City Cast 6 Award Winners: Music

This year, City Cast DC is conducting our inaugural City Cast 6 awards, where we recognize six local leaders transforming six distinct industries — Politics, Food & Drink, Business & Development, Sustainability, Music, and Literature.

After months of research, interviews, and deliberation, we're proud to announce the winner of the Music category.

🏆 WINNER: Oh He Dead

Chosen by our panel of experts.

The band “Oh He Dead” was founded by two musicians in Washington, D.C., in 2015. It’s since grown into six members. Their sound is a mix of soul, funk, folk, and rock, which our panelists described as “warm and sexy vibes.”

They just released their second studio album, “Pretty”, with tracks that focus on love, desire, and relationships. “‘Pretty’ is a way to escape from the darkness within, a way to exchange quarantine blues for warmer, brighter hues,” said frontperson CJ Johnson.

The band won the 2023 Wammie Music Award for Best Pop Artist-Group and is embarking on a national tour this fall/winter.

🙌 PEOPLE’S CHOICE: Black Techno Matters

Based on votes by listeners and readers.

Black Techno Matters is a D.C.-based collective whose mission is to reclaim techno as a manifestation of Black expression. Follow them to attend their IRL and virtual events about celebrating techno’s Black roots.

🥈 RUNNERS-UP:

Nominated by other experts in the field.

• Ari Voxx – D.C.-born and raised indie pop artist focusing on introspection.
• Ginny Hill – Host of Pocket Mic at 7DrumCity for up-and-coming D.C. artists.

Our Selection Process:

To ensure the veracity of the awards, we chatted with dozens of field experts across D.C., conducted listener and reader polls, and did our own research to come up with nominations. Finally, we had you vote to choose a "People's Choice" winner. And we had our panel of experts — Washington Post's Michael Brice-Saddler, Axios' Anna Spiegel, and City Cast's David Plotz — confer and select a winner per category.