors that give Celebrate Brooklyn its distinctive place on the U.S. festival circuit.

Jack Walsh, executive producer of the festival, who has helped guide Celebrate Brooklyn! for more than 30 years, creates a lineup of musical genres and performing arts that reflects that diversity.

Celebrate Brooklyn! will open June 4 with a show by Janelle Monáe in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

Other performers include Nickel Creek, St. Vincent, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Amos Lee.

Celebrate Brooklyn! Lineup:

Janelle Monáe (June 4)
Soul Rebels (June 7)
A celebration of the music of Ornette Coleman (June 12)
Ozomatli (June 14)
Amos Lee (June 20)
the Dum Dum Girls (June 21)
War Paint (June 26)
Shovel & Rope (June 27)
Luciano (June 28)
The Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Talib Kweli (July 5)
Illya Kuryaki and the Valderamas (July 10)
The Alloy Orchestra (July 12)
Shen Wei Dance (July 17)
Bebel Gilberto and Vinicius Cantuaria (July 18)
Deltron 3030 (July 19)
Nickel Creek (July 24)
Screening of the 2002 film Amandia: A Revolution In Four-Part Harmony, featuring Miriam Makeba, Abdullah Ibrahim and Hugh Masekela (July 25)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (July 26)
Dance Theater of Harlem (July 31)
Jimmy Bosch and Su Estrellas (Aug. 1)
Kes The Band (Aug. 2)
Altan (Aug. 7)
the Asian Dub Foundation (Aug. 8)
St. Vincent (Aug. 9)

The ticketed benefit concerts to benefit the festival will be staged with Jack Johnson on June 10, the National on June 18 and 19, and Neutral Milk Hotel on July 22.

Santana’s Official 2014 FIFA World Anthem “Dar Um Jeito” Released

Santana has found a way to get soccer fans excited about the upcoming World Cup…

The FIFA single “Dar Um Jeito” (“We Will Find A Way”), featuring the 66-year-old Mexican musician, Wyclef, Avicii and Brazilian singer Alexandre Pire, has just been released on digital music outlets and Vevo.

Carlos SantanaCarlos Santana

Featuring the Brazilian drum beats that have become the soundtrack theme of the 2014 World Cup, and Santana’s signature electric guitar, the single – the official 2014 FIFA World Anthem — instantly transports you to Rio de Janeiro.

Santana, Wyclef, Avicii and will perform together at the July 13 World Cup closing match in Brazil.

The anthem is not to be confused with the previously released official World Cup song, “We Are One,” featuring Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Brazilian star Claudia Leitte.

Both songs will be included on the 2014 FIFA World Cup album, to be released May 12 on RCA in the U.S., which will include a total of 14 stadium-friendly tracks by artists including World Cup hitmakers Ricky Martin and Shakira, Sergio Mendes, The Isley Brothers and Bebel Gilberto.

Saldanha’s “Rio 2” Breaks Animated Film Records in Brazil

Carlos Saldanha has plenty of reason to get animated…

The 49-year-old Brazilian animated film director’s latest project Rio 2, the sequel to 2011’s beloved film Rio, has made history in Brazil.

Carlos Saldanha

The film had the biggest opening ever for an animated film in the South American country.

The Blue Sky Studios project from Saldanha, who hails from the titular town, took off with $7.3 million to edge out the prior record-holder, Madagascar 3.

The film’s voice cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Bruno Mars, George Lopez, will.i.am, Rodrigo Santoro, Jake T. Austin, Bebel Gilberto, Andy Garcia, Rita Moreno, Kristin Chenowith, Natalie Morales and Janelle Monáe.

Rio 2 will be released in the United States on April 11.