The independent music community will come together in Bushwick this September as The Wavys celebrate six years of championing emerging artists.

Brooklyn is getting ready for another night celebrating the artists, creators, and independent voices shaping the future of music.

The Wavys will host the 6th Annual Wavy Awards on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at Love’s Club in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The ceremony will bring together independent artists from New York City and beyond for an evening of live performances, award presentations, and community.

Pride365 Radio is proud to support The Wavys as an official media sponsor of this year’s celebration.

Presented by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), this year’s ceremony marks the first time The Wavys will take over Love’s Club at 106 Melrose Street.

A Night Built Around Independent Artists

The 2026 Wavy Awards will be co-hosted by Goldilocks and Divinity Roxx, with pre-show performances from M the Myth and IMPRESS.

The evening’s live performance lineup includes Boy Jr., Ladibree, Shanay Morant, James Ian, Carly Glenn, Jesediah, KNoWTe, Dimitris Nezis, Zen How, Eliza and the Organix, Eri Blossom, MDM London, and Bradley Valentin.

The ceremony will feature presentations across all Wavy Award categories, recognizing artists and industry professionals working across songwriting, recording, video, live performance, production, and more.

Meet the 2026 Wavy Award Nominees

This year’s nominees include an impressive collection of independent artists and creators.

Song of the Year
Dimitris Nezis – “Mana”
Outer Shapes – “Freeway”
Rivita – “Dil Jale”
Ciph Boogie – “Raging Early”
Andrea Benham – “Free”
Ryan Cassata and Jesediah – “Blood is on your hands”

Songwriter of the Year
LovelyOcean – “Make Me Stay”
Briana Lewis – “Turquoise”
PiPEllA – “Fire and Blood”
Stephanie Mae – “I don’t need them, they don’t need me”
LESSA – “Her”
Outer Shapes – “Spoonfed”

New Artist of the Year
Olumide
Cara Sullivan
Aqueira Oshun
Jesediah
Joyce Tratnyek
Yacovelli

Music Video of the Year
Keron Kyle – “Black Crow / Raven”
Wolfberg – “Biltmore Estate”
GoodBoy Fashion – “Got it Like That”
Tapwaterz and James Ian – “Unconditional Love”
Holly Cinnamon – “Drink Some Water”

Song for a Cause
Andrea Benham – “Accessible”
Ryan Cassata and The Taxpayers – “We Don’t Fuck with Cops”
Jenn Desantis – “Lucy”
Natalie Jean – “Unbreakable Spirit”
Dr. Cyn and The Graduates Rise – “Be the Teeth”

Production of the Year
Emily Carmen – “Heroin”
Ladibree – “Fallin’”
Matt Thompson – “Whiplash”
Deā ex Machinā – “333/am”
Arily Michelle – “Silver Dollar”

Live Performance
Yoshi the Talent
Choy
SRIC
Ladibree
Kalea Jordan
Outer Shapes

Service Provider of the Year
Golden Poppy Artist Services
Tone Shift Collective
The Cook Up Experience

Vocalist of the Year
Matt Thompson
Luzmila Taylor
Fabian Cedeño
Corondi
Carly Glenn

EP of the Year
Ladibree – Not For Decoration (Mixtape)
David Segovia – Sounds Like You Do
Outer Shapes – FORWARD BACKWARD
Jessica Tomlinson – Rise into the Occasion, Fall into Bliss
Kira Metcalf – Lessons in Majestic Humiliation

Album of the Year
Natalie Jean – Unbreakable Spirit
LovelyOcean – Homework
Carly Glenn – The Beauty of it All
Cory Stewart – Take All My Toys And Go
Matt Thompson – Olympus
Celeste Krishna – The New Room
Jay Aquarious – Distortion and Symmetry

Accessibility Is Part of the Celebration

The Wavys will once again feature accessibility services supported by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

The ceremony will include Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services, providing instant live transcription for deaf and hard-of-hearing and neurodivergent audiences, along with ASL interpretation and free live closed-captioning throughout the broadcast.

And for those unable to make it to Brooklyn, the ceremony will be streamed free to the public.

In-person tickets start at $45.

Six Years of Supporting Independent Music

For The Wavys, the celebration is about more than handing out awards.

Founder Rebecca Autumn Sansom says the organization continues to focus on creating spaces where independent artists can receive the recognition and visibility they deserve.

“The Wavys continues to prove what’s possible when we build spaces where independent artists are celebrated, supported, and given the visibility they deserve.”

Co-Founder M the Myth adds:

“Six years of The Wavys is six years of betting on artists before the rest of the world catches up, and we’re just getting started.”

The Wavys is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported through memberships, grants, and donations. The organization spotlights rising talent and provides programming, workshops, and other support for independent artists.

Get Tickets & Watch the Wavys

The 6th Annual Wavy Awards
Saturday, September 5, 2026
Love’s Club
106 Melrose Street
Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY

In-person tickets start at $45, with the ceremony also streaming free to the public.

Tickets are available now through The Wavys at thewavys.org.

Pride365 Radio is proud to support The Wavys as an official media sponsor and to help shine a spotlight on the independent artists pushing music forward.