The Linda Lindas Earn Two Libera Awards Nominations from American Association of Independent Music, Inc.

The Linda Lindas are feeling Libera-ated

A2IM (The American Association of Independent Music, Inc.) has announced the nominees for the 2023 Libera Awards, with the all-girl rock band earning two nods.

The Linda LindasThe Linda Lindas, comprised of Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong, Lucia de la Garza and Mila de la Garza, is nominated for Breakthrough Artist.

In addition, the band is up for Best Punk Record for their album Growing Up.

Calexico is nominated for Best American Roots Record for the band’s latest album El Mirador.

Rodrigo y Gabriela (Weird Fishes/Arpeggi) and Los Bitchos (Let the Festivities Begin!) are nominated in the Best Global Record category for.

Adrian Quesada’s band The Black Pumas are nominated for Best Live/Livestream Act.

The Best Latin Record nominees include Adrian Quesada (Boleros Psicodélicos),
Combo Chimbita (IRE), Eliane Elias (Quietude), Flora Purim (If You Will), Helado Negro (Ya No Astoy Aquí), Sessa (Estrela Acesa) and Silvana Estrada (Marchita).

The Libera Awards will take place at the historic Town Hall in New York City on June 15. The A2IM is a not-for-profit trade association that represents independent music recording owners and advocates for music owners on a policy level to ensure fair compensation for their work.

“Huge congratulations to all our talented and accomplished nominees for the 12th annual A2IM Libera Awards,” Dr. Richard James Burgess, president and CEO of A2IM, said in a press statement. “The A2IM Libera Awards is the world’s largest award show for the diverse universe of independent music and this year’s event will be the biggest and best to date.”

Here’s the full list of nominations below:

Record of the Year

Alvvays – Blue Rev (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork (4AD)
Plains – I Walked With You A Ways (ANTI-)
Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems (Epitaph)
The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention (XL Recordings)
Wet Leg – Wet Leg (Domino Recording Co.)

Label of the Year (5 or fewer employees)

Don Giovanni Records
Fire Talk
Innovative Leisure
Oh Boy Records
Topshelf Records

Label of the Year (6-14 employees)

Captured Tracks
City Slang
Daptone Records
Glassnote Records
Saddle Creek
Yep Roc Records

Label of the Year (15 or more employees)

ATO Records
Hopeless Records
Merge Records
New West Records
Ninja Tune
Partisan Records
Sub Pop Records
Third Man Records
Warp Records

A2IM Humanitarian Award

Allison Russell
Björk
Hopeless Records
Killer Mike
Margo Price
Tegan and Sara

Independent Champion

Aaron Axelsen
Bandcamp
FUGA
Redeye
Secretly Distribution
TuneCore

Video of the Year presented by YouTube Music

Amanda Shires – Hawk For The Dove (ATO Records)
Fontaines D.C. – Jackie Down The Line (Partisan Records)
JayWood – Thank You (Captured Tracks)
NoSo – Parasites (Partisan Records)
Wet Leg – Ur Mum (Domino Recording Co.)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Spitting Off the Edge of the World (Secretly Canadian)

Breakthrough Artist/Release

Allison Russell (Fantasy Records)
Charlotte Sands (CS Records/Lakeside)
Soul Glo (Epitaph)
Sudan Archives (Stones Throw Records)
The Linda Lindas (Epitaph)

Best Alternative Rock Record

Alvvays – Blue Rev (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork (4AD)
Mitski – Laurel Hell (Dead Oceans)
Nilüfer Yanya – Painless (ATO Records)
Wet Leg – Wet Leg (Domino Recording Co.)

Best American Roots Record

49 Winchester – Fortune Favors the Bold (New West Records)
Angel Olsen – Big Time (Jagjaguwar)
Calexico – El Mirador (ANTI-)
Charley Crockett – The Man From Waco (Son of Davy/Thirty Tigers)
Kevin Morby – This Is A Photograph (Dead Oceans)
Nikki Lane – Denim & Diamonds (New West Records)

Best Blues Record

Ben Harper – Bloodline Maintenance (Chrysalis)
Delbert McClinton – Outdated Emotion (Hot Shot Records/Thirty Tigers)
North Mississippi Allstars – Set Sail (New West Records)
Shemekia Copeland – Done Come Too Far (Alligator Records)
G. Love – Philadelphia Mississippi (Philadelphonic Records/Thirty Tigers)
John Mayall – The Sun Is Shining Down (Forty Below Records)

Best Classical Record

Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn – Pigments (Merge Records)
Deru – We Will Live On (Friends of Friends)
doeke – memorie (Nettwerk Music Group)
James Heather – Invisible Forces (Ahead Of Our Time)
Jonas Colstrup – At the Crest (!7K Records)
Sean Shibe – Lost & Found (Pentatone)

