# 2022 Libera Awards

The 2022 Libera Awards was held on June 16, 2022, to recognize the best in independent music presented by the American Association of Independent Music. The ceremony streamed live on YouTube.
The nominations were announced on March 23, 2022, led by indie pop band Japanese Breakfast with seven. New award categories, Self-Released Record of the Year and Best Pop Record, were added. The Best Dance/Electronic Record category was divided into two categories: Best Dance Record and Best Electronic Record, bringing the total number of categories to 36. The Best Metal Record was renamed Best Heavy Record.
The awards ceremony took place on June 16, 2022, held in New York City at Webster Hall. With four awards, Japanese Breakfast was the most awarded artist.

## Winners and nominees

| Record of the Year | Self-Released Record of the Year |
| Jubilee – Japanese Breakfast Collapsed in Sunbeams – Arlo Parks Georgia Blue – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Hey What – Low New Long Leg – Dry Cleaning Valentine – Snail Mail | Deadpan Love – Cautious Clay Half God – Wiki A New Child – Jackson Wooten Ready Is Always Too Late – Sinéad Harnett Rebecca Black Was Here – Rebecca Black Yellow – Emma-Jean Thackray |
| A2IM Humanitarian Award | Best Alternative Rock Record |
| Common for work with A Rebirth of Sound Margo Price for work with Farm Aid Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD) Rev. Moose for work with National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) Secretly Group – SC25 - Every Light On This Side of The Town Hopeless Records / Sub City Records – Songs That Saved My Life | Jubilee – Japanese Breakfast HEY WHAT – Low If I Could Make It Go Quiet – Girl in Red New Long Leg – Dry Cleaning Things Take Time, Take Time – Courtney Barnett Valentine – Snail Mail "Wildfire" – Cautious Clay |
| Best Americana Record | Best Blues Record |
| History of a Feeling – Madi Diaz Another Side – Leo Nocentelli Georgia Blue – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Leftover Feelings – John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band Other You – Steve Gunn The Pet Parade – Fruit Bats Quietly Blowing It – Hiss Golden Messenger | 662 – Christone "Kingfish" Ingram I Be Trying – Cedric Burnside "Can't Stop the Rain" – Neal Francis Dear America – Eric Bibb Promenade Blue – Nick Waterhouse Rose-Colored Glasses, Vol. 1 – Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps |
| Best Classical Record | Best Country Record |
| Impermanence/Disintegration – Bryce Dessner, Australian String Quartet and Sydney Dance Company All the Unknown – Grandbrothers Canadiana – Canadian Brass Our Flashback Wedding – Vitamin String Quartet Piano Piano – Jeremiah Fraites Sunbathing Through a Glass Screen – Theo Alexander | The Ballad of Dood and Juanita – Sturgill Simpson American Siren – Emily Scott Robinson Own Side Now (Deluxe Anniversary Edition) – Caitlin Rose Reckless – Morgan Wade Sayin' What I'm Thinkin' – Lainey Wilson Southern Curiosity – Fancy Hagood |
| Best Dance Record | Best Electronic Record |
| Loving in Stereo – Jungle DJ-Kicks: Disclosure – Disclosure "Loose Your Mind" – Dawn Richard "Original Classic" – Keys N Krates "Stay High again.." (Fred again.. & Joy Anonymous Remix) – Brittany Howard You've Got the Whole Night to Go – Logic1000 | Before I Die – Park Hye Jin Kick III – Arca Second Line – Dawn Richard Yasuke – Flying Lotus "You Can Do It" – Caribou |
| Best Folk/Bluegrass Record | Best Heavy Record |
| Fun House – Hand Habits Local Valley – José González Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2 – Various artists Geist – Shannon Lay Ignorance – The Weather Station The Way Back Home – Aisha Badru | Infinite Granite – Deafheaven 10 Babymetal Budokan – Babymetal Distant Populations – Quicksand Eternal Blue – Spiritbox Radical – Every Time I Die |
| Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record | Best Jazz Record |
| Sometimes I Might Be Introvert – Little Simz Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep – Mykki Blanco By the Time I Get to Phoenix – Injury Reserve Elephant in the Room – Mick Jenkins Off the Yak – Young M.A "Your Heart" – Joyner Lucas & J. Cole | Talk Memory – BadBadNotGood The American Negro – Adrian Younge Daring Mind – Jihye Lee Orchestra "Qadir" (BadBadNotGood Remix) – Nick Hakim Septet – John Carroll Kirby Space 1.8 – Nala Sinephro |
| Best Latin Record | Best Outlier Record |
