San Bernardino’s Inland Empire Music Awards Turn Unsung Local Artists into Headliners

San Bernardino’s Inland Empire Music Awards lit up the Garcia Center for the Arts on Saturday, Nov. 8, transforming the venue into a hometown Grammys as Only Empire Now rolled out an over-the-top red carpet for its 3rd annual celebration. The event honored nine standout winners and dozens of nominees who are reshaping the region’s music scene with authenticity, artistry, and influence.

Artists arrived in full glam, stopping for interviews and photos on a packed red carpet before stepping into the auditorium to perform and accept awards. Riverside artist Kyiemaa was named Untapped Artist of the Year, and local viral sensation Pak Joko took home Song of the Year for his breakout track “IE IE,” underscoring the event’s mix of new voices and already buzzing acts.

For co-founder and awards show visionary Jay Kasai, the night was the realization of a vision he wrote in a notebook nearly a decade ago — one born from the absence of recognition for working musicians.

“I got a trophy for film. I got a trophy for tennis and other things,” Kasai said. “I’ve been doing music since I was 16, and I’ve never gotten recognition for it. I thought, okay, we’re missing something.”

“So I decided to build a platform that would give other artists — even if I can’t participate — a chance to have that void filled,” he added. “Only Empire Now is founded on that principle: making sure other artists won’t face the same issue.”

Kasai, who manages “all graphic design, all curation, music entertainer outreach,” and calls himself “probably the most ingrained in the community as far as musicians go,” said Only Empire Now was founded in 2022. The first Inland Empire Music Awards were held in 2023.

“We go by Only Empire as a platform,” he said. “We’re looking for the person no one’s heard yet. We’re not looking for the most popular. It’s not a popularity contest — it’s, ‘Do you make great music?’ We listened to every single submission. It took us three days.”

Submissions number in the hundreds, including at least 20 albums, each with five to 10 tracks, plus singles from across the region. The team archives everything and passes it to a council of judges.

“We listen to everything and weed out the songs that aren’t professionally made,” Kasai said. “Then we bring what remains to the council. We look people up, try to learn their stories. Sometimes we even reach out to their teams to learn more.”

Finalists are then announced on social media, where public voting plays a role in the outcome.

“Each category is posted on social, and the number of comments or votes a nominee gets actually matters in the final decision,” said media relations representative Jay Guevara. “The judges have their own scorecards too. So it’s as unbiased as it can be — people really do have a voice.”

Kyiemaa, who has only been making music for a year and a half, said her journey into music has been fast but deeply meaningful.

“Performing has only been a couple months,” she said. “But I used to be a dancer when I was younger, so I’ve always been performing in some way.”

Born in Oakland and raised across several cities before settling in Riverside, Kyiemaa said she proudly calls the Inland Empire home.

“I’ve been here the longest. I went to North High School in Riverside — shout out North,” she said. “I’ve been out here since sixth grade. I consider myself from Riverside.”

She performed “For You” and “Coco,” two mid-tempo R&B tracks that she felt would set the mood.

“It was more intimate than I’m used to — people were closer than usual,” she said. “I was a little nervous for the first song, but I felt really good. I chose songs that would set the mood, and I think it went well.”

Kyiemaa describes her sound as a blend of pop, R&B, and trap.

“Genre-wise, I’m very influenced by R&B and pop,” she said. “My new stuff is more trap-influenced. But yeah, I’m definitely a pop-R&B girl all the way.”

She cited Sabrina Claudio, Ravyn Lenae and Ariana Grande as vocal inspirations, and said her album Hold Me Softly was created during a difficult personal chapter.

“I was going through it when I made the album, I really was,” she said. “To hear that people are resonating with it and it’s getting to ears I didn’t think it would reach — it keeps us going.”

The awards show, she said, showed how supportive the Inland Empire music community can be.

“Everyone was so friendly — I really felt part of the community,” she said. “Usually it’s just me and two other people making music, so to be in a space like this and feel so welcomed… I love it.”

Guevara, who ran the red carpet, said the goal was to give local talent a red-carpet experience that felt like the Grammys.

“I reached out to media companies and assigned them red carpet spots,” he said. “That way the artists felt embraced, like they were stars. The IE has a lot of familiar faces, and people want to connect with them.”

Guevara said this year’s show took a full year to plan, from growing sponsorships to expanding media coverage.

“It was a year-long process — securing new sponsors, bringing in more media platforms,” he said. “We really wanted to give it a facelift and take it to another level.”

Sponsors included the Ontario Reign hockey team, which provided four game tickets for the Collaboration of the Year winners, the Empire Strikers soccer team, Bushfire Kitchen, and others. 

“The Ontario Reign actually sponsored Collaboration of the Year,” Guevara said. “The Empire Strikers offered a gift basket. Bushfire Kitchen — which has locations in LA, OC, and San Diego — really wanted to support this award show.”

Despite the support, Kasai emphasized that the event remains a passion project — not a paycheck.

“We have an open bar, we have media, lighting, a venue — and no one pays us a dollar,” he said. “Every artist enters free. We try to treat them as special as they are.”

While sponsors like SoCal Trash Army and Inland Wire help cover costs, Kasai said he still pays much of the expense himself.

“Some people literally just write a check because they believe in us,” he said. “I come out of pocket every year. I lose money — a lot of it. And I’m okay with that because I care.”

Kasai, who is also a musician, does not submit his own work for consideration.

“I spend all this money, and I can’t even submit my own music,” he said. “And I make music with many of these artists. But that’s fine — it’s worth it.”

What sets the event apart, Kasai said, is that respected, award-winning producers still show up.

“The very first year, the biggest producer in hip-hop — Hit-Boy from Fontana — sent his family to accept his award,” he said. “That made other artists realize this is something to take seriously.”

He said Grammy-nominated producer Navi has attended the past two years and called personally this year to explain why he couldn’t make it. This year’s Producer of the Year, Kasai added, worked on a platinum album for Mariah the Scientist.

“It’s important that the people who don’t need to be here for attention still want to be here,” he said. “It gives credibility. And it gives hope to the people who feel like no one is listening.”

Guevara, a native of Richmond, Va., said the Inland Empire reminds him of home — full of talent, but often overlooked.

“The IE reminds me of Richmond’s music scene,” he said. “Just like the IE gravitates toward LA, Richmond artists go to Virginia Beach, Atlanta, or New York. But the talent is here, too.”

“To bring something like this to the IE — and hear artists say, ‘We’ve never had anything like this before’ — that means everything,” he added. “I’m not an LA transplant. I’m an IE transplant. This is home now.”

For Kyiemaa, community-centered events like these show that music — and support for the arts — matter.

“This is a very expressive outlet for a lot of us,” she said. “I was in a rough place when I wrote that album, and now it’s being heard. That helps keep us going.”

Guevara said the long-term goal is for the Inland Empire Music Awards to become a staple.

“We’re always looking for sponsors,” he said. “There’s unity in community — from artists to producers to media outlets like yours. The dream is for this to be something even bigger than the IE Grammys. Something the community looks forward to every year.”

Kasai agreed, and said the path forward is simple: keep listening, keep supporting, and keep building.

“Follow us at @onlyempirenow on Instagram or visit itsonlyempire.com,” he said. “That’s where people can learn more. The most important thing now is finding funding — so we can keep doing this every year and do it even bigger.”

“We want the best sound, the best red carpet, the best media,” he added. “And we make sure the people who work this show every year get paid. That’s the key.”