What an unforgettable day it was in Atlanta, Georgia for the 2025 ISSA Awards! The Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, home to the BMI Awards, was alive with music, laughter, and an incredible gathering of talent from across the globe. The red carpet sparkled with excitement as Amy Jo, Michael Botte, and Zainab Khan conducted lively interviews, while our favorite photographer, Tom Martinelli, captured magical moments that will be cherished forever. We also had a fabulous time at our newest addition, the 360 Glam Photo Booth!
Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to our esteemed judges, whose dedication and expertise were crucial in determining the winners. Their commitment to fairness and transparency helped shine a light on the most deserving artists.
But it wasn’t just about the winners—every single participant deserves recognition for their courage, creativity, and passion. Each of them helped make this year’s event a celebration of artistry, community, and dreams in motion.
The atmosphere inside the theater was nothing short of electric. From powerful performances to emotional moments of recognition, the evening overflowed with joy, inspiration, and unity. It was a true reminder of how music connects us all and continues to bring people together in the most meaningful way.
And just when the evening seemed like it couldn’t get any better, Tamanie’s closing message delivered a huge surprise! She proudly announced that ISSA is now officially recognized as a Registered Media Company with the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs®. This means ISSA can now submit eligible entries on behalf of our Gold Level Winners directly to the GRAMMYs—an extraordinary milestone that elevates ISSA’s prestige and opens new doors of opportunity for our talented members.
Thank you for letting us be part of your magical, musical journey. Here’s to many more milestones, memories, and music yet to come!
2025 ISSA AWARDS USA WINNERS
USA ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Gold – Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers
Silver – Erin Stoll
Bronze – Delta Circle
USA FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Gold – Angela Easley
Silver – Katrina Lynn
Bronze – Nikki Benbrooks
USA MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Gold – Jason Ray Welsh
Silver – AK Cody
Bronze – John Michael Ferrari
USA FEMALE RISING STAR
Lindsay Jordan
USA MALE RISING STAR
Nicholas Vernon
MALE BEST DRESSED
AMARU
FEMALE BEST DRESSED
Deby Kelley
USA BAND OF THE YEAR
Gold – Blacktop GypZ
Silver – Low Down Dirty Heathens
Bronze – Graveyard Pete & The New Appalachian Sound
USA FEMALE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Gold – Dusty Leigh – “The Hell I Won’t”
Silver – Birdy Young – “Wild Child”
Bronze – Randie O’Neil – “Heart And Soul”
USA MALE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Gold – Andrew Moore & Hooch – “Artists Of The Moon”
Silver – Tay Bronson – “Bad Apple”
Bronze – Jak Fiddler – “Darkness”
USA FEMALE SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Gold – Caitlin Mae – “House Sitting”
Silver – Lee Newton – “Meant To Be”
Bronze – Roseann Sureda – “Hanging On For Love”
USA MALE SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Gold – Jared Daws – “Road Dog”
Silver – Brad Thomas – “Shiner’s Shine”
Bronze – Michael Botte – “Soulfully Appreciating”
USA BAND SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Gold – Drown Again – “Find You Still”
Silver – Chains Over Razors – “Broken Home”
Bronze – The Major Resolve – “Wolves”
USA FEMALE SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Gold – Amy Jo
Silver – Jay El Dee
Bronze – KRISTENicole
USA MALE SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Gold – Trenton Chandler
Silver – Rich Allen
Bronze – Josh Bearden
USA VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Gold – Mission Road
Silver – Robbie & Ruth Litt
Bronze – Joe Kidd & Sheila Burke
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Gold – Angel Ocasio, Jr.