Best Country Record

Colter Wall – Cypress Hills and the Big Country (La Honda Records/Thirty Tigers)
Dolly Parton – Run, Rose, Run (Butterfly Records)
Joshua Hedley – Neon Blue (New West Records)
Lavender Country – Blackberry Rose (Don Giovanni Records)
Margo Price – Change of Heart (Loma Vista Recordings)
Plains – I Walked With You A Ways (ANTI-)
Steve Earle and The Dukes – JERRY JEFF (New West Records)

Best Dance Record

Bicep – Water (Ninja Tune)
Jungle – GOOD TIMES / PROBLEMZ (AWAL)
Kelela – Happy Ending (Warp Records)
Logic1000 – Can’t Stop Thinking About (Therapy/Because Music)
Romy feat. Fred Again… – Strong (Young)
Theo Parrish – DJ-Kicks (!K7 Records)

Best Electronic Record presented by Ingrooves

Bonobo – Fragments (Ninja Tune)
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – Topical Dancer (DEEWEE/Because Music)
Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B (Rough Trade Records)
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Let’s Turn It Into Sound (Ghostly International)
ODESZA – The Last Goodbye (Ninja Tune/Foreign Family Collective)
Shygirl – Nymph (Because Music)
Sylvan Esso – No Rules Sandy (Loma Vista Recordings)

Best Folk Record

Aoife O’Donovan – Age of Apathy (Yep Roc Records)
Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (4AD)
Christian Lee Hutson – Quitters (ANTI-)
Julia Jacklin – PRE PLEASURE (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Skullcrusher – Quiet The Room (Secretly Canadian)

Best Global Record presented by Redeye Worldwide

Dungen – En Är För Mycket och Tusen Aldrig Nog (Mexican Summer)
Ibibio Sound Machine – Electricity (Merge Records)
Los Bitchos – Let the Festivities Begin! (City Slang)
Mdou Moctar – Afrique Refait (Matador Records)
Rodrigo y Gabriela – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (ATO Records)
Tinariwen – Kel Tinariwen (Wedge)
Vieux Farka Touré et Khruangbin – Ali (Dead Oceans)

Best Heavy Record

Bad Omens – The Death of Peace of Mind (Sumerian Records)
Beartooth – Riptide (Red Bull Records)
black midi – Hellfire (Rough Trade Records)
Russian Circles – Gnosis (Sargent House)
Show Me The Body – Trouble The Water (Loma Vista Recordings)
Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems (Epitaph)

Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record presented by Virgin Music

Danger Mouse & Black Thought – Cheat Codes (BMG)
Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See My Future (Loma Vista Recordings)
Kenny Beats – LOUIE (XL Recordings)
Run The Jewels – RTJ CU4TRO (BMG)
Saba – Few Good Things (Pivot Gang LLC)
Sampa The Great – As Above, So Below (Loma Vista Recordings)

Best Jazz Record

Ezra Collective – Where I’m Meant To Be (Partisan Records)
Kamasi Washington – The Garden Path (Young)
Leland Whitty – Anyhow (Innovative Leisure)
Sun Ra Arkestra – Living Sky (Omni Sound)
Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton, Matthew Stevens – new STANDARDS Vol. 1 (Candid Records)

Best Latin Record

Adrian Quesada – Boleros Psicodélicos (ATO Records)
Combo Chimbita – IRE (ANTI-)
Eliane Elias – Quietude (Candid Records)
Flora Purim – If You Will (STRUT Records)
Helado Negro – Ya No Astoy Aquí (4AD)
Sessa – Estrela Acesa (Mexican Summer)
Silvana Estrada – Marchita (Glassnote Records)

Best Live/Livestream Act

Bartees Strange – Live at the Getty (4AD)
Black Pumas – Colors Live at Abbey Road Studios (ATO Records)
IDLES – Live on ‘From The Basement’ (Partisan Records)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard at Red Rocks (KGLW)
Low – Live (Sub Pop Records)
Phoebe Bridgers – Glastonbury 2022 (Dead Oceans)
Wet Leg – US 2022 tour (Domino Recording Co.)

