Lifetime Achievement Award to Be Bestowed to Taj Mahal
Kansas City, MO and New Orleans, LA (November 12, 2025) — Folk Alliance International (FAI), a 501(c)3 and the foremost global nonprofit for folk music, has unveiled the International Folk Music Awards recipients and Best of 2025 nominees; and conference keynote speakers and complete programming with over 125 other events. The Awards will be staged on the first night of FAI’s 38th annual conference, which takes place January 21-25, 2026 in New Orleans, LA.
Photos of recipients and nominees
Playlist of recipients and nominees
Hip-hop artist and TV personality Big Freedia, known for her “radically inclusive, celebratory performances” (NPR); and 2025 GRAMMY Award-winner Tank (of Tank and the Bangas), both of New Orleans, are the conference’s 2026 keynote speakers.
Lifetime Achievement Awards will be granted to five-time GRAMMY Award-winner Taj Mahal; zydeco originator Clifton Chenier, subject of both a forthcoming career-spanning box set and a major tribute album featuring the Rolling Stones, Lucinda Williams, and others; and Louisiana Folk Roots, which celebrates the joie de vivre of Cajun and Creole cultures.
The following are the nominees for Best of 2025 awards:
Artist of the Year (sponsored by the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame)
Dobro master Abbie Gardner;
Carsie Blanton, who makes “open hearted protest” music (NPR);
“hopeful, impassioned” songwriter Crys Matthews;
I’m With Her, the trio made up of Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan;
The “beautiful, soulful, exquisitely simple, and totally essential” (Bandcamp Daily) music of Ordinary Elephant;
and Sam Robbins, who has played the Kerrville, Falcon Ridge and Philadelphia Folk Festivals.
Album of the Year
Arcadia (by 27-time GRAMMY winner Alison Krauss & Union Station on Down the Road Records)
CHURCH (by powerhouse vocalist, intrepid songwriter, and drag queen Flamy Grant, winner of the 2023 Kerrville New Folk Competition, Shamus Records/Palm Valley Music)
Room On The Porch (by Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’, whose first album together won a GRAMMY Award, Concord Records)
Reclamation (Crys Matthews)
Wild and Clear and Blue (I’m With Her, Rounder Records)
Woody At Home: Volumes 1 + 2 (home recordings from 1951-52 by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Songwriters Hall of Famers, International Folk Music Award Lifetime Achievement honoree, and GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award winner Woody Guthrie, Shamus Records)
Song of the Year
“Ain’t Afraid To Die” (Written and Performed by Woody Guthrie)
“Crying In The Night” (Written by Stevie Nicks; Performed by Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham), which “works as a piece of music that will stand on its own” (Variety);
“I BOUGHT ME A PRESIDENT” (Written by Cathy Fink & Tom Paxton, whose “songs are so powerful and lyrical” (Judy Collins); Performed by two-time GRAMMY Award-winners Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer)
“Room On The Porch” (Written by Kevin R. Moore, Henry St. Claire Fredericks, Jr., Ruby Amanfu, Ahmen Mahal; Performed by Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Ruby Amanfu)
“Sleeves Up” (Written and Performed by Crys Matthews)
“Sisters Of The Night Watch” (Written by Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz; Performed by I’m With Her)
Global Folk Album Award, in partnership with Songlines Magazine
At the Feet of the Beloved (the qawwali music, devotional songs of the Sufis of Pakistan and India, by Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali);
Bagola (Malian trio Da Kali, who reached #2 on the Transglobal World Music Chart called “griot supergroup” by The Guardian);
Niepraudzivaya (Hajda Banda, the traditional Belarusian-Polish band);
Tales of Earth and Sun (Rastak, one of the most well-known bands in Iranian contemporary folk music)
Värav / Vārti / Vartai (The Baltic Sisters, a cross-border group that sings Lithuanian multipart songs, as well as music from Estonia and Latvia); and
Vié Kaz (Votia, who are led by the powerful voice of Marie-Claude Philéas Lambert, the daughter of Gramoun Lélé, one of the great masters of Maloya’s resurgence).
This is the inaugural year for the Global Folk Album Award category, recognizing the global nature of folk music. FAI has worked closely in partnership with global music premier magazine Songlines Magazine to present and curate the nominees to honor the work of global talent and draw attention to the important creative work happening that may be overlooked by the North American folk scene.
“One of the country’s most imaginative young solo guitarists” (New York Times), Yasmin Williams will be honored with The Rising Tide Award (sponsored by the Levitt Foundation), which celebrates artists who inspire others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice.
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, will be awarded to Kyshona, who is known for her “heartfelt empathy” and “powerful, lyrical voice” (NPR Music)
Spirit of Folk Awards will go to Laura Thomas, whose ComboPlate Booking has spanned a quarter century; Cultural Heritage Manager for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Rachel Ornelas; FAI’s Alex Mallett, who has served the Folk Alliance International community with unwavering dedication, currently as Deputy Director, for the past decade; and Cindy Cogbill, who has dedicated her career to building community through music, leadership, and collaboration in leadership roles with FAI and Memphis’ Overton Park Shell. 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.
The Clearwater Award is presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production. The award will go to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, which has worked for decades to innovate, protect the park where it’s held, and educate audiences.
Panelists who will participate in programming include Ani Difranco, Gina Chavez, Irma Thomas, Louis Michot (of the Lost Bayou Ramblers), Leyla McCalla, NPR Music writer and renowned author Ann Powers, Smithsonian Folkways executive director Maureen Loughran, American Routes’ Nick Spitzer, Kyshona, and many more.
Highlights of programming at the conference include:
* Songs that Carry Us: Indigenous Perspectives on Folk Tradition
* Beyond “Woke”: Rethinking Lead Belly in the Era of Cowboy Carter
* Face the Music: Collective Power for Equitable Action
* Harmonizing for Change: Organizing for Impact – Lessons from the Field
* Radio Silence: Keeping Folk Music On-Air & In-Concert Despite Lost Federal Funding
* Human Art in a Generative AI Age
Full schedule of programming: https://www.folk.org/conference/schedule
At the awards, four DJs will be inducted into the Folk Radio Hall of Fame, including Susan Forbes Hansen (WHUS), Kieran Hanrahan (RTE Radio 1), Ron Olesko (Folk Music Notebook), Michael Stock (WLRN).
Of the announcement, Folk Alliance International executive director Jennifer Roe said, “With all of the challenges in the world right now, we are finding that community is more necessary than ever, and we feel that theme is demonstrated over and over at the upcoming conference. I look forward to welcoming folks to our 38th conference, marking our return to New Orleans. It’s been so great to draw from Louisiana musicians, who have so much to share, in putting together the awards, showcases, keynotes and other programming.”
All conference attendees will have access to attend the IFMAs. FAI members submit recordings for the 2026 International Folk Music Awards (IFMAs) in the best-of-the-year categories (Song, Album, and Artist). New recordings released between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025 were eligible. This new procedure allows for a more democratic, community-led approach to the IFMAs.
Folk Alliance International previously unveiled the lineup of Official Showcases, consisting of 150-plus artists representing 34 countries or countries of origin. The conference’s theme in 2026 is Rise Up.
FAI has added several new Official Showcase Artists to the lineup, including:
* Kyshona, whose music conveys a “righteous conviction and a strong sense of her own voice” (NPR Music);
* NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert and Newport Folk Fest alums, The Milk Carton Kids, who “sing with harmonies steeped in the great duos of days gone by, like The Everly Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel” (NPR Music)
* platinum-selling songwriter and “quite possibly the most talented, and engaging, solo performer on this planet” (NPR) Steve Poltz;
* Yasmin Williams;
* Leyla McCalla, whose “magnificently transparent music holds tidings of family, memory, solitude and the inexorability of time: weighty thoughts handled with the lightest touch imaginable” (NY Times);
* Mattias Thedens, one of Norway’s emerging talents on the Hardanger Fiddle, Norway’s national instrument; and
* Cajun Americana singer-songwriter Dustin Dale Gaspard, who has found success via The Voice (NBC)
Highlights of Official Showcases:
* Two-time GRAMMY winners Lost Bayou Ramblers, who were featured in the PBS show American Epic and whose evolution as a progressive Louisiana French band rooted in Cajun traditions continues to excite, challenge, and redefine both genre expectations as well as cultural preconceptions;
* Bruce Sudano, hitmaker whose songs have been recorded by Donna Summer, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and Michael Jackson;
* Two-time GRAMMY winners Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, whose collaboration with Randy Newman was featured in the Disney film The Princess and the Frog;
* The “electrifying” (NPR) San Francisco songwriter Chuck Prophet, who recently recovered from stage four lymphoma;
* Pieta Brown, “self-styled poetess, folk goddess and country waif [whose] music resonates with a seductive simplicity and lyrical grace” (BBC);
* key Egyptian revolutionary, rock artist, and human rights defender Ramy Essam, now living in exile in Sweden and Finland;
* Oh Boy Records artist Emily Scott Robinson, whose last album made year-end best lists from NPR, Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, and No Depression;
* Beth Nielsen Chapman, who has written seven #1 hits, including compositions that have been recorded by Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, the Indigo Girls, and Keb’ Mo’;
* The Steel Wheels, of whom NPR said, “Smearing the boundaries separating blues, bluegrass and gospel music, The Steel Wheels’ sound has earned the band multiple awards and a near-permanent place atop independent music and Americana charts”;
* Bodega, CA trio Rainbow Girls, who have over 60,000 subscribers on YouTube and who have been nominated for an International Folk Music Award;
* Steve Martin Banjo Prize winner and the 2019 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year Tray Wellington, who performed on the SNL 50th Anniversary with Mumford & Sons;
* master balafon player and Knight of the National Order of Burkina Faso Mamadou Diabate, who learned from his father, with his band Percussion Mania.
