The Independent Music Awards (IMAs) honors exceptional music, video, concert photography, and design by independent creatives from around the globe and celebrates everything that makes indie music authentic and unique.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 18th annual IMAs ceremony originally scheduled for June in New York City will proceed as an online showcase for this year's top-ranked artists and music projects.
Announced on April 9, the nominations include 16 possible honors for Taiwanese artists across several categories, representing Taiwan's contemporary culture and displaying Taiwanese creative strength in music and design.
Yachun Asta Tzeng (曾雅君), Best Hakka Album winner of the 21st Golden Melody Awards, was nominated in the Music Producer category for her album "Yourself (自己)."
Jazz music producers for Skyline Jazz Band (天際線融合爵士樂團) Richard Li (利啟正) and Jazzy Su (蘇逸哲) were shortlisted in the Music Producer category and Skyline’s album "Symphojazz" was nominated for the Album category.
Taiwanese-Canadian composer Ian Chen (陳彥竹), a 2019 Golden Bell Award nominee for his work on the soundtrack for the Netflix series "Green Door (魂囚西門)," was shortlisted in the Album category for his "Fantastic Creatures (四靈文明)" videogame score.
Nominated in the Metal Hardcore Song category is "Invert" by Taiwanese metal band "Future After A Second (FAAS)," whose album "OFiN" was also shortlisted in the Album Art photography category.
Additionally, director Shao An-tse (邵安澤) was nominated in the Director of Short Form Video category for "Invert" and in the Artist Publicity Photo category for Taiwanese death metal band "Emerging from the Cocoon (破繭而出)."
Winner for Best Rock Album at the 6th Golden Indie Music Awards, Taiwanese heavy metal band Flesh Juicer (血肉果汁機) was shortlisted for the Music Promo Poster category for "Build It on Brutal Taichung 2019." The band’s album "The FJ’s horror story: The door of old mansion (血肉講鬼: 老宅豪門)" was also nominated in the game score category.
Taiwanese indie rock band Amazing Show (美秀集團) was shortlisted for the Artist Publicity Photo category for its album "You are My Crazy Lover (我要你愛)" as well as in Music Promo Poster category for its "The Great Paradisiacal Mountain (八寶山)" and "King of Light Concert Tour (電火王循會)."
Taiwanese indie rock band "Emerge House Band (浮現浩世樂團)" was nominated in the Album Packaging category for its album "Time (時代)," which was designed by Spread Design Studio (然點設計工作室).
For the Short Form Video category, a trio comprising Outerspace Leo (廖人帥), Timothy Motion (提摩西影像), and FK WU (吳建龍) received a nomination for directing "2019 Golden Bell Awards: 54th Short Film."
In the Design category, "Brahman – Fireball Festival (火球際)" by Ye Fong-yau (葉豐堯), a Taiwanese photographer with Handerson Yau Photography, was nominated in the Artist Concert Photo category.
This year's nominees were handpicked from thousands of albums, EPs, songs, music videos, and visual design submissions from 73 countries on six continents. The winning projects — which will be selected by the IMA Artist & Industry Judging Panels comprising indie artists, music legends and fans — will be announced on June 27.
Full list of nominees available here: https://independentmusicawards.com/blog/2020/04/09/the-18th-independent-music-awards-nominees-announced/