Best Outlier Record

Animal Collective – Time Skiffs (Domino Recording Co.)
Matisyahu – Matisyahu (Fallen Sparks Records/Thirty Tigers)
Moor Mother – Jazz Codes (ANTI-)
Nick Hakim – COMETA (ATO Records)
NNAMDÏ – Please Have A Seat (Secretly Canadian/Sooper Records)
yeule – Glitch Princess (Bayonet Records)

Best Pop Record

Björk – Fossora (One Little Independent/MRI)
Let’s Eat Grandma – Two Ribbons (Transgressive Records)
Lucius – Second Nature (Mom + Pop Music)
MUNA – MUNA (Saddest Factory Records)
NoSo – Stay Proud of Me (Partisan Records)
Rina Sawayama – Hold The Girl (Dirty Hit)
Tegan and Sara – Crybaby (Mom + Pop Music)

Best Punk Record

Big Joanie – Back Home (Kill Rock Stars)
Special Interest – Endure (Rough Trade Records)
The Linda Lindas – Growing Up (Epitaph)
The Wonder Years – The Hum Goes On Forever (Hopeless Records)
Wu-Lu – LOGGERHEAD (Warp Records)

Best R&B Record

Bettye LaVette – Let Me Down Easy: Bettye LaVette In Memphis Sun Records 70th / Remastered 2022 (Sun Label Group, LLC)
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Texas Moon (Dead Oceans)
Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen (Stones Throw Records)
Thee Sacred Souls – Thee Sacred Souls (Daptone Records)
Yaya Bey – Remember Your North Star (Big Dada/Ninja Tune)

Best Re-Issue

Bon Iver – Bon Iver, 10th Anniversary Edition (Jagjaguwar)
Fela Kuti – Fela with Ginger Baker Live! (Partisan Records)
Karen Dalton – In My Own Time, 50th Anniversary Edition (Light In The Attic Records)
Lou Reed – Words & Music, May 1965, Deluxe Edition (Light In The Attic Records)
Nancy Sinatra – Nancy & Lee (Light In The Attic Records)
Neko Case – Wild Creatures (ANTI-)
Ray Charles – A Message From The People (Tangerine Records)

Best Remix

ACRAZE + Tiësto – Do It To It (Tiësto Mix) (Thrive Music)
Bartees Strange – Wretched (keiyaA Remix) (4AD)
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – Cliché (Soulwax Remix) (DEEWEE/Because Music)
Clipping – Nothing Is Safe (remx) (Sub Pop Records)
Hiatus Kaiyote – Get Sun (Georgia Anne Muldrow Remix) (Brainfeeder/Ninja Tune)
Nilüfer Yanya – Midnight Sun (Sampha remix) (ATO Records)
Wet Leg – Too Late Now (Soulwax Remix) (Domino Recording Co.)

Best Rock Record

Built to Spill – When The Wind Forgets Your Name (Sub Pop Records)
Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia (Partisan Records)
Jack White – Fear of the Dawn (Third Man Records)
Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever (Loma Vista Recordings)
Spoon – Lucifer On The Sofa (Matador Records)

Best Short-Form Video

Belle And Sebastian – Scooter (Matador Records)
Black Midi – Hellfire TikTok promotion (Rough Trade Records)
Boy Harsher – The Runner (City Slang)
Cigarettes After Sex – Pistol (Partisan Records)
Kenny Beats – LOUIE 001 Instagram vignette series (XL Recordings)
Toro y Moi – MAHAL TikTok series (Dead Oceans)

Best Singer-Songwriter Record

Aldous Harding – Warm Chris (4AD)
Allison Russell Feat. Brandi Carlile – You’re Not Alone (Fantasy Records)
Beth Orton – Weather Alive (Partisan Records)
MJ Lenderman – Boat Songs (Dear Life Records)
Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow (Sub Pop Records)

Best Soul/Funk Record

Lee Fields – Sentimental Fool (Daptone Records)
Ray Charles – Live In Stockholm 1972 (Tangerine Records)
SERATONES – Love & Algorhythms (New West Records)
St. Paul & The Broken Bones – The Alien Coast (ATO Records)
Swamp Dogg – I Need A Job…So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune (Don Giovanni)

Best Spiritual Record

Brent Cobb – And Now, Let’s Turn to Page… (Ol’ Buddy Records/Thirty Tigers)
Israel & New Breed – Worship Anywhere: Live from Camp NewBreed (District 11 Entertainment)
Lecrae – Church Clothes 4 (Reach Records)
Montell Fish – JAMIE (Lord’s Child)
The Harlem Gospel Travelers – Look Up! (Colemine Records)

Self-Released Record of the Year

Echosmith – Cool Kids (our version) (Echosmith)
Jessie Baylin – Jersey Girl (Missing Piece Record/The Orchard)
Rita Wilson – Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets (Sing it Loud)
Sarah Davachi – Two Sisters (Late Music)
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – When the Lights Go (Nice Age)

Best Sync Usage

Angel Olsen – Go Home, Empire of Light Trailer (Jagjaguwar)
Fela Kuti – Water No Get Enemy, Airbnb (Partisan Records)
Lawrence – Don’t Lose Sight, Microsoft (Beautiful Mind / Lakeside)
Sinéad O’Connor – Drink Before the War, Euphoria (Chrysalis Records)
Stereolab – A Flower Called Nowhere, Atlanta (Warp Records)