| Far In – Helado Negro El Alimento – Cimafunk Kick II – Arca La Cruzada – Alejandro Escovedo Looking Back – Los Retros Una Rosa – Xenia Rubinos | Fatigue – L'Rain Black Encyclopedia of the Air – Moor Mother Inside (The Songs) – Bo Burnham Colourgrade – Tirzah Entertainment, Death – Spirit of the Beehive |
| Best Pop Record | Best Punk Record |
| Collapsed in Sunbeams – Arlo Parks Ashlyn – Ashe How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? – Big Red Machine KIDS – Noga Erez WINK – CHAI | "Racist, Sexist Boy" (Live at Los Angeles Public Library) – The Linda Lindas Comfort to Me – Amyl and the Sniffers Let Me Do One More – Illuminati Hotties The Mutt's Nuts – Chubby and the Gang Spare Ribs – Sleaford Mods |
| Best R&B Record | Best Re-Issue |
| Mood Valiant – Hiatus Kaiyote Alpha – Charlotte Day Wilson Deacon – Serpentwithfeet Jaime (Reimagined) – Brittany Howard Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3 – Tkay Maidza Private Space – Durand Jones & The Indications | Kid A Mnesia – Radiohead 77-81 – Gang of Four Buena Vista Social Club (25th Anniversary Edition) – Buena Vista Social Club The Golden Age of Apocalypse (Ten Year Anniversary Edition) – Thundercat The Good, the Bad, and the Funky – Tom Tom Club Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space – Spiritualized |
| Best Rock Record | Best Spiritual Record |
| Crawler – Idles Capitol Cuts (Live at Studio A) – Black Pumas The Comeback Special – The The Drunk Tank Pink – Shame Sympathy for Life – Parquet Courts | "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" – The Blind Boys of Alabama featuring Béla Fleck "Don't Worry Bout It" – Wande featuring Porsha Love Front Porch Singin' – The Oak Ridge Boys Mercy – Natalie Bergman O Come, All Ye Faithful – Hiss Golden Messenger |
| Best Sync Usage | Best World Record |
| "I Know the End" – Phoebe Bridgers for Mare of Easttown (Episode 6) "Caravan of Fools" – John Prine for Yellowstone (Season 4, Episode 3) "Chaise Longue" – Wet Leg for Gossip Girl (Season 1, Episode 5) "Colors" – Black Pumas for the Concrete Cowboy trailer "Hello" – Adele for NFL/Tom Brady's Return "She's a Rainbow" – The Rolling Stones for Ted Lasso (Season 2, Episode 5) "Zombie" – Fela Kuti for the Gucci 100 promo campaign | Afrique Victime – Mdou Moctar João Donato JID007 – João Donato Legacy+ – Femi Kuti and Made Kuti The Return of Pachyman – Pachyman Yol – Altın Gün |
| Breakthrough Artist/Release | Creative Packaging |
| Wet Leg – "Chaise Longue" Black Country, New Road – For the First Time Girl in Red – If I Could Make It Go Quiet Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime | Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee Buzzcocks – Complete UA Singles 1977-1980 Erroll Garner – Liberation in Swing: Centennial Collection Fela Kuti – Box Set #5 Co-Curated by Chris Martin & Femi Kuti Gang of Four – 77-81 Gary Numan – 45x15 The Singles Collection 1978-1983 |
| Independent Champion | Label of the Year (Big) |
| Bandcamp FUGA Light in the Attic Distribution Redeye Worldwide SoundExchange | Matador Records Mom + Pop Music ATO Records Merge Records Ninja Tune Polyvinyl Record Co. Third Man Records |
| Label of the Year (Medium) | Label of the Year (Small) |
| Sacred Bones Records City Slang Hopeless Records New West Records Saddle Creek Records Yep Roc Records | Oh Boy Records Don Giovanni Records Innovative Leisure Sargent House Sundazed Music |
| Marketing Genius | Video of the Year |
| Japanese Breakfast (Dead Oceans) – Jubilee Bicep (Ninja Tune) – Isles Death Row Records – Death Row Records 30th Anniversary Eyedress (Lex Records) – Mulholland Drive Helado Negro (4AD) – Helado Negro Ice Cream Tricycle King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (ATO Records) – Official Bootlegger Series | Wet Leg – "Chaise Longue" Danny Elfman – "True" Idles – "Car Crash" Japanese Breakfast – "Savage Good Boy" Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen – "Like I Used To" Yves Tumor – "Jackie" |
| Best Live/Livestream Act | Special awards |
| Mdou Moctar – Live at the Niger River Amyl and the Sniffers – Live on KEXP at Home Black Pumas – "Colors" at Celebrating America Japanese Breakfast – "Be Sweet" at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – "Driver 8" Live from Athens, Georgia St. Vincent – "At the Holiday Party" at the Austin City Limits Music Festival | Excellence in advocacy – Dionne Warwick Congressional independent music guardian – Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-CA) Innovation in sustainability – IMPALA Sustainability Task Force |

