MUMBAI: Hungama Artist Aloud, a platform that supports and promotes independent content, today announced the jury for the upcoming Indian Independent Music Awards (IIMA) – the definitive awards to honour independent Indian musicians. All entries in the award will be judged by an accomplished jury consisting of:

·       Swanand Kirkire (Lyricist & Writer)

·       Gaurav Kapur (VJ/ Actor/ TV Presenter)

·       Owen Roncon (Co-Founder & Creative Head, Fountain Head MKTG & Oranjuice Entertainment)

·       Merlin D’Souza (Artist/ Music Producer)

·       Brian Tellis (Co-founder & Group CEO, Fountain Head MKTG)

·       Dwayne Das (Audio Professional/ System Engineer)

·       Ratish Tagde (Musician & President of The Musicians Federation of India)

·       Jehan Johar (Founder, Ra Music/ Festival Curator, Sula Fest)

·       Samantha Noella (Singer/ Vocal Coach)

·       Gaurav Sharma (Chief Programming & Digital Strategy Officer, Fever FM, Radio Nasha & Radio One)

The digital-only property will recognize outstanding Indian talent, living in the country or any other part of the world, for their content released in India, either directly by the artists themselves or through labels. Entries can be submitted till 31^st July 2020 on https://www.hungama.com/IIMA2020/. All submitted entries should have had an official release in India between 1st April 2018 and 31st March 2020.

Sharing her thoughts, Soumini Sridhara Paul, Vice President, Hungama Artist Aloud said, “We’re extremely honored to associate with eminent individuals from the field of arts and music. I’d like to thank them for taking out time and shouldering the responsibility of honouring the great and highly creative minds and voices from the Indian independent music industry. We look forward to receiving the entries and hope to honour the most deserving talent across 26 categories.”

Talking about his association, lyricist and playback singer, Swanand Kirkire said, "I am excited to associate with Hungama Artist Aloud for Indian Independent Music Awards. They have always been at the forefront of the Indian independent music industry and have encouraged the talent and skill-set of young and aspiring independent musicians. I look forward to seeing an incredible line-up of award entries."

Indian actor and television presenter, Gaurav Kapur adds, “It is heartening to see Hungama Artist Aloud relentlessly work towards the growth of the Indian independent music industry. IIMA is a great platform that seeks to honor and celebrate the sheer talent and excellence the industry has to offer. For me personally, it’s like going back to my roots in music television and I’m super excited and happy to be a part of the initiative.”

All consumer category submissions will be followed by public voting between 17^th August and 31^st August 2020 while the jury category submissions will be voted for by the jury members within the same period, with the finale scheduled to happen in the fourth week of September 2020.