Creative Packaging

Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There, Deluxe (Ninja Tune)
Jack White – 2022 Collectors’ Set (Third Man Records)
Lou Reed – Words & Music, May 1965, Deluxe Edition (Light In The Attic Records)
Mitski – Laurel Hell (Dead Oceans)
My Morning Jacket – Circuital, Deluxe Edition (ATO Records)
Sleep – Dopesmoker, Weedian High-Fi Edition (Third Man Records)

Marketing Genius

Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia (Partisan Records)
Ghost – IMPERA (Loma Vista Recordings)
Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen (Stones Throw Records)
Wet Leg – Wet Leg (Domino Recording Co.)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cool It Down (Secretly Canadian)

Madi Diaz Wins A2IM Libera Award for Best Americana Record

Madi Diaz is feeling Libera-rated

The 2022 A2IM Libera Awards have been doled out, with the 36-year-old half-Peruvian American singer-songwriter and musician among the winners.

Madi DiazDiaz received the award for Best Americana Record for her acclaimed album History of a Feeling.

The Best Latin Record award went to Helado Negro.

The Ecuadorian American musician, whose real name is Roberto Carlos Lange, won the award for his album Far In.

Mexican & Asian rock group The Linda Lindas won the award for Best Punk Record for their viral hit single “Racist, Sexist Boy” (Live at LA Public).

U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-CA) received the Congressional Independent Music Guardian award for her continued support of indie music.

The awards were presented at Webster Hall in New York City on Thursday, June 16, and also, in a different format, online on A2IM’s official YouTube channel.

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) sponsors the Libera Awards. A2IM is a not-for-profit trade organization headquartered in New York City that works to support the independent recorded music sector. Membership includes nearly 700 independently-owned American music labels.

Here’s the full list winners from the 2022 A2IM Libera Awards:

Record of the year: Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee (Dead Oceans)
Self-released record of the year: Cautious Clay – Deadpan Love (Cautious Clay)
Video of the year: Wet Leg – “Chaise Longue” (Domino Recording Co.)
Label of the year (big) (tie): mom+pop music; Matador Records
Label of the year (medium): Sacred Bones Records
Label of the year (small): Oh Boy Records
A2IM humanitarian award: Common
Best alternative rock record: Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee (Dead Oceans)
Best Americana record: Madi Diaz – History of a Feeling (ANTI-)
Best blues record (tie): Cedric Burnside – I Be Trying (Single Lock Records); Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – 662 (Alligator Records)
Best classical record: Bryce Dessner, Australian String Quartet, Sydney Dance Company – Impermanence/Disintegration (37d03d)
Best country record: Sturgill Simpson – The Ballad of Dood & Juanita (High Top Mountain Records / Thirty Tigers)
Best dance record: Jungle – Loving In Stereo (AWAL)
Best electronic record: 박혜진 Park Hye Jin – Before I Die (Ninja Tune)
Best folk/bluegrass record (tie): Hand Habits – Fun House (Saddle Creek); Jose Gonzalez – Local Valley (Mute)
Best heavy record: Deafheaven – Infinite Granite (Sargent House)
Best hip-hop/rap record: Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (AWAL)
Best jazz record: BADBADNOTGOOD – Talk Memory (XL Recordings/Innovative Leisure)
Best Latin record: Helado Negro – Far In (4AD)
Best live/livestream act: Mdou Moctar – “Live at the Niger River”
Best outlier record: L’Rain – Fatigue (Mexican Summer)
Best pop record: Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams (Transgressive/[PIAS])
Best punk record: The Linda Lindas – “Racist, Sexist Boy” (Live at LA Public Library) (Epitaph)
Best R&B record: Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant (Brainfeeder (Ninja Tune))
Best reissue: Radiohead – Kid A Mnesia (XL Recordings)
Best rock record: IDLES – CRAWLER (Partisan Records)
Best spiritual record: Blind Boys of Alabama feat. Bela Fleck – “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” (Single Lock Records)
Best sync usage: Phoebe Bridgers – “I Know the End” – Ep 106 Mare of Easttown (Dead Oceans)
Best world record: Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime (Matador Records)
Breakthrough artist/release: Wet Leg – Chaise Longue (Domino Recording Co.)
Creative packaging: Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee (Dead Oceans)
Independent champion: Bandcamp
Marketing genius: Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee (Dead Oceans)
Excellence in advocacy: Dionne Warwick
Congressional independent music guardian: Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-CA)
Innovation in sustainability: IMPALA Sustainability Task Force

Rebecca Black Earns Libera Awards Nomination from American Association of Independent Music

It’s a Libera-ting moment for Rebecca Black

This year’s A2IM Libera Awards nominations have been revealed, with the 24-year-old half-Mexican American singer earning a nod.

