“This means the world to us,” Brennan said while accepting the award at Wednesday’s ceremony, noting in his speech that “Boston is such a huge part of who we are.”
Dropkick Murphys, who haven’t secured any titles at the Boston Music Awards since 2012, also picked up wins for video of the year and song of the year (1 million+ streams) for the band’s politically-charged track “Who Will Stand with Us?” from the new album “For the People.”
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
While Dropkick Murphys led the field with three wins on Wednesday, Boston band Couch, who were nominated in five categories, took home two trophies, including live artist of the year and pop artist of the year.
ISHA! performed at the Boston Music Awards at Big Night Live on Wednesday night.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Rising women hip-hop and R&B performers continue to dominate the new artist of the year category, with Lawrence artist ISHA! taking the 2025 title, shouting out “the Dominicans and the Haitians in the building” while accepting the award (she also performed at the event). The 2024 crown went to Dorchester R&B act Yanna G, while Mattapan rapper Nay $peaks won new artist of the year in 2023.
Rap also dominated the best album categories, with Boston rapper EXITFAME, who also performed at this year’s awards, winning album/EP of the year for “Last Shall Be First.”
“I grew up in Dorchester, Roxbury. And what makes you stay here is the pride of that,” EXITFAME told the Globe backstage at Wednesday’s event, noting how he wants “to bring an eye on the city” with his work.
Exitfame performed at the Boston Music Awards at Big Night Live on Wednesday night.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
Meanwhile, Salem rapper Token won the award for album/EP of the year (1 million+ streams) for “I’m Not Supposed to Be Here.”
“I was always insecure about growing up outside of Boston and being an internet kid,” Token said during his acceptance speech. “But where I’m from means a lot to me, and this means a lot to me.”
In a statement from Paul Armstrong, owner and producer of the Boston Music Awards, he praised this year’s nominees and winners for reflecting “the full spectrum of who makes music in Boston right now.”
“It’s been a difficult year in many ways, for a lot of people, and nights like this matter,” said Armstrong. “When things feel heavy, art is often what helps us see a way forward.”
He added, “Our hope is that the Boston Music Awards offered a little light, a sense of connection, and a reminder of the strength that comes from a creative community that truly represents everyone.”
Nate Perry and Ragged Company performed at the Boston Music Awards at Big Night Live on Wednesday night.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
The 2025 edition of the ceremony featured five new categories this year, including the inaugural Margaret Stewart Lindsay music nonprofit of the year award, which honors organizations supporting the creative community. The honor went to the Boston Music Project, a nonprofit that aims to support “the long-term social-emotional and musical success of Boston youth,” according to its website.
“The arts truly are the cornerstone of humanity, and especially right now,” said Chris Schroeder, executive director of the Boston Music Project, while accepting the award on stage. “They play a vital role in helping us to express, amplify, and shape the future that we all want to see.”
Also new for 2025 was the Afro/Caribbean artist of the year category, which took the place of the reggae/ska category. The award went to hip-hop and Afrofusion musician Echezona.
Additional genre-specific winners included Token (hip-hop); Yanna G (R&B); Lia Nicole (Latin); Megan From Work (rock); Hallelujah the Hills (alt/indie); Ezra Furman (singer-songwriter); GA-20 (blues); Samantha Rae (country); Freezepop (dance/electronic); DJ Real P (DJ); Jared Sims (jazz); TREE (metal); Haywire (punk/hardcore); Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners (Americana); Tiny Habits (folk); and Miranda Rae (vocalist).
Megan From Work performed at the Boston Music Awards at Big Night Live on Wednesday night.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe was honored as well, earning the award for publication of the year, with Globe contributing writer and music editor Victoria Wasylak winning journalist of the year.
See the full list of winners below.
Dropkick Murphys
ISHA!
Album/EP of the Year (1 million+ streams)
Token – “I’m Not Supposed to Be Here”
EXITFAME – “Last Shall Be First”
Song of the Year (1 million+ streams)
Dropkick Murphys – “Who’ll Stand With Us?”
Justin Clancy – “Holy”
Dropkick Murphys – “Who’ll Stand With Us?”
Couch
Afro/Caribbean Artist of the Year
Echezona
Alt/Indie Artist of the Year
Hallelujah the Hills
Americana Artist of the Year
Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners
GA-20
Country Artist of the Year
Samantha Rae
Dance/Electronic Artist of the Year
Freezepop
DJ Real P
Tiny Habits
Hip Hop Artist of the Year
Token
Jared Sims
Lia Nicole
TREE
Couch
Punk/Hardcore Artist of the Year
Haywire
Yanna G
Megan From Work
Singer-Songwriter Artist of the Year
Ezra Furman
Miranda Rae
Spoken Word Artist of the Year
Yessmaa
Music Festival of the Year
Boston Calling
SILK R&B Party
Music Venue of the Year (1000+ capacity)
MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Music Venue of the Year (250+ capacity)
The Sinclair
Music Venue of the Year (Under 250 capacity)
Deep Cuts
Box Office Team of the Year
Big Night Live
Production Manager of the Year
Marc Picard
Live Audio Engineer of the Year
Jesse Vengrove
Lighting Technician of the Year
Brittany Trymbulak
Bowery Boston
Justine Faucher
Graphic Designer of the Year
Liz Walshak
The Boston Globe
Victoria Wasylak
Faith Nguyen
Nicole da Silva
Artist Manager of the Year
Ikenna Ndugba
Session Musician of the Year
Matt Zappa
Recording Studio of the Year
The SoundLab Recording Studios
Studio Producer of the Year
Akachi
Studio Engineer of the Year
J. Rose
“CWTFB Radio”
DJ Pup Dawg
The Margaret Stewart Lindsay Music Non-Profit of the Year
Boston Music Project
Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com. Ryan Yau can be reached at ryan.yau@globe.com.