### Multiple nominations

Nominees with more than two nominations.
Artists
| Nominations | Artist |
| 7 | Japanese Breakfast |
| 3 | Black Pumas |
| 3 | Cautious Clay |
| 3 | Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit |
| 3 | Mdou Moctar |
| 3 | Wet Leg |
| 2 | Amyl and the Sniffers |
| 2 | Arca |
| 2 | Arlo Parks |
| 2 | BadBadNotGood |
| 2 | Brittany Howard |
| 2 | Dawn Richard |
| 2 | Dry Cleaning |
| 2 | Fela Kuti |
| 2 | Gang of Four |
| 2 | Girl in Red |
| 2 | Helado Negro |
| 2 | Hiss Golden Messenger |
| 2 | Idles |
| 2 | Low |
| 2 | Snail Mail |
Record labels
| Nominations | Record label |
| 12 | ATO Records |
| 9 | Dead Oceans |
| 8 | Matador Records |
| 7 | Merge Records |
| 6 | Ninja Tune |
| 6 | Thirty Tigers |
| 5 | 4AD |
| 5 | Domino Recording Co. |
| 5 | XL Recordings |
| 4 | AWAL |
| 4 | Epitaph Records |
| 4 | Oh Boy Records |
| 4 | Partisan Records |
| 4 | Sub Pop |
| 3 | Anti- |
| 3 | BMG |
| 3 | Cautious Clay |
| 3 | City Slang |
| 3 | Hopeless Records |
| 3 | Mom + Pop Music |
| 3 | Saddle Creek Records |
| 3 | Transgressive Records |
| 3 | Warp |
| 2 | Brainfeeder |
| 2 | Fat Possum Records |
| 2 | INgrooves |
| 2 | Innovative Leisure |
| 2 | Jagjaguwar |
| 2 | Jazz Is Dead |
| 2 | Knitting Factory Records |
| 2 | Light in the Attic Records |
| 2 | New West Records |
| 2 | Rough Trade Records |
| 2 | Sargent House |
| 2 | Single Lock Records |
| 2 | Southeastern Records |
| 2 | Stones Throw Records |
| 2 | Third Man Records |
| 2 | Yep Roc Records |