Mavis Staples, Black Pumas, Arlo Parks to Appear at 2021 Libera Awards

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced its performance lineup for the 10th annual A2IM Libera Awards, presented by Merlin and streaming exclusively on YouTube.

This year’s Icon Award recipient is gospel and soul singer Mavis Staples. Additionally, the 2021 ceremony’s performers include Black Pumas, Arlo Parks, Lecrae, Fantastic Negrito, Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna, and Canadian-Colombian singer Lido Pimienta.

“We are grateful to have such a stunning and diverse array of artists perform at this year’s A2IM Libera Awards,” A2IM CEO Richard James Burgess said. “A2IM strives to always put the voice of independents at the forefront, and we are proud to use this platform to showcase and honor some of the brightest lights in the independent music world.”

Sweet Relief returns this year as A2IM’s official charity partner for the Libera Awards, donating 100% of proceeds raised during the show to career musicians and music industry professionals in need. Donations can be made directly to Sweet Relief starting today on the Libera Awards watch page via the YouTube Giving donate button.

The awards show will stream on A2IM’s official YouTube channel on June 17th, starting at 6:00 p.m. ET. The ceremony marks the culmination of Indie Week (June 14th-17th), the international conference and networking event for independent musicians presented by SoundExchange. Due to the pandemic, this is the second year in a row that both Indie Week and the A2IM Libera Awards are being held virtually.