Awards Live-Streamed By NPR Music, WMOT & Folk Alley
Montréal, QC (February 20, 2025) – Folk Alliance International (FAI), a 501(c)3 and the foremost global nonprofit for folk music, last night presented the International Folk Music Awards. The Awards took place on the first night of FAI’s 37th annual conference. The FAI YouTube live-stream of the awards could also be viewed via NPR Music, WMOT.org (Nashville, TN), and Folk Alley.
Video of Allison Russell’s keynote, interviewed by Ann Powers, to be live-streamed today at noon Eastern (watch/share).
Lifetime Achievement Awards were granted to Indigo Girls, GRAMMY Award-winners and seven-time GRAMMY nominees, four of whose albums have been certified by the RIAA as platinum-sellers; Lesley Riddle, the African-American musician who gathered songs for the Carter Family with patriarch A.P. Carter, taught Mother Maybelle Carter guitar techniques, played the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and recorded with Mike Seeger; and Songlines, the magazine celebrating its 25th anniversary which covers global roots music from traditional and popular to contemporary and fusion.
Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers said, “It’s truly awesome to be considered among some of the people who’ve already won this prestigious award. We need folk music now more than ever. This Folk Alliance is a group that honors diversity, equity, inclusion, and access for all. Folk music is the music of truth-telling. Amy and I are, especially in this time, particularly honored to accept this award.” Bandmate Amy Ray said, “Please stand up with us and make your voice be heard in these times. Gather together with other people. Raise your voice. Stand up strong. Day by day, song by song, we can make this world a better place.
Susan Werner, who “brings literacy and wit back to popular song” (The New Yorker), won the 2024 Album of the Year Award for Halfway to Houston. Song of the Year went to “$20 Bill (for George Floyd),” written by Tom Prasada-Rao, performed by Dan Navarro, whose music has been featured in Deadpool 2, Pitch Perfect 2, The Office, Talladega Nights, Robots & seven-time Blues Music Award-winner Janiva Magness. Crys Matthews won the 2024 Artist of the Year Award (sponsored by Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame), her second IFMA.
Navarro said, “Over one hundred of us recorded a version of that song in 2020 but because of the impact and the challenges of the pandemic, it never really had a proper release and we decided we would do something about that.”
Complete list of best of 2024 nominees.
The Clearwater Award was presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production. This year’s award went to the River Roads Festival in Easthampton, MA. Founded in 2023 and presented by Dar Williams in collaboration with Laudable Productions in partnership with the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC).
“We know that music alone is such an important force in the world. It helps us feel our lives. It gives us a certain kind of agency and a sense of interdependence that is so important for life and society… We have come to learn that everything around the music – inclusion, visibility, access, non-disposable plates and glassware, sharing the microphone and spotlight, the support for local businesses – we have seen how the culture around the music can be a valuable engine for progress and a model for growing justice and democracy. I see so many people here who have gone beyond the music to make the world a more harmonious place and I am so proud to be a member of this community,” said Williams, in accepting the Clearwater Award. Williams also accepted Werner’s award on her behalf.
The Spirit of Folk Awards are presented to honor and celebrate people and organizations actively involved in the promotion and preservation of folk music through their creative work, their community building, and their demonstrated leadership. Spirit of Folk Awards were presented to:
* Tom Power, celebrated Canadian musician and broadcaster, best known as the host of *Q* on CBC Radio One and a member of the award-winning folk band, The Dardanelles;
* Alice Randall, a trailblazer in folk and country music, master songwriter whose songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash (among others), and founder of production company Midsummer Music, whose new collection of songs and book of poetry is out now via Oh Boy Records;
* Longtime Folk Alliance Region Midwest pillar Annie Capps;
* And Quebec’s Innu Nikamu festival, which has exemplified commitment to the promotion and preservation of Indigenous culture through music and community building for over thirty years.
Spirit of Folk Award-honoree Alice Randall said, “In My Black Country, I tell the story of climbing out of the hell of being raped by holding on to the sound of John Prine singing Angel from Montgomery. I write about discovering the Joan Baez Ballad Book, a double album set of English, Irish and Scottish folk songs that became my stepping stones to joy after trauma. I owe my sanity to folk music. For the past forty years I worked writing folk songs that I hoped would help people get to joy after trauma. In 2024 Oh Boy Records, John Prine’s label, put out the My Black Country album featuring some of the greatest folk singers and pickers of our time including Rhiannon Giddens and Leyla McCalla. On the new album, Country charting songs were stripped of pop productions that erased Black characters and muted political intent. My songs were restored to their folk roots. My book My Black Country is about the Black folk, including Black folk musicians, who made Country, country. I accept this award in honor of ‘Traditional’ and my father who long ago asked me a question I will now ask you, ‘What you bet ‘Traditional’ was a Colored Gal?’” Randall also accepted Riddle’s award on his behalf.
Fellow Spirit of Folk Award-recipient Tom Power said, “This means an awful lot to me… I’m from Newfoundland and Labrador, and as someone cares a lot about the traditions of Newfoundland and Labrador, I stand on the shoulders of the giants of the folks who preserved the music long before me… I am so unbelievably proud to work for the CBC. I read an article this morning questioning whether or not we should exist. At a time both in Canada and in the United States and all over the world that public broadcasting is being brought into question – questions about de-funding, questions of whether or not we should exist – I could never be prouder to be part of an organization that aims to tell the stories of Canadians to other Canadians.”