Rebecca BlackBlack, who rose to acclaim with 2011’s viral sensation single “Friday,” earned a nomination in the Self-Released Record of the Year category for the latest album Rebecca Black Was Here, a six-track album that offers a clear sense of who Black is as an artist, stringing together the weirdness of hyper-pop with the melodic heft of mainstream pop.

Adrian Quesada has three Libera nominations…

The 45-year-old Mexican American Grammy-winning producer/guitarist and his Black Pumas band mate Eric Burton earned a nod for Best Live/Livestream Act for their performance of “Colors” at the U.S. presidential inauguration of Joe Biden, as well as Best Rock Record for Capitol Cuts (Live from Studio A) and Best Sync Usage for the use of their song “Colors” in the Concrete Cowboy trailer.

The 25 anniversary edition of Buena Vista Social Club, from the ensemble of Cuban musicians of the same name, earned a nod for Best Reissue.

Madi Diaz is nominated in the Best Americana Record category.

The 35-year-old half Peruvian American singer-songwriter and musician earned the nod for her album History of a Feeling.

The Linda Lindas, comprised of  Asian-American and Latino singers Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong and Lucia de la Garza and Mila de la Garza, are up for Best Punk Record for “Racist, Sexist Boy (Live at LA Public Library), which became a viral sensation.

Jose Gonzalez earned a nod in the Best Folk/Bluegrass Record category for the 43-year-old Argentine-Swedish singer-songwriter’s Local Valley project.

João Donato is nominated in the Best World Record category for the 87-year-old Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist’s João Donato JID007 album.

Meanwhile, the nominees in the Best Latin Record category are Alejandro Escovedo (La Cruzada), Arca (KICK ii), Cimafunk (El Alimento), Helado Negro (Far In), Los Retros (Looking Back) and Xenia Rubinos (Una Rosa).

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) sponsors the Libera Awards. A2IM is a not-for-profit trade organization headquartered in New York City that works to support the independent recorded music sector. Membership includes nearly 700 independently-owned American music labels.

This year’s Libera Awards will include both a virtual broadcast exclusively streamed on YouTube and an in-person ceremony held on June 16 in New York City. The in-person gala will be held at an “iconic New York venue” and will include dinner and drinks as well as live award presentations.

Each year, the Libera Awards serve as the culmination of A2IM’s Indie Week, an international conference that brings together leaders from the independent music world for four days of keynotes, workshops, and panels. This year’s Indie Week will take place June 13-16 as a hybrid event — both online and in-person.

Here’s the full list of 2022 Libera Awards nominees:

Record of the Year
Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams (Transgressive/[PIAS])
Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg (4AD)
Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee (Dead Oceans)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Georgia Blue (Southeastern Records/Thirty Tigers)
Low – Hey What (Sub Pop)
Snail Mail – Valentine (Matador Records)

Self-Released Record of the Year
Cautious Clay – Deadpan Love (Cautious Clay)
Emma-Jean Thackray – Yellow (Movementt)
Jackson Wooten – A New Child (The Assembly LLC)
Rebecca Black – Rebecca Black Was Here (Rebecca Black)
Sinéad Harnett – Ready Is Always Too Late (Thairish Limited)
Wiki – Half God (Wikset Enterprise)

Breakthrough Artist/Release, Presented by Ingrooves
Black Country, New Road – For the first time (Ninja Tune)
girl in red –  if i could make it go quiet (World in Red/AWAL)
Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee (Dead Oceans)
Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime (Matador Records)
Wet Leg – “Chase Longue” (Domino)

Video of the Year, Presented by YouTube Music
Danny Elfman – “True” (Epitaph Records)
IDLES – “CAR CRASH” (Partisan Records)
Japanese Breakfast – “Savage Good Boy” (Dead Oceans)
Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen – “Like I Used To” (Jagjaguwar)
Wet Leg – “Chaise Longue” (Domino Recording Co.)
Yves Tumor – “Jackie” (Warp Records)

Best Reissue
Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club (25th Anniversary Edition) (World Circuit Records/BMG)
Gang Of Four – 77-81 (Matador Records)
Radiohead – Kid A Mnesia (XL Recordings)
Spiritualized – Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (Fat Possum Records)
Thundercat – The Golden Age of Apocalypse (Ten Year Anniversary Edition) (Brainfeeder/Ninja Tune)
Tom Tom Club – The Good, The Bad and The Funky (Nacional Records)

Best Live/Livestream Act
Amyl and The Sniffers – Live on KEXP at Home
Black Pumas – “Colors” – Biden Inauguration Performance
Japanese Breakfast  – “Be Sweet” – The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – “Driver 8” – Live from Athens, GA
Mdou Moctar – “Live at the Niger River”
St. Vincent – “At the Holiday Party” – Austin City Limits

Best Outlier Record, Presented by The Orchard
Bo Burnham – Inside (The Songs) (Bo Burnham/Imperial/Ingrooves)
L’Rain – Fatigue (Mexican Summer)
Moor Mother – Black Encyclopedia of the Air (ANTI-)
Spirit of the Beehive – Entertainment, Death (Saddle Creek)
Tirzah – Colourgrade (Domino Recording Co.)

