Julien Baker

Julien Baker’s critically acclaimed debut release, Sprained Ankle, is still receiving national praise, including a nod from The American Music Prize, an award that celebrates the year’s best debut album. While there are thousands of albums eligible for the prize, MTSU’s Baker, as well as BORNS’ Dopamine and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats’ self-titled release, have made the “longlist,” a list of the AMP’s favorite albums to date. However, a winner likely won’t be declared until early next year, as a panel of judges are busy listening to every debut album released since Aug. 1, 2015. Last year American jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington was announced as the inaugural winner for his LP, The Epic.

Kamasi Washington