Two-time JUNO Award-winner Rose Cousins and the “close harmonies” (NPR Music) of The Brother Brothers opened the show with a rendition of Robert Earl Keen’s “Feeling Good Again.” The House Band included Cousins, The Brother Brothers (Adam and David Moss), and Dean Drouillard. “Americana queen” (VICE Noisey) Mary Bragg and Rose Cousins, who performed Indigo Girls’ “Galileo” together. Four-time JUNO Award-nominee Julian Taylor, who “has a disarmingly fluid vocal tone and an ability to convey the most internalized emotions — disappointment, grief, resolve, forbearance” (NPR Music) is a unique and important voice on the Canadian roots-and-folk scene” (Toronto Globe & Mail), paid tribute to Riddle with “Red River Blues.” Two-time JUNO Award-winner Le Vent du Nord closed the show with “La turlute de mai” as a nod to Songlines.
The People’s Voice Award, which is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in their creative work and public careers, was awarded to Gina Chavez. Of Chavez, NPR said, “If you don’t know her already, I dare you to walk away and not become a fan.”
OKAN, the women-led, Afro-Cuban roots and jazz duo who have won two JUNO Awards and appeared on the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series this year, were honored with The Rising Tide Award (sponsored by Levitt Foundation). The Rising Tide Award was launched in 2021 to celebrate a new generation artist who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice. The Rising Tide Award’s scope was expanded in 2024 in acknowledgement of the fact that some find their voice in art later in life, and therefore seeks to celebrate emergent artists of any age who inspire others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice.
Archie Fisher (BBC Scotland); MarySue Twohy (SIRIUS XM); Taylor Caffery (WRKF); Matthew Finch (posthumous, KUNM); and Chuck Wentworth (posthumous, WRIU) were inducted into the Folk Radio Hall of Fame. The Folk Radio Hall of Fame has been established to recognize radio DJs, programmers, hosts, and podcasters who have demonstrated and inspired leadership in the broadcast field and who make outstanding contributions to the preservation, promotion, and presentation of folk music.
In welcoming everyone to the awards, Folk Alliance International Executive Director Jennifer Roe said, “Tonight is about honoring those who have made an extraordinary impact on our community. The International Folk Music Awards shine a light on the artists, leaders, and advocates who keep this tradition thriving.”
All conference attendees had access to attend the IFMAs. FAI members submitted recordings for the 2025 International Folk Music Awards (IFMAs) in the Best-of-the-year categories (Song, Album, and Artist). New recordings released between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024 were eligible. This new procedure allowed for a more democratic, community-led approach to the IFMAs.
FAI’s 37th annual conference features over one hundred and seventy-five artists, representing thirty-eight countries of origin, nineteen U.S. states, and all thirteen Canadian provinces, one of the larger slates of showcases in the conference’s history. The conference is being held at Montreal’s Sheraton Hotel. Complete list of Official Showcase Artists.
More About the Conference
The Annual Folk Alliance International Conference is the largest gathering of folk musicians and music industry professionals in the world. This is an experience like no other. Music is around every corner. Legends, rising stars, and industry innovators share career-boosting insights.
An international crowd of artists, venues, labels, DJs, agents, and organizations come together for five days of professional development, networking, and music.
The keynote address features an influential figure in the folk music industry who inspires us and shapes the narrative of the conference – in ways unexpected and magical. The Keynote Speaker for FAI 2025 has yet to be revealed.
Our global summits are multi-day experiences that bring together thought leaders, policymakers, industry experts, and artists to create meaningful dialogue benefitting the international folk music community.
Official Showcases highlight the best folk music in the world across a vast variety of genres. Over 175 jury-selected artists perform on the largest stages of our conference to an audience of venue bookers, agents, record labels, DJs, media companies, and more.
The crowd-favorite of every FAI Conference, Private Showcases give everyone an opportunity to perform. Late at night, hotel guest rooms transform into small stages with hundreds of performances hosted by different organizations.
FAI gratefully acknowledge that the 2025 conference is taking place in Montreal, on unceded Indigenous land known in Mohawk as Tiohtià:ke (Tjo-TJA-geh). The Kanien’kehá:ka (Gane-yung-ge-HA-ga) Nation is recognized as the hereditary caretakers of this land, and it is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations, including, but not limited to, the Kanien’kehá:ka (Gane-ya-ge-HA-ga) of the Haudenosaunee (Hoede-ne-show-nay) Confederacy, Huron /Wendat (HYEW-ron WEN-dat), Abenaki, and Anishinaabeg (Anish-NA-be). Tiohtià:ke (Tjo-TJA-geh)/Montreal has been the site of community, human creativity and story-telling for thousands of years. Folk Alliance is committed to the ethos of folk by creating a welcoming and inclusive space for all. We actively invite participation from historically marginalized, disenfranchised, and underrepresented communities.
About Folk Alliance International
Founded in 1989, and governed by a 21-member board of directors, Folk Alliance International (FAI) is the world’s largest membership organization for the folk music industry and community. Its mission is to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation, and promotion.
FAI values diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, is committed to gender parity in all its programming, celebrates multiple languages and cultures, and actively welcomes participation from marginalized, disenfranchised, and underrepresented communities.
FAI defines folk broadly as “the music of the people” (reflective of any community they are from), and programs a diverse array of sub-genres including, but not limited to Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Old-Time, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Traditional, Zydeco, and various fusions.
