Jessica Pratt’s Here in the Pitch took home record of the year at the A2IM Libera Awards Monday night in New York, while MJ Lenderman was named breakthrough artist and Raye won self-released record of the year for “Genesis.”
The awards, hosted by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) and presented by Merlin kicked off Indie Week and were given out at rapid fire between performances from nominees Ekko Astral, Swamp Dogg, Serpantwithfeet and Reyna Tropical, the latter of whom won for Latin record for last year’s Malegria.
“Music to me is what survived, to me, through so much pain and grief and continues to,” Reyna Tropical’s Fabi Reyna said through tears as she accepted her award in person Monday night. “This album was something I created from the biggest griefs of my life, turned into a pathway that has shown me and continues to show me who I’m meant to become and has allowed me to be reborn.”
Here in the Pitch also won best folk record and best singer-songwriter record. Other winners Monday night included Waxahatchee, who won best country record with Tiger’s Blood, Fontaines D.C., who were awarded best rock record for Romance, and Kim Gordon, whose The Collective won best alternative rock record. Shaboozey, who had one of the biggest hits of last year with “A Bar Song (Tipsey),” won this year’s impact award. MF Doom, who died in 2020, won best reissue for Mm..Food (20th Anniversary Edition) as well as for best remix with “One Beer (Madlib Remix).”
!K7 founder Horst Weidenmüller, who died back in February, was posthumously awarded the lifetime achievement award Monday night, and A2IM president and CEO Richard James Burgess, who will be stepping down at the beginning of 2026, was also honored Monday night to recognize is 10 years at the helm.
See the Libera Awards’ full winners list below:
Best Alternative Rock Record
Kim Gordon – The Collective (Matador Records)
Best American Roots Record
MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks (ANTI-)
Best Blues Record
Ruthie Foster – Mileage (Sun Records)
Best Classical
Kelly Moran – Moves in the Field (Warp Records)
Best Country Record
Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood (ANTI-)
Best Dance Record
Fcukers – Baggy$$ (Technicolour / Ninja Tune)
Best Electronic Record
Caribou – Honey (Merge Records)
Best Folk Record
Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer)
Best Global Record
Mdou Moctar – Funeral for Justice (Matador Records)
Best Heavy Record
METZ – Up On Gravity Hill (Sub Pop Records)
Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record
Shygirl – “Immaculate (feat. Saweetie)” (Because Music)
Best Jazz Record
Nala Sinephro – Endlessness (Warp Records)
Kamasi Washington – Fearless Movement (Young)
Best Latin Record
Reyna Tropical – Malegría (Psychic Hotline)
Best Outlier Record
Khruangbin – A LA SALA (Dead Oceans)
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE – YOU’LL HAVE TO LOSE SOMETHING (Saddle Creek)
Best Pop Record
Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk (Mom+Pop)
Best Punk Record
Pissed Jeans – Half Divorced (Sub Pop Records)
Best R&B Record
Mavis Staples – “Worthy” (ANTI-)
Best Reissue
MF DOOM – MM..FOOD (20th Anniversary Edition) (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Best Remix
MF DOOM – “One Beer (Madlib Remix)” (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Best Rock Record
Fontaines D.C. – Romance (XL Recordings)
Best Singer-Songwriter Record
Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer)
Best Soul/Funk Record
Thee Sacred Souls – Got a Story to Tell (Daptone Records)
Best Spiritual Record
The Harlem Gospel Travelers – Rhapsody (Colemine Records)
Best Sync Usage
De La Soul – “Say No Go” (Civil War) (A.O.I./Chrysalis/Reservoir)
Breakthrough Artist
MJ Lenderman (ANTI-)
Creative Packaging
MF DOOM – MM..FOOD (20 Year Anniversary Edition) (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Distributor of the Year
Redeye
Independent Champion
Bandcamp
Impact Award
Shaboozey – Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going (American Dogwood/EMPIRE)
Label of the Year (15 or more employees)
Partisan Records
Label of the Year (5 or fewer employees)
True Panther
Label of the Year (6-14 employees)
Mexican Summer
Marketing Genius
IDLES – TANGK (Partisan Records)
Music Video of the Year
Fontaines D.C. – “Starburster” (XL Recordings)
Publisher of the Year
Warp Publishing
Record of the Year
Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer)
Self-Released Record of the Year
RAYE – Genesis. (Human Re Sources)