A2IM Humanitarian Award
Common – (for work with) A Rebirth of Sound
Margo Price – (for work with) Farm Aid
Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD)
Rev. Moose – (for work with) National Independent Venue Association (NIVA)
Secretly Group – SC25: Every Light On This Side Of The Town
Hopeless Records / Sub City Records – Songs That Saved My Life

Best Alternative Rock Record
Cautious Clay – “Wildfire” (Cautious Clay)
Courtney Barnett – Things Take Time, Take Time (Mom + Pop Music)
Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg (4AD)
girl in red – if i could make it go quiet (AWAL)
Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee (Dead Oceans)
Low – Hey What (Sub Pop Records)
Snail Mail – Valentine (Matador Records)

Best Americana Record
Fruit Bats – The Pet Parade (Merge Records)
Hiss Golden Messenger – Quietly Blowing It (Merge Records)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Georgia Blue (Southeastern Records/Thirty Tigers)
John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band – Leftover Feelings (New West Records)
Leo Nocentelli – Another Side (Light in the Attic)
Madi Diaz – History of a Feeling (ANTI-)
Steve Gunn – Other You (Matador Records)

Best Blues Record
Cedric Burnside – I Be Trying (Single Lock Records)
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – 662 (Alligator Records)
Eric Bibb – Dear America (Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group)
Neal Francis – “Can’t Stop The Rain” (ATO Records)
Nick Waterhouse – Promenade Blue (Innovative Leisure)
Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps – Rose-Colored Glasses, Vol. 1 (Blue Heart Records)

Best Classical Record
Bryce Dessner, Australian String Quartet, Sydney Dance Company – Impermanence/Disintegration (37d03d)
Canadian Brass – Canadiana (Linus Entertainment)
Grandbrothers – All the Unknown (City Slang)
Jeremiah Fraites – Piano Piano (Dualtone Music Group)
Theo Alexander – Sunbathing Through A Glass Screen (Arts & Crafts)
Vitamin String Quartet – Our Flashback Wedding (CMH Label Group)

Best Country Record
Caitlin Rose – Own Side Now (Deluxe Anniversary Edition) (ATO Records)
Emily Scott Robinson – American Siren (Oh Boy Records)
Morgan Wade – Reckless (Ladylike Records/Thirty Tigers)
Sturgill Simpson – The Ballad of Dood & Juanita (High Top Mountain Records/Thirty Tigers)
Fancy Hagood – Southern Curiosity (Mick Music/Downtown Music Services)
Lainey Wilson – Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ (Broken Bow Records/BMG)

Best Dance Record, Presented by edm.com
Brittany Howard – “Stay High again..” (Fred again.. & Joy Anonymous Remix) (ATO Records)
Dawn Richard – “Loose Your Mind” (Merge Records)
Disclosure – DJ-Kicks: Disclosure (!K7 Records)
Jungle – Loving in Stereo (AWAL)
Keys N Krates – “Original Classic” (Last Gang Records)
Logic1000 – You’ve Got the Whole Night to Go (Therapy distributed by Because Music)

Best Electronic Record, Presented by Redeye Worldwide
Arca – KicK iii (XL Recordings)
Caribou – “You Can Do It” (Merge Records)
Dawn Richard – Second Line (Merge Records)
Flying Lotus – Yasuke (Warp Records)
박혜진 Park Hye Jin – Before I Die (Ninja Tune)

Best Folk/Bluegrass Record
Aisha Badru – The Way Back Home (Nettwerk Records)
Hand Habits – Fun House (Saddle Creek)
Jose Gonzalez – Local Valley (Mute Records)
Shannon Lay – Geist (Sub Pop Records)
The Weather Station – Ignorance (Fat Possum Records)
Various Artists – Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2 (Oh Boy Records)

Best Heavy Record
Babymetal – 10 Babymetal Budokan (Cooking Vinyl)
Deafheaven – Infinite Granite (Sargent House)
Every Time I Die – Radical (Epitaph)
Quicksand – Distant Population (Epitaph)
Spiritbox – Eternal Blue (Rise Records / BMG)

Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record, Presented by Virgin Music
Injury Reserve – By the Time I Get to Phoenix (Self-Released/Stem)
Joyner Lucas & J. Cole – “Your Heart” (Twenty Nine Music Group)
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (AWAL)
Mick Jenkins – Elephant in the Room (Cinematic Music Group/Ingrooves)
Mykki Blanco – Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep (Transgressive/[PIAS])
Young M.A – Off the Yak (M.A Music/3D)

Best Jazz Record
Adrian Younge – The American Negro (Jazz Is Dead)
BadBadNotGood – Talk Memory (XL Recordings)
John Carroll Kirby – Septet (Stones Throw Records)
Nala Sinephro – Space 1.8 (Warp Records)
Jihye Lee Orchestra – Daring Mind (Motéma Music)
Nick Hakim – “Qadir” (Badbadnotgood Remix) (ATO Records)

Best Latin Record
Alejandro Escovedo – La Cruzada (Yep Roc Records)
Arca – KICK ii (XL Recordings)
Cimafunk – El Alimento (Terapia Productions/Thirty Tigers)
Helado Negro – Far In (4AD)
Los Retros – Looking Back (Stones Throw Records)
Xenia Rubinos – Una Rosa (ANTI-)

Best Pop Record
Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams (Transgressive/[PIAS])
Ashe – Ashlyn (Mom + Pop Music)
Big Red Machine – How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? (Jagjaguwar)
Chai – Wink (Sub Pop Records)
Noga Erez – Kids (City Slang)

Best Punk Record
Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort to Me (ATO Records)
Chubby and the Gang – The Mutt’s Nuts (Partisan Records)
illuminati hotties – Let Me Do One More (Hopeless Records)
Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs (Rough Trade Records)
The Linda Lindas – “Racist, Sexist Boy” (Live at LA Public Library) (Epitaph)

Best R&B Record
Brittany Howard – Jaime (Reimagined) (ATO Records)
Charlotte Day Wilson – Alpha (Stone Woman Music Inc.)
Durand Jones & The Indications – Private Space (Dead Oceans)
Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant (Brainfeeder (Ninja Tune))
serpentwithfeet – Deacon (Secretly Canadian)
Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3 (4AD)

Best Rock Record, Presented by MSK (Mitchell; Silberberg & Knupp, LLP)
Black Pumas – Capitol Cuts (Live from Studio A) (ATO Records)
Idles – Crawler (Partisan Records)
Parquet Courts – Sympathy for Life (Rough Trade Records)
shame – Drunk Tank Pink (Dead Oceans)
The The – The Comeback Special (earMUSIC)

Best Spiritual Record
Blind Boys of Alabama feat. Bela Fleck – “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” (Single Lock Records)
Hiss Golden Messenger – O Come All Ye Faithful (Merge Records)
Natalie Bergman – Mercy (Third Man Records)
Oak Ridge Boys – Front Porch Singin’ (Lightning Rod Records / Thirty Tigers)
Wande feat. Porsha Love – “Don’t Worry Bout It” (Reach Records)

Best Sync Usage
Adele – “Hello” – NFL/Tom Brady’s Return (XL Recordings)
Black Pumas – “Colors” – Concrete Cowboy Trailer (ATO Records)
Fela Kuti – “Zombie’” – Gucci 100 Promo Campaign (Knitting Factory Records)
John Prine – “Caravan of Fools” – Ep 3 Yellowstone (Oh Boy Records)
Phoebe Bridgers – “I Know the End” – Ep 106 Mare of Easttown (Dead Oceans)
The Rolling Stones – “She’s a Rainbow” – Ep 205 Ted Lasso (ABKCO)
Wet Leg – “Chaise Longue” – Ep 5 Gossip Girl (Domino Recording Co.)

Best World Record
Altin Gün – Yol (ATO Records)
Femi Kuti and Made Kuti – Legacy + (Partisan Records)
João Donato – João Donato JID007 (Jazz Is Dead)
Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime (Matador Records)
Pachyman – The Return of Pachyman (ATO Records)

Creative Packaging
Buzzcocks – Complete UA Singles 1977-1980 (Domino)
Erroll Garner – Liberation in Swing: Centennial Collection (Mack Avenue Music Group / Octave Music Licensing, LLC)
Fela Kuti – Box Set #5 Co-Curated by Chris Martin & Femi Kuti (Knitting Factory Records)
Gang Of Four – 77-81 (Matador Records)
Gary Numan 45X15 – The Singles Collection 1978-1983 (Beggars Arkive)
Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee (Dead Oceans)

Independent Champion, Presented by Merlin
Bandcamp
FUGA
Light in the Attic Distribution
Redeye Worldwide
SoundExchange

