Folk Alliance International (FAI) has announced the nominees for the International Folk Music Awards, which take place on the first night of FAI’s 37th annual conference on February 19-23, 2025 in Montreal.

Canadian artists are well represented as award recipients and nominees, with Canadian-Grenadian singer-songwriter-instrumentalist Kaïa Kater leading the way. She is nominated in two prestigious categories, Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, for Strange Medicine, whcih features guest spots by Aoife O’Donovan, Taj Mahal and Allison Russell.

The Grammy-winning Russell earns a nomination in the Artist of the Year category (she was also honoured by Billboard Canada Women In Music this year), while veteran Canadian folk star Connie Kaldor is also up for a Best of 2024 award, in the Song of the Year category, for her composition "Woman Who Pays." An Order of Canada recipient, Kaldor has won three Juno Awards over a long and distinguished career. Both Caldor and Kater have official showcase slots at FAI.

There are two Canadian winners of The Spirit of Folk Awards this year, presented to honour and celebrate people and organizations actively involved in the promotion and preservation of folk music through their creative work, community building and demonstrated leadership. Honoured are CBC Radio host and folk musician Tom Power and Quebec’s Innu Nikamu festival, described in the press release as "exemplifying commitment to the promotion and preservation of Indigenous culture through music and community building for over thirty years."

Receiving the The Rising Tide Award is Canadian duo OKAN, whose Afro-Cuban roots and jazz sound has brought them international recognition and two Juno Awards. 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 Montreal conference and awards will also give Lifetime Achievement Awards to legendary duo Indigo Girls and Lesley Riddle, the African-American musician who gathered songs for the Carter Family with patriarch A.P. Carter and taught Mother Maybelle Carter guitar techniques. It will also honour roots music publication Songlines, now celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Other international folk/roots stars nominated in different categories include Tom Paxton, Nick Lowe, Peggy Seeger and Rhiannon Giddens.

In a statement, Folk Alliance International Executive Director Jennifer Roe said, “The recipients and nominees reflect the richness, breadth, and cultural impact of folk music to speak to various experiences of our moment. After all, folk music is the music of the people. I can't wait to see some of these artists on stage in Montreal!"

The Awards take place on the first night of FAI’s 37th annual conference, which takes place February 19-23, 2025. The conference will be held at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel, site of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous 1969 Bed-In for Peace. All conference attendees will have access to attend the IFMAs.

Here are the nominations in the three “Best of 2024” categories plus this year’s special award winners.

Nominations

Artist of the Year

Flamy Grant
Sarah Jarosz
Kaïa Kater
Nick Lowe
Crys Matthews
Allison Russell

Album of the Year

Sierra Ferrell, Trail of Flowers (Rounder Records)
The Heart Collectors, The Space Between (Spins the Gold Records)
Kaïa Kater, Strange Medicine (Free Dirt Records)
Aoife O’Donovan, All My Friends (Yep Roc Records)
Ordinary Elephant – Ordinary Elephant (Berkalin Records)
Susan Werner, Halfway to Houston (self-released)

Song of the Year

“Tenzin Sings with Nightingales,” written by Tenzin Choegyal, performed by Tenzin Choegyal and Michael Askill
“How I Long for Peace,” written by Abena Koomson-Davis, Peggy Seeger, Rhiannon Giddens, performed by Rhiannon Giddens, Crys Matthews, and the Resistance Revival Chorus
“Woman Who Pays,” written and performed Connie Kaldor
“$20 Bill (for George Floyd),” written by Tom Prasada-Rao, performed by Dan Navarro & Janiva Magness
“Ukrainian Now,” written and performed by Tom Paxton & John McCutcheon
“Love Letters,” written by Julian Taylor, Tyler James Ellis, performed by Julian Taylor

Honourees

Lifetime Achievement Award – Living: Indigo Girls

Lifetime Achievement Award – Legacy: Leslie Riddle

Lifetime Achievement Award – Business:Songlines Magazine

People’s Voice: Gina Chavez

Rising Tide: OKAN

Clearwater Award: River Roads Festival (Easthampton, Mass.)

Spirit of Folk: Tom Power, Alice Randall, Annie Capps, Innu Nikamu festival

Folk Radio DJ Hall of Fame Inductees: Archie Fisher (BBC Scotland), Mary Sue Twohy (SIRIUS XM), Taylor Caffrey (WRKF-FM, Baton Rouge, La.), Matthew Finch (posthumous, KUNM-FM, Albuquerque, N.M.), Chuck Wentworth (posthumous, WRIU-FM, Rhode Island)

View all awards recipients and nominees here.