The annual Hollywood Independent Music Awards (HIMA) held last night on Thursday, August 18th at the historic Avalon Hollywood in California was a festive affair for independent music from around the globe. The venue was full of indie artists from several countries, industry leaders and celebrated names in the music business.
The HIMA honored an array of music styles and behind-the-scenes professionals who are responsible for some of today’s finest independent music. Artists, producers, record labels, audio engineers and even the art of music packaging was celebrated. Presenters included 3X GRAMMY-winning poet, songwriter and author J. Ivy. Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated and platinum-selling songwriting duo Allan Rich & Jed Friedman (“Run to You” by Whitney Houston and many more), hit songwriter Shelly Peiken (Christina Aguilera’s “What a Girl Wants” and Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch.”) GRAMMY-winning producer, composer for film & TV, Starr Parodi and Chicago Hip Hop legend, Greg “Olskool Ice-Gre” Lewis.
The Outstanding Achievement Award for Packaging & Presentation was presented to Donelle Dadigan and the Jose Iturbi Foundation for the CD collection and coffee table book tribute to the world’s most acclaimed pianist, orchestrator, conductor and composer of Hollywood’s golden era, José Iturbi.
Live performers comprised of rising stars Reyna Roberts, KIA, Canada’s Baker Grace, heart-throb newcomer Jessy Fury and Latin Pop/Rock winner Bella Rabbit.
Winners included Aaron Lazar & Josh Groban (Adult Contemporary), Tenacious D for “Video Games” (Concept Song) and celebrated Hip Hop recording artist Slum Village. A double winner for the evening was Billy Morrison taking home ‘Best Rock Song’ for “Crack Cocaine” featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Stevens, and ‘Best Independent Album’ for his newly released LP, THE MORRISON PROJECT. The Best Independent Record Label went to Blue Élan Records. The entire list of nominees and winners can be found at: https://himawards.com/2024-winners-and-nominees/
The HIMA is an extension of the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA), which is an annual event celebrating the songs and scores in all visual media including film, TV, video games, commercials, trailers, music videos, documentaries, and other new visual media. For over a decade, the HMMA has included independent music categories in its awards program. Many independent artists attribute the HMMA as a significant catalyst for their music careers. With exponential growth of the HMMA, and increased engagement from indie artists around the globe, the need for a stand-alone platform to specifically recognize independent music was undeniable.
After the main event, the official HIMA after party was held in Bardot, at the top level of the Avalon. This intimate gathering enjoyed mixing, mingling and networking while listening to single-song live performances by more nominees including British-Spanish teen pop artist Alexander James Rodriguez, Emilia Vaughn, Savannah Brister, D. Boone Pittman, memyself&vi x Chapters and Carter Skyers.
Event photos, video clips and more can be found on the HIMA website, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms
