RightOutTV Music & Video Awards 2014 • Summer Osborne & Nastaij

The winners of the 2014 RightOutTV Music & Video Awards were announced recently, proving what great music is being made by LGBT artists. Well, that was obvious when I saw the list of nominees, coming from all around the world. RightOutTV was founded by Marlee Walchuk and Tully Callender, devoted to the promotion of LGBT artists and their music all across the globe. The submissions are from many genre, from Rock to Country to Electronica. Once again this year, I was proud to be asked to be a judge, hearing some more great music and discovering a few new artists. But enough with all that. It is time to showcase some very deserving artists. Today I am thrilled to feature Summer Osborne (above, left) and Nastaij, (above, right).

I was quite pleased to hear the competition add a few new categories this year. One of those is 'Best Song With A Social Message', something important to so many of the LGBT artists. There were some amazing submissions, and giving us five outstanding nominees. The list included Anna Gutmanis with "Another Way Out", Sarah Golden with "The One I Love", Kristie Stremel with "Love Makes a Family", Jane of Arc with "Stand", and Summer Osborne with "Solution". This year, the award went to Summer Osborne, twice nominated in this category, and her fantastic song, "This Is Your Call". The St. Louis-based singer/songwriter released the album 'As I Am' in 2013, a wonderful collection of songs. The album included the song "This Is Your Call", which was named 'Best Song With A Social Message'. Please listen to "This Is Your Call" by Summer Osborne.

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You can find "This Is Your Call" on her album, 'As I Am'. You can purchase 'As I Am' from iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, and CD Baby. To learn more about Summer Osborne, visit her official website. You can also 'like' her on Facebook, and 'follow' her on Twitter.

Our next award is going to a land down under. That is correct, we are going international with the Australian Hip-Hop artist, Nastaij. The Lismore-based Nastaij stands up and takes a strong stance on marriage equality in her music video for "You Don't Represent Me", which was co-written by featured artist Dawn Laird. Bold and honest, the song speaks to love and prejudice, and features news clips from Conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott (boo-hiss!). It comes together in a spectacular fashion, and was named 'Best Music Video With A Social Message'. This was another category with strong competition, with music videos like Big Bad Gina's "Beetz In My Salad" featuring SJ Tucker, Erik Toro with "The Right", I.K.P. with "Let it B. Known", Linq's "Oh Bully", and Denise Marsa's "The Land Had a Dream". This is Nastaij with the scintillating "You Don't Represent Me".

Although I cannot find where you can purchase "You Don't Represent Me", I do see you can buy her EP 'The Warehouse Session' from iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. To learn more about Nastaij, visit her official website. You can also 'like' her on Facebook, and 'follow' her on Twitter.

Marlee and Tully developed RightOutTV to help LGBT artists with promotion, as a way of giving back to the community. The couple are also a musical duo, making up Sugarbeach. They were kind enough to ask me to participate in the awards for the last few years as a judge. To learn more about RightOutTV, visit the RightOutTV website. You can also 'follow' them on Twitter, and 'like' them on Facebook.

2013 RightOutTV Music & Video Awards • Best Performance In A Live Video & Best Comedy Video

I am pleased to showcase the recent winners of the 2013 RightOutTV Music & Video Awards, pointing a spotlight on a few of the many talented members of the LGBT community making music. This year, awards were given in 18 different categories, with 17 different acts receiving them. The awards are given by RightOutTV, a website founded by Marlee Walchuck and Tully Callender. The website promotes Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender artists, allowing a platform for their voices to be heard, and a place for those wanting to support them to visit on a regular basis. “If you watch the awards show you’ll see that we don’t just promote and award these artists because they’re gay. These are high-level, multi-talented, professionals with star quality,” says Marlee Walchuk, co-producer of the awards. “Even though most of these artists are not being heard on mainstream radio yet, they deserve every success enjoyed by their straight counterparts."

I continue this series by offering you some more great videos, the first of which is the one that was named Best Live Video. That honor went to Summer Osborne's "Grace". I first learned of Summer's music when she was nominated for a RightOutTV Music & Video Award in 2011, as well as 2012. I instantly loved her voice, so rich and sure, I had to check out more of her music. I now have a couple of her albums in my collection, including her latest, 'As I Am'. One of the tracks off the album, "Grace" is the source of Summer's 2013 nomination and win when she submitted a video of the singer/songwriter performing it live. The song shows a strength of craft, for it is a beautifully written song that is performed to perfection. This is Summer Osborne with her award-winning video for "Grace".

"Grace" can be found on the album 'As I Am', which can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. The album is truly wonderful, and I would highly recommend it. To learn more about Summer Osborne, visit the official website. You can also 'follow' her on Twitter, and 'like' her on Facebook.

I have to be honest and say that when I saw the sinner of the category for Best Comedy Video, I had no idea who it was. I didn't judge any of the videos, and wasn't familiar with I'Wante, so I had to do a little bit of research. I'Wante is a comic rapper born in North Carolina who counts among his influences Chris Rock, Nicki Minaj, Weird Al Yankovic, Queen, and Lauryn Hill. He loves combining comedy and Hip-Hop, conveying his comedy through musical stories. And such is the case with his wining entry, "Niggah Please I Want Tiffany's & Co." I will mention that some might see his language as explicit or just wrong, but others will se it for the humor it is meant to be. So this is I'Wante with "Niggah Please I Want Tiffany's & Co.".

"Niggah Please I Want Tiffany's & Co." can be found on the album 'Fifty Shades of Gay', which can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. To learn more about I'Wante, visit the official website. You can also 'follow' him on Twitter, and 'like' him on Facebook.

RightOutTV Awards 2012 • Kat Devlin & Summer Osborne

Once again, I am continuing the series featuring the winners of the 2012 RightOutTV Music & Video Awards. Tonight we will have the opportunity to check out the winners from the Folk/Country/Jazz categories. I will start with a Santa Barbara-based singer/songwriter who has been lighting up the West Coast both with her solo music, as well as with her band. Earlier this year, Kat Devlin and the White Whale released the EP 'REM Cycle #3.' It is from that collection that we have the winner of the Best Folk/Country/Jazz Video, "Dear Emmi." The beautifully introspective song has music by Kat and lyrics by Shannon Brennan.

For more about Kat Devlin, visit her official website. "Dear Emmi" can be found on her EP 'REM Cycle', released earlier this year. You can purchase it from Bandcamp, iTunes and Amazon. You can also order the CD from her online store.

I love the fact that before this competition, I had never heard of Summer Osborne. After immediately asking myself if she was the lost child of Sharon and Ozzie Osborne, I gave her music a listen, and I didn't think of the Dark Prince again. There is a clean feel to her music, and a crisp tone to her vocals. That, along with writing a great song, earned Summer the award for Best Folk/Country/Jazz Song for the song "Be Still".

For more about Summer Osborne, visit her official website. "Be Still" can be found on her 2012 release, 'The Scenic Route.' To purchase Summer's music, it is available online: go to Vibedeck.com and click on the cover for 'The Scenic Route.' If you have any problems finding it, check back again soon. I have the album, and it is well worth hearing!