The 2021 Libera Awards took place on June 17, 2021, to recognize the best in independent music presented by the American Association of Independent Music. The nominations were announced on March 23, 2021. The years marks the tenth anniversary of the ceremony. The event was streamed live on YouTube.

A number of category changes took place for the awards. The A2IM Humanitarian Award and Best Spiritual Record were added to the ceremony and . A2IM also made the "Album" categories more inclusive by renaming them "Records." A2IM also renamed a number of categories: Best Live Act to Best Live/Livestream Act; Best Mainstream Rock Album and Best Indie Rock Album to Best Rock Record; and, Best Punk/Emo Album to Best Punk Record.

Winners and nominees Record of the YearBest Live/Livestream ActPhoebe Bridgers – Punisher Run the Jewels – RTJ4 Perfume Genius – Set My Heart On Fire Immediately Yves Tumor – Heaven To A Tortured Mind Thundercat – It Is What It Is Waxahatchee – Saint CloudPhoebe Bridgers Run the Jewels Fontaines D.C. Perfume Genius ArcaA2IM Humanitarian AwardBest Alternative Rock RecordKiller Mike & EL-P of Run the Jewels Rev. Moose Megan Thee Stallion Paul Redding Kevin LilesPhoebe Bridgers – Punisher Soccer Mommy – Color Theory Car Seat Headrest – Making A Door Less Open Lido Pimienta – Miss Colombia Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Sideways to New ItalyBest Americana RecordBest Blues RecordBonny Light Horseman – Bonny Light Horseman Kevin Morby – Sundowner Calexico – Seasonal Shift Courtney Marie Andrews – Old Flowers Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better AngelsFantastic Negrito – Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? Bobby Rush – Rawer Than Raw Don Bryant – You Make Me Feel Robert Cray Band – That’s What I Heard Sonny Landreth – Blacktop RunBest Classical RecordBest Country RecordErik Hall – Music for 18 Musicians (Steve Reich) Paul Moravec – Sanctuary Road Echo Collective – The See Within Niklas Paschburg – Svalbard Vitamin String Quartet – Vitamin String Quartet Performs Lana Del ReyWaxahatchee – Saint Cloud Margo Price – That’s How Rumors Get Started Colter Wall – Western Swing & Waltzes And Other Punchy Songs Various Artists – Willie Nelson American Outlaw (Live At Bridgestone Arena/2019) Jaime Wyatt – Neon CrossBest Dance/Electronic RecordBest Folk/Bluegrass RecordCaribou – Suddenly Arca – KiCk i Ela Minus – Acts of Rebellion Yaeji – What We Drew Actress – Karma & DesireAngel Olsen – Whole New Mess Ben Harper – Winter Is For Lovers Gillian Welch – Boots No. 2: The Lost Songs Jason Molina – Eight Gates Laura Marling – Song For Our DaughterBest Hip-Hop/Rap RecordBest Jazz RecordRun the Jewels – RTJ4 clipping. – Visions of Bodies Being Burned Little Simz – Drop 6 The Koreatown Oddity – Little Dominiques Nosebleed Naeem – StartishaGil Scott-Heron & Makaya McCraven – We're New Again – A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven Jeff Parker – Suite for Max Brown Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge – Azymuth JID004 Christian McBride – The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons John Carroll Kirby – My Garden Raul Midón – The Mirror Jyoti – Mama, You Can Bet!Best Latin RecordBest Metal RecordGabriel Garzón-Montano – Agüita Bad Bunny – El Último Tour Del Mundo The Mavericks – En Español Buscabulla – Regresa Jungle Fire – Jungle FireArchitects – “Animals” (from For Those That Wish to Exist) HUM – Inlet Ghostemane – Anti-Icon Ingested – Where Only Gods May Tread Pyrrhon – Abscess TimeBest Outlier RecordBest Punk RecordKhruangbin – Mordechai Oneohtrix Point Never – Magic Oneohtrix Point Never Yves Tumor – Heaven To A Tortured Mind Beverly Glenn-Copeland – Transmissions Mary Lattimore – Silver Ladders Moses Sumney – GræIDLES – Ultra Mono Protomartyr – Ultimate Success Today METZ – Atlas Vending Viagra Boys – Common Sense Porridge Radio – Every BadBest R&B RecordBest Re-IssueThundercat – It Is What It Is Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Texas Sun Robert Glasper – “Better Than I Imagined (feat. H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello)” Son Little – aloha Orion Sun – Hold Space For Me Steve Arrington – Down To The Lowest TermsJ Dilla – Donuts (Jelly Edition) Pylon – Pylon Box Hiroshi Yoshimura – Green Pixies – Bossanova 30th Anniversary Reissue Motorhead – Ace of Spades 40th Anniversary Elliott Smith – Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump 20th Anniversary CollectionBest Rock RecordBest Spiritual RecordFontaines D.C. – A Hero's Death King Krule – Man Alive! Bartees Strange – "Mustang" (from Live Forever) Bob Mould – Blue Hearts Caroline Rose – SuperstarSun Ra Arkestra – Swirling Lecrae – Restoration Jon Hopkins – “Singing Bowl (Ascension)” Thad Cockrell – If In Case You Feel The Same Wande – EXITBest Sync UsageBest World RecordRun the Jewels (Jewel Runners, Inc.) – “Ooh LA LA” – Season three of Netflix's Ozark Black Pumas (ATO Records) “Colors” – Samsung Galaxy S20 Brittany Howard (ATO Records) “You’ll Never Walk Alone” – Johnnie Walker’s #KeepWalking Campaign Blood Orange (Domino Recording Co.) “Tuesday Feeling (Choose to Stay)” – Season four of HBO's Insecure IDLES (Partisan Records) “Grounds” – Watch Dogs: LegionAltin Gün – “Ordunun Dereleri” Songhoy Blues – Optimisme Antibalas – Fu Chronicles Bebel Gilberto – Agora Emel – The Tunis DiariesBreakthrough Artist/ReleaseCreative PackagingArlo Parks Bonny Light Horseman Overcoats Arlo McKinley Orion SunSoccer Mommy – Color Theory limited edition back to school binder Black Pumas – Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition) Perfume Genius – Set My Heart On Fire Immediately vinyl Pylon – Pylon Box [CD Box Set] IDLES – Ultra MonoIndependent ChampionLabel of the Year (Large)Bandcamp SoundExchange Secretly Distribution TuneCore The OrchardSub Pop Partisan Records Warp Stones Throw Records Ninja TuneLabel of the Year (Medium)Label of the Year (Small)Light In The Attic Sacred Bones Records Matador Records Ghostly International Rough Trade RecordsDaptone Records Innovative Leisure Fire Talk Records International Anthem Hardly Art Oh Boy RecordsMarketing GeniusVideo of the YearBeggars Group – Supporting Indie Retail #loverecordstores Campaign Jewel Runners, LLC – Run the Jewels x Cyberpunk2077 “No Save Point” Phoebe Bridgers (Dead Oceans) – Punisher Light In The Attic – Social Media & Digital Marketing Perfume Genius (Matador Records) – Set My Heart On Fire Immediately CampaignFKA twigs – “Sad Day" Perfume Genius – “Describe” Phoebe Bridgers – “Savior Complex” Run the Jewels – “Ooh La La” Christine and the Queens – “La vita nuova” ford. – “Fruit&Sun” Icon AwardMavis Staples

Multiple wins and nominations Nominees with more than two nominations

Artists

Multiple Wins Artist WinsPhoebe Bridgers5 Run the Jewels

Multiple Nominations Artist Nominations Run the Jewels 7Phoebe Bridgers5Perfume GeniusIDLES3

Record Labels

Multiple Wins Artist Wins Dead Oceans 4 Jewel Runners 3Jagjaguwar 2Merge Records Stones Throw Records

Multiple Nominations Artist Nominations Dead Oceans 8 Partisan Records Jewel Runners7 Matador Records Stones Throw Records 6Anti-5 Loma Vista Thirty Tigers Domino4 Merge Records New West Records Sub Pop Warp XL Recordings 37d03d3 Fat Possum Jagjaguwar Light in the Attic [PIAS]

Performances Arlo Parks – "Hope" Black Pumas Fantastic Negrito – "Chocolate Samurai" Lecrae – "Drown" Lido Pimienta – "Te quiera" Mavis Staples – "Who Told You That" Phoebe Bridgers Yuna – "Don't Blame It on Love"/"Crush" Stax Academy Rhythm Section

External links Official website

References