Silver – Cara Paige
Bronze – Keith Brooks
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Gold – Limberlost – “Alien”
Silver – Brett Ryder – “Why Hold On”
Bronze – The Band Wanted – “Tombstone”
USA FEMALE EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gold – Emily Judson
Silver – Layla Lavergne
Bronze – Francesca Tarantino
USA MALE EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gold – Matthew Adam
Silver – Kevin Palmer
Bronze – Jay Luke
USA RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR
Gold – Kayden Gordon – The Kayden Gordon Radio Network
Silver – Michael Tiffany – Midnight Madness
Bronze – James Michael Hollenstein – The Record Machine Show
SOUND ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Emily E. Finke
USA REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR
Linda Marks – Boston
2025 ISSA AWARDS INTERNATIONAL WINNERS
INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Gold – Brent McAthey- CA
Silver – Aaron Halliday – CA
Bronze – Danny Myler – DE
INTERNATIONAL FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Gold – S. J. Jananiy – IN
Silver – Shalaine Stebner – CA
Bronze – Emilie Thorsby – DK
INTERNATIONAL MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Gold – AMARU – NL
Silver – Rob Fillo – CA
Bronze – Rik Reese – CA
INTERNATIONAL FEMALE RISING STAR
Demi McMahon – UK
INTERNATIONAL MALE RISING STAR
Nige B – CA
INTERNATIONAL BAND OF THE YEAR
Gold – Stone Poets – CA
Silver – Synthetik Blonde – CA
Bronze – Glimtvis – DK
INTERNATIONAL MALE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Gold – Alan Garmonsway – UK – “And On With The Show”
Silver – Samuel George – ES – “Cult Of The Lamb: Hymns Of The Unholyo
Bronze – Anton Levin – AR – “Neoclassica Vol. 2”
INTERNATIONAL FEMALE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Gold – Amy Rowbottom – UK – “Shire”
Silver – Kim Thompson – CA – “Sippin On Love”
Bronze – Dina Andrews – UK – The Legend Of Sally Scrull”
INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Gold – Bailey Perrie – AU – “You Know You Kinda Like It”
Silver – Rachel Dara – CA – “The Next Big Invention”
Bronze – Carol Stevens – UK – “Wham Bam”
INTERNATIONAL MALE SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Gold – Brent McAthey – CA – “Sunsets And You”
Silver – Andy Smith – AU – “I Want To Take You Far”
Bronze – Bob Donaldson – CA – “I Wanna Be Like This”
INTERNATIONAL BAND SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Gold – Rowdy’s Rose – NZ – “No Greater Love”
Silver – The Kyle Jordan Project – “Demons”
Bronze – Accidental Martyr – “Nothing But A Coward”
INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Gold – HEERRAA – MY
Silver – Sherise D’Souza – IN
Bronze – Bee Smith – UK
INTERNATIONAL MALE SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Gold – Alan Sweeney – UK
Silver – AMARU – NL
Bronze – Robert Adrian Steiner – DE
INTERNATIONAL VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Gold – Ritchie Dave Porter & Debra Susan – UK
Silver – Moonshine Mollys – CA
Bronze – Priyadarshini & Mahesh Mahadev – IN
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Gold – Ritchie Dave Porter – UK
Silver – GM Blacktop – CA
Bronze – Luis Barbosa – PT
INTERNATIONAL MUSIC VIDEO
Gold – S. J. Jananiy – IN – “I’m Flying High”
Silver – Stone Poets – CA – “Beauty Of It All”
Bronze – Lisa Richard – CA – “Whiskey Over Me”
INTERNATIONAL FEMALE EMERGING ARTIST
Gold – Madison Mueller – CA
Silver – Tennessee Rindal – CA
Bronze – Christine Clifford – AU
INTERNATIONAL MALE EMERGING ARTIST
Gold – Alan Sweeney – UK
Silver – Pavel Mirga – CZ
Bronze – Michele Annunziata – IT
INTERNATIONAL RADIO STATION – DJ OF THE YEAR
Gold – Frank Hammer – DE – Radio Country Road 58
Silver – Melissa Whitehouse – UK – Just A London Girl
Bronze – Jake Dollery – UK – Radio Wigwam
INTERNATIONAL SOUND ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Greg Clifford – AU
INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR
Christine Clifford – AU