Libera Award for Best Breakthrough Artist

The Libera Award for Best Breakthrough Artist is an award presented by the American Association of Independent Music at the annual Libera Award which recognizes "independent artist whose release exceeded a certain total of streams or equivalent sales" since 2012.^[1] The category was previously called Up & Comer Award in 2012 to 2014.

Libera Award for Best Breakthrough Artist
Country	United States
Presented by	American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
First award	2012
Currently held by	Sudan Archives (2023)
Website	liberaawards.com

For the first two years of the awards, the category had two winners, one voted by A2IM members and the other voted by eMusic members. Indie pop band The Dø and Indie soul band JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound were the inaugural recipients of the award. Since 2013, a set of nominees is annually presented, with the nomination sometimes being credited for a specific release.

Winners and nominees

Year	Winner(s)	Work	Nominees	Ref.
2012	The Dø[a]	—	—	[2]
	JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound[b]
2013	Mikal Cronin[a]	—	Air Dubai Boy Leogun MNDR	[3][4]
	The Virginmarys[b]
2014	Angel Olsen (Up & Comer Artist Award)	Burn Your Fire for No Witness	Alpine – A is for Alpine FKA Twigs – EP2 Lo-Fang – Blue Film Mandolin Orange – This Side of Jordan The Strypes – Blue Collar Jane EP	[5][6]
	Chvrches (Breakthrough Artist)	The Bones of What You Believe	Cécile McLorin Salvant – WomanChild Hurray for the Riff Raff – Small Town Heroes Mikal Cronin – MCII Savages – Silence Yourself The Front Bottoms – Talon of the Hawk Valerie June – Pushin' Against a Stone William Onyeabor – Who is William Onyeabor?
2015	Sturgill Simpson	—	Alvvays Chet Faker Kygo Mac DeMarco MisterWives Viet Cong	[7][8]
2016	Courtney Barnett	Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit	Hop Along – Painted Shut Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle Kamasi Washington – The Epic Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats – Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats Shamir – Ratchet Tobias Jesso Jr. – Goon	[9][10]
2017	Whitney	Light Upon the Lake	Delicate Steve – This Is Steve The Lemon Twigs – Do Hollywood Margaret Glaspy – Emotions and Math Margo Price – Midwest Farmer's Daughter Roosevelt – Roosevelt Young M.A – Ooouuu	[11][12]
2018	Princess Nokia	1992 Deluxe	Alice Merton – No Roots Jamila Woods – Heavn Power Trip – Nightmare Logic Trippie Redd – A Love Letter to You	[13][14]
2019	Idles	Joy as an Act of Resistance	Caroline Rose – Loner Lucy Dacus – Historian Snail Mail – Lush Sunflower Bean – Come for Me	[15][16]
2020	Orville Peck		Sudan Archives Black Pumas Fontaines D.C. Julia Jacklin	[17][18]
2021	Arlo Parks		Bonny Light Horseman Overcoats Arlo McKinley Orion Sun	[19]
2022	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	[20]
2023	Sudan Archives		Allison Russell Charlotte Sands Soul Glo The Linda Lindas	[21] [22]

Notes

1. Voted by A2IM members.
2. Voted by eMusic members.