Music
If all could hear you, what would you play? Here is how we listen…
Artistic Excellence: Assess the creativity, originality, and technical skill demonstrated in the music produced by the nominee. (20% of some criteria matrix element)
Impact and Reach: Evaluate the nominee’s influence on the music industry, audience engagement, and reach across different platforms.
Innovation and Diversity: Consider the nominee’s contribution to pushing boundaries, experimenting with new sounds, and promoting diversity within the music industry.
Collaborations and Partnerships: Examine the nominee’s collaborations with other artists, producers, or organizations, and the impact of these partnerships on their work.
Community Engagement: Review the nominee’s involvement in community projects, mentorship programs, or advocacy efforts within the music industry.
Music
2025 iDREAM Music Recipient
Aaron Ridge
Aaron Ridge creates R&B/Soul music, always ensuring that live instrumentation plays a role in his production—whether through his own playing or by collaborating with session musicians. As both a storyteller and a lover of stories, he prioritizes the narrative within his songs, aiming for the story to resonate beyond the musicality or his technical skill as a vocalist and instrumentalist.
His identity as a Black man is central to his creative process. He intentionally embeds his lived experience into every aspect of his art, rejecting the notion of transcendence. For him, art cannot be separated from its social, political, economic, and historical context; these elements are essential to both its creation and interpretation.
Though his music may not often address overtly political themes, he believes that a Black man singing about Black love, vulnerability, and softness is inherently revolutionary—especially in a world that so often seeks to deny these expressions.
#iDREAMMusic
iDREAM and the Media Award in Music
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