Label of the Year (Big), Presented by ADA
ATO Records
Matador Records
Merge Records
Mom + Pop Music
Ninja Tune
Polyvinyl Record Co.
Third Man Records

Label of the Year (Medium)
City Slang
Hopeless Records
New West Records
Sacred Bones Records
Saddle Creek
Yep Roc Records

Label of the Year (Small)
Don Giovanni Records
Innovative Leisure
Oh Boy Records
Sargent House
Sundazed

Marketing Genius
Bicep – Isles (Ninja Tune)
Various Artists – Death Row Records 30th Anniversary (Death Row Records)
Eyedress – Mulholland Drive (Lex Records)
Helado Negro – Helado Negro Ice Cream Tricycle (4AD)
Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee (Dead Oceans)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Official Bootlegger Series (KGLW/Virgin Music)

Kali Uchis Among the Artists Featured on Pandora’s New Latin Music Station “El Detour”

Kali Uchis is taking a special detour…

Pandorais adding a new Latin music station, El Detour, which aims to highlight the work of Latinx recording acts who don’t necessarily belong to a genre or have the exposure of mainstream artists, like the 25-year-old Colombian American singer/songwriter.

Kali Uchis

Uchis will appear alongside acts like Girl Ultra and The Marias, all known for their distinct and vibrant music styles, from R&B to psychedelic soul.

“We wanted to create a station that highlights the genres and artists that don’t necessarily fit in a box and defy genres, music that is outside of the mainstream created by Latinos both in Latin America and the U.S.,” Marcos Juarez, Pandora’s head of Latin music, tells Billboard. “We were very intentional in the way that we chose songs. We wanted to highlight Latin music in 2019 that is outside of the mainstream.”

The Pandora Latin team, including music programmer Leticia Ramirez who came up with the El Detour station name, oversees Pandora’s Latin offerings, including El Pulso’s urban music and RMX, a station dedicated to the regional Mexican genre. 

El Detour aims to show the diversity of Latin music in thoughtfully curated playlists that include everything from electro-pop to tropical fusion as the music streaming platform celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month


“It became clear to us that there were a ton of artists — and this has been true for ages — operating in the margins outside of mainstream commercial music,” Juarez said. “El Detour highlights some of these bigger artists who are huge right now such as Cuco, Kali Uchis and Bomba Estero, artists we have heard of and some are signed to major labels. But we also really wanted to highlight and celebrate a lot of those artists working to build audiences in their respective regions.”

Juarez revealed that Pandora is kicking off the El Detour marketing campaign with Cuco, Kali Uchis, Helado Negro and The Marias, adding that they represent a diverse cross section of distinct sounds.

“Something in English, something in Spanish, they are bicultural and they straddle both sides of Latin identity, American identity and they are emblematic of young Latinos of the U.S. consuming music from all over the place,” Juarez said. “We see this reflected in festival culture such as Viva Pomona[in Southern California] or Tropicalia, which is coming later in the year.”

Juarez also pointed out some of Pandora’s offerings of Latin classics, nostalgic music from around the world, such as Mexico, Puerto Rico and Colombia. It’s a way of “creating relatable listening music experiences in whatever genre or mood you are in,” he adds. 

“Pandora has always been adept at fostering discovery,” Juarez said. “With this project we are looking to accelerate that process of discovery and put music in front of people that otherwise may not be aware of. Latin music continues to thrive and I think we have had success in being reflective of Latino culture and being representative of the diversity of it all.”

Sariñana to Perform at This Year’s Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC)

Ximena Sariñana is making alternative plans for the summer…

The 29-year-old Mexican singer-songwriter is set to perform at this year’s Latin Alternative Music Conference.

Ximena Sariñana

Taking place at the Central Park Summerstage and St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx, the event will also feature a performance by Vicentico, best known as the lead singer of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.

He’ll headline a Saturday show with his own band on July 11, when Sariñana and critics’ favorites No Te Va Gustar, Uruguay’s most popular rock band, will also perform.

Mexican Institute of Sound’s Camilo Lara and DJ/producer Toy Selectah, performing together as Compass, will be featured at Summerstage on July 8. They’ll be joined by Colombian electro-cumbia outfit Systema Solar and the bilingual electronic music artist known as Helado Negro.

At a July 7 show at St. Mary’s, DJ Afro — aka Los Amigos InvisiblesJose Luis Pardo — shares the bill with “Our Latin Thing,” a tribute to the music of salsa founders the Fania Allstars and their ’70s scene by 17 singers and musicians.

Now in its 16th year, the LAMC is an annual date for lovers of diverse Latin sounds and tastemakers of all stripes. This year’s event will include several days of industry panels and presentations at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel, and showcases around the New York City area that can be attended by the public.