Artur Menezes won the Unsigned Only Music Artist of The Year Award with the song “Once Again.” He is a Brazilian-born, Los Angeles-based guitar player, vocalist, and songwriter. Menezes combines blues and rock with fiery guitar work and soulful vocals. Upon learning of his Unsigned Only win, Menezes shared, “It’s hard to put into words what I’m feeling right now, but one thing I can say is this: besides the art itself, recognition is one of the best things an artist can have. Thank you so much!“
Menezes’ accomplishments already include the Blues Foundation’s Gibson/Albert King Award for Best Guitarist and appearances on the Experience Hendrix Tour and Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival.
“Artur Menezes is the kind of artist Unsigned Only was created to recognize,” said Candace Avery and Jim Morgan, founders of Unsigned Only. “His extraordinary musicianship, distinctive voice, and authenticity come through in every note – and his ability to make the guitar speak with such power and emotion is truly remarkable. You can hear the years of dedication in his playing, but you can also hear the joy, passion, and personality behind it.”
The Unsigned Only competition is specifically dedicated to independent and unsigned artists. Winners are selected by a panel of accomplished recording artists, music managers, booking agents, journalists, and other music-industry professionals with extensive experience in their respective fields. Each winner receives a custom award designed by Society Awards, the company behind high-profile entertainment awards including the Emmy and Golden Globe awards. The Artist of the Year also receives a $20,000 cash prize.
In addition to Menezes, there is a winner in each of the 24 categories. The winner in the Global Music (world music) category is Rahul Mukerji (India) with the song “Mridhangit.”
For a complete list of winners, go to https://www.unsignedonly.com/winners.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.