* the “urgent, relevant” (BBC) “uniquely Angeleno mishmash of punk, hip-hop, beat music, cumbia & rock” (LA Times) of Las Cafeteras;
* GRAMMY-nominated Louisiana band Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas;
* Emma Swift, whose album Blonde on the Tracks received Best of 2020 accolades from Rolling Stone, Nashville Scene, No Depression, The Guardian and more.
* ukulele-wielding Taiwanese YouTube sensation Feng E;
* the “stark and atmospheric… ambient folk” (Pitchfork) of Great Lake Swimmers;
* five-time GRAMMY-nominated Louisiana musician Sean Ardoin;
* Jim White, who has performed on Conan and Letterman and whose music was featured in Breaking Bad;
* “one of the best pickers on the scene today” (NPR) Cary Morin Duo, who has performed for audiences at the Kennedy Center, The Olympics, Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, and Lincoln Center, whose “music is characterized as Native Americana, with healthy doses of blues, bluegrass, jazz, reggae and folk” (NPR);
* New Orleans-based, Blues Music Award-winning harmonica virtuoso Jason Ricci & Damon Fowler, the latter of whose albums have topped the Billboard Blues Chart;
* Ordinary Elephant;
* GRAMMY nominated Zydeco innovator and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage fest favorites Corey Ledet Zydeco & Black Magic;
* Multiple Blues Music Award-winner Doug MacLeod, whom Jorma Kaukonen of Hot Tuna called “one of the great blues artists, period.”
* International Folk Music Award-winners OKAN, the women-led, Afro-Cuban roots and jazz duo who have won two JUNO Awards and appeared on an NPR Tiny Desk Concert;
* 2023 JUNO Award-winning blues artist Angelique Francis, who has shared stages with Buddy Guy, Gary Clark, Jr., Joe Bonamassa, Keb’ Mo’, Beth Hart, and more;Luke Winslow-King;
* the all-women Colombian salsa sextet Las Guaracheras, who performed this year at Lincoln Center;
* New Orleans’ Luke Winslow-King, who “seamlessly melds Delta blues, gospel and jazz themes with personal, simplified lyrics that speak to his personal and artistic evolution” (New York Times);
*and two-time JUNO award-winning alternative indie artist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter Aysanabee.
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.
Our summits are multi-day experiences that bring together thought leaders, policymakers, industry experts, and artists to foster meaningful dialogue and collaboration across legal issues, Black American music, and international Indigenous music.
Official Showcases highlight the best folk music in the world across a vast variety of genres. Over 160 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.
The first night of the conference is the International Folk Music Awards (IFMAs) – the premier recognition of folk music industry leaders, legends, unsung heroes, and rising talent.
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. Folk Alliance International advances folk music and its communities by engaging, educating, and strengthening the global folk music ecosystem.
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.
Additionally, FAI provides information, advocacy, education, and professional development for over 19,000 in its community and oversees an IRS Group Exemption program in support of over 50 US non-profits.
