88Nine threw its annual Milwaukee Music Awards party last night, Thursday, Dec. 6. And Beyoncé would be proud: female artists won seven of the 12 categories.
Amanda Huff took home a Best Solo Artist award while also earning accolades for her “Gravetalking” music video and for her “Hemiptera” album artwork. Singer Abby Jeanne nabbed a Song of the Year Award for “Be In The Sun.” And rapper Shle Berry, Cactus Club general manager Kelsey Kaufmann and young singer/songwriter Iris Ramirez also went home with wins.
“The strength we’ve seen coming from the women in the Milwaukee music scene this year is simply undeniable,” Radio Milwaukee Program Director Jordan Lee said in a recent press release. “It’s been a banner year for Milwaukee music and especially for our city’s great women artists.”
Notable male winners include the rapper Lorde Fredd33, who earned two awards for his latest album, NORF: The Legend of Hotboy Ronald.
Here’s a full list of the awards handed out last night:
- Album of the Year: Lorde Fredd33 – NORF: The Legend of Hotboy Ronald
- Song of the Year: Abby Jeanne – “Be In The Sun”
- Solo Artist: Amanda Huff
- Band of the Year: Immortal Girlfriend
- Album Artwork: Amanda Huff – Hemiptera
- Music Video: Amanda Huff – “Gravetalking”
- Independent Release: Shle Berry – Parallels
- Best Disc We Missed: DelMar the Poet – Rafters
- Music Ambassador: Kelsey Kaufmann (music promoter; general manager and events coordinator of Cactus Club)
- Humanitarian: Diverse and Resilient (an organization dedicated to achieving health equity and improve the safety and well-being of LGBTQ people and communities in Wisconsin, for its Colors in Bloom campaign featuring Milwaukee musicians Lex Allen and Taj Raiden)
- Rising Star (recognizing an artist 17 years old or younger): Iris Ramirez, singer/songwriter
- Critics’ Choice Album Of The Year: Lorde Fredd33 – NORF: The Legend of Hotboy Ronald
Award winners were selected by listeners, who could vote for their favorite musicians through the station’s website – 88Nine music staff and local music writers also weighed in. All told, more than 8,000 people voted this year.
