London is preparing for its upcoming music week which features various events including the Forest City London Music Awards.
The award show brings attention and a focus to local artists in London and the surrounding area in various categories ranging from cover bands, country groups, hip-hop, music videos, and more.
Brand new to the award show this year is a Latin music award.
“It’s the first year of the Latin category and it’s our way of acknowledging that we’ve got a great Latin music scene here in London,” says Mario Circelli, founder of the Forest City London Music Awards.
“They (the Latin community) brought such a passion for music and there’s such a flair that they’ve added to the city, so it was a no-brainer for us to bring this award to the table.”
To celebrate both Latin music as well as the addition of the award category, London’s music week will also now be featuring a Latin street party on June 15.
“You are going to get a real taste, a real sense of Latin music on that evening,” says Circelli.
“Listen to the performers, there’ll be some salsa dancing, there’ll be great performances that you can either take in passively by sitting and enjoying or jump out of your seat and dance along, have some fun. It’s going to be a real celebration, so we’re really excited about it.”
Along with the excitement building around the addition of the Latin category and the street party, Circelli is also excited for the music week as a whole along with the award show.
(Credit: FCLMA) The Forest City London Music Awards wrap up London’s Music Week which runs from June 11 to June 18.
He talked about just how important the event is for local artists as well as how appreciated it is from a social and communal perspective for the musicians.
“Really, it’s about growing community and acknowledging and celebrating who we are and the good work people have done,” says Circelli.
“There’s so many musicians who work so hard and here’s an opportunity where we can pat each other on the back and tell people, “hey, great job this year,” or, “keep going, keep doing what you’re doing.” The connections are so important, it’s the community building aspect that I think makes this project really rewarding and worthwhile.”
London is the first city in Canada to have the UNESCO City of Music designation, much of the reasoning of which comes from both the wealth of talent in the city as well as the rich history of music in London.
“London has always been a place of music. It started with Indigenous bands, it started to boil with the first pop stars in Canada; The Lombardo Brothers, here from London, Ontario. It’s been simmering ever since.”
With London’s Music Week just around the corner, Circelli had one note regarding why Londoners should be excited and cherish the culture of music in the city.
“There’s something very special happening in London, Ontario musically and it’s been happening for a long time. The stories are worth telling and the stories are worth preserving. As a Londoner, you should embrace it, enjoy it, and just bathe in the talent we have here in this city.”
The Forest City London Music Awards wrap up London’s Music Week, which runs from June 11 to 18. For more details, head to www.fclma.ca.
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