About Big Freedia
Known as the larger-than-life ambassador of New Orleans Bounce music, Big Freedia is a nationally recognized hip-hop artist, TV personality and cultural influencer. Most recently she made headline news for her feature on Beyoncé’s Grammy-Award winning single, “Break My Soul,” released in 2022, her second collaboration with Beyoncé.
In addition to three critically acclaimed EPs, ‘3rd Ward Bounce’ (2018), ‘Louder’ (2020), and ‘Big Diva Energy’ (2021), Big Freedia, known as the Queen of New Orleans Bounce, also appeared on numerous high profile projects, including Beyoncé’s Grammy award-winning, “Formation,” and on Drake’s “Nice For What,” where she brings her distinctive voice and signature catchphrases to all her work. In 2021, she covered “Judas” on Lady Gaga’s Born this Way The Tenth Anniversary album. Most recently, Big Freedia released her first full length project in seven years, Central City Freestyle featuring Lil’ Wayne, Ciara, Boyfriend and more.
In 2021, Big Freedia was honored as one of Ebony’s Power 100 and she has appeared on Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, NPR, The Breakfast Club, The Problem with Jon Stewart, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Real. Her critically acclaimed 2015 memoir, God Save the Queen Diva (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster) was released in paperback in 2020.
About Tank and the Bangas
Tank and the Bangas explore the most tender and true parts of life’s journey. Unique and with a vibrance that could only come from New Orleans, the lead vocalist, Tank has stretched her vocals over quirky raps, poetry, and rich melodies since the release of their first album, Think Tank in 2013. Four years later, they had a viral breakthrough as the winners of the NPR Tiny Desk Contest — an eclectic performance that has since been praised by musicians like Miguel and Anthony Hamilton and has now amassed over 14 million views on YouTube. Now, Tank and the Bangas arrive with a new 3-part album The Heart, The Mind, and The Soul. With this offering, Tank opens up about the wisdom she’s gained from new beginnings, endings, and in-betweens.
Recent winner for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for The Heart, The Mind, The Soul at the 2025 GRAMMYs, the concept of this album series came to Tank two years ago while traveling on a train with her group members. Its structure makes it different from the rest of the catalog, and so does the special emphasis Tank has put on her poetry, collaborators, and its cohesive sound.
About Taj Mahal
For more than 40 years, five-time Grammy-winning legend Taj Mahal has taken blues on a joyride through folk, reggae, funk, jazz, cajun, and more, leaving a trail of swinging hips and raised palms in his wake. He has earned a special merit Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and an Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award. A self-taught musician, Taj plays over 20 instruments including National Steel and Dobro guitars, and his remarkable voice ranges from gruff and gravelly to smooth and sultry. His music remains a well-seasoned gumbo, spiced with influences that originate in the Caribbean, West Africa, the Southern States, and the inner cities of America. “Music is like theater to a lot of people—they’re watching it,” he says. “Well, you can watch it, but you’re supposed to participate. The audience is just as much a part of the music as the musicians are.” Taj pauses, then adds with a warm laugh, “I do like it when they dance.”
About Kyshona
Kyshona lends her voice and music to those who feel silenced, forgotten, or alone. She began her career as a music therapist, writing her first songs with patients—students and inmates under her care. She became compelled to find her own voice, leading her to the Nashville creative community. She now balances her music career with her passion to heal through her organization Your Song.
She is a 3x-TEDx speaker, has delivered the keynote address for 2023 Fulbright Scholars, and is featured in the PBS television show Ear to the Common Ground gathering fans around a dining table to discuss voting rights in America. Audiences will find a common thread of empowerment, overcoming adversity, and hope in her work.
Kyshona’s latest project LEGACY focuses on family. Through stories, photos, film, ancestry & genealogy research, and travels, she shares her story. The show doesn’t end when the last song is sung. After her powerful performances, concertgoers often ask, “What can I do?”
Her response? “Listen.”
About Clifton Chenier
Clifton Chenier (1925–1987), hailed as the “King of Zydeco,” was one of Louisiana’s greatest musical innovators and cultural ambassadors. Born near Opelousas, he fused Creole folk traditions with blues, R&B, country, and Cajun styles to create a vibrant sound that brought zydeco to the world stage. With his trademark accordion and rubboard, Chenier turned dancehalls into joyous celebrations, insisting, “If you can’t dance to zydeco, you can’t dance—period!” His partnership with Arhoolie Records in the 1960s helped introduce his music to international audiences, earning him a Grammy Award in 1984 and a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. In 2025, on the centennial of his birth, Smithsonian Folkways honored his enduring influence with the release of Clifton Chenier: King of Louisiana Blues and Zydeco, a comprehensive retrospective celebrating the legacy of a true American original.
