SJ Wins Best Independent Artist Folk/Acoustic Song at 2011 Hollywood Music in Media Awards

Online, November 21, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Miami-based acoustic artist SJ won a 2011 Hollywood Music in Media Award (HMMA) for his song "Coffee," which was nominated as Best Folk/Acoustic Song by an Independent Artist. SJ showcased his award-winning song in front of a celebrity crowd at the Kodak Theatre Complex in Hollywood, Calif. "Coffee" is the title track off SJ's first commercial LP, which has been gaining critical acclaim since May of this year when a shorter version of the album was soft-released by SJ's independent record label, Acoustic Soul Records™.

"It was a great honor to perform and win at this year's HMMAs," remarked SJ. It's amazing to be recognized among industry elite in music supervision in film and TV, and among amazing independent artists from around the world - it's also nice to represent South Florida and bring more attention to its thriving singer-songwriter scene," SJ continued.

The HMMAs honors music used in the media industry, and featured several celebrity appearances along with film and TV elite in music supervision and film scoring. This year, Smokey Robinson was honored with a lifetime achievement award. It will be post-broadcasted in the U.S. and in several foreign markets, TBD. SJ's first single, "I Like You," was nominated in 2010 for an HMMA. Thereafter, it reached Top 10 charting status in U.S. AC radio, and remains in Top 20 status on Sirius/XM The Coffee House.

"Coffee" was co-produced by SJ, Oszy Carmona and Peter Finley, mixed by multi-platinum engineer/producer Bob Rosa (Michael Jackson, Prince, Mick Jagger), and mastered by Ryan Smith of Sterling Sound (James Taylor, Rufus Wainwright, Beyonce). "I Like You" was co-produced by Derek Olds and mixed by multi-Grammy engineer/producer Carlos Alvarez (Julio Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Alejandro Sanz). SJ's Spanish language version of his single, entitled "Lo Mejor De Mi," won a prestigious first place prize in Nashville's 2011 International Songwriting Competition in June of this year, judged by Latin megastars Alejandro Sanz and Chayanne.

About SJ: Once an international corporate attorney for Fortune 100s, SJ left everything behind to pursue his music passion. In a short time, his art is fast making waves in the industry and among fans. More information on SJ, including his biography, music, photos, and videos can be found at the websites listed below.
www.sjacoustic.com www.reverbnation.com/#/sjacousticmusic www.facebook.com/sjacoustic www.myspace.com/sjacousticmusic www.youtube.com/sjacousticmusic www.twitter.com/sjacoustic