About Louisiana Folk Roots
For 25 years, Louisiana Folk Roots has been dedicated to preserving and passing down the rich musical and cultural traditions of South Louisiana. Founded by Christine Balfa, the organization began with Balfa Week, a Cajun and Creole heritage camp, and has since grown into a beloved institution offering year-round programming, including Kids Camps, French language initiatives, and the hands-on “Petting Zoo” of Cajun instruments. Thousands of participants from across Louisiana and around the world have learned to play fiddle, accordion, and guitar, to sing in French, and to celebrate the joie de vivre at the heart of Cajun and Creole culture. A grassroots nonprofit fueled by community support, Louisiana Folk Roots continues to nurture generations of musicians, teachers, and cultural stewards, ensuring that the sounds and spirit of South Louisiana remain vibrant for years to come.
About Yasmin Williams
Yasmin Williams is an acclaimed acoustic guitarist and composer from Northern Virginia, whose inventive finger-style approach—featuring lap-style placement, tapping, alternate tunings and percussive hits on the guitar body—has expanded the instrument’s expressive possibilities. She holds a degree in music theory and composition from New York University. Her three full-length studio albums — Unwind (2018) Urban Driftwood (2021) and Acadia (2024) have been praised for blending folk, ambient textures, jazz influences and West African-inspired instrumentation (including kalimba and kora). Beyond her musical innovation, Williams has emerged as a vocal advocate for diversity, equity and labor rights in the arts. Through her boundary-pushing artistry and principled activism, Yasmin Williams stands as one of contemporary music’s most visionary and courageous voices, fully embodying the values and ideals of the folk community.
About Edmonton Folk Festival
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is honored with the Clearwater Award for its decades-long commitment to environmental stewardship and leadership in sustainable event production. Since the early 1990s, the festival has worked in close partnership with the City of Edmonton and the Cloverdale community to protect Gallagher Park, implementing innovative green practices long before sustainability became standard. From its pioneering reusable plate program—diverting more than two million single-use items from landfills—to its composting, recycling, and bike lock-up initiatives, every aspect of the festival reflects a deep respect for people and place. Supported by a dedicated Green Team of volunteers, the festival continues to educate audiences and reduce its footprint through initiatives like compostable wares, PLA beer cups, and participation in Edmonton’s Corporate Climate Leadership Program. The Edmonton Folk Music Festival sets a powerful example of how large-scale cultural events can inspire collective environmental responsibility.
About Laura Thomas
A lifelong Austinite, Laura Thomas embodies the heart of the folk community through her unwavering commitment to artists, service, and connection. As the founder of ComboPlate Booking, Laura has spent over twenty-five years representing singer-songwriters and building a thriving network of venues, presenters, and musicians. Her passion for community extends far beyond the stage—since 2001, she has organized monthly concerts and annual South By Soup Fest fundraisers benefiting Caritas of Austin, raising over $80,000 for food services.
A former social worker, Laura continues to uplift others through her advocacy for mental health and artist well-being. Her six years of service on the Folk Alliance International Board of Directors, including two years in executive leadership, reflect her ongoing dedication to the organization she calls her “folk family.” Laura’s generosity, authenticity, and deep community spirit truly capture the essence of the Spirit of Folk Award.
About Rachel Ornelas
Rachel Ornelas, Cultural Heritage Manager for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, embodies the spirit of folk through her tireless dedication to preserving and presenting Louisiana’s diverse cultural traditions. Since 2003, she has curated the Louisiana Folklife Village, Native American Village, and other festival areas, while also co-founding its Sustainability Department. A Texas native of Mexican descent, Rachel’s deep connection to music and community stems from her upbringing in a family of Tejano musicians. Her work extends beyond Jazz Fest—consulting on cultural projects for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Americana Music Triangle, and NALAC, where she also serves as a grant reviewer. A Fellow of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Leadership Institute, she has championed social activism through Latino arts initiatives in New Orleans. Through her vision, leadership, and advocacy, Rachel has amplified countless cultural voices, ensuring that folk traditions remain vibrant and visible for generations to come.
