The Powerhouse Vocalist Behind the Ultimate Journey Experience Is Honored for a Song Entirely His Own at the 12th Annual Josie Music Awards
Some song titles are just titles. Others are declarations. When rock artist Paulino named his single “Don’t Give Up On Me,” he could not have written a truer thesis for his own career — and now the independent music world has answered him. Paulino has been officially nominated for Song of the Year – Rock Artist at the 12th Annual Josie Music Awards, taking place September 20, 2026, at the legendary Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee.
The nomination arrives at a defining moment. Audiences across the country know Paulino as the electrifying voice at the front of Paulino & The Great Escape, the acclaimed production that brings the timeless music of Journey to life with such power and precision that it recently commanded the stage at Nashville’s legendary Troubadour. Night after night, he has proven he can carry one of the most demanding vocal catalogs in rock history. But “Don’t Give Up On Me” is something different — not a tribute, not an homage, but Paulino’s own voice, his own words, his own story. The Josie nomination honors the artist behind the voice.
It is a distinction worth savoring. The Josie Music Awards, widely recognized as the largest independent music awards show in the world, judge Song of the Year on the craft itself — originality, melody, composition, lyrics, and the elusive quality that makes a song refuse to leave the listener. A nomination in the Rock Artist category places “Don’t Give Up On Me” among an elite handful of songs chosen from thousands, and places Paulino among the finest original voices in independent rock.
Those who have followed his rise will not be surprised. Paulino has built his reputation on powerful vocals, heartfelt songwriting, and live performances that leave audiences on their feet — a combination that made him a storm gathering just beyond the horizon. “Don’t Give Up On Me” is the sound of that storm breaking: a song built on persistence, delivered by a singer who has lived every word of it. There is a reason it connects. It was earned before it was written.
On September 20, the independent music world will gather at the Grand Ole Opry House — the most hallowed stage in American music — and Paulino’s name will be among the honored. Whatever the envelope holds, the message of the night is already written into the nomination itself: the world is listening now, and it is listening to him.
He asked us not to give up on him. Nobody ever did — and Nashville is about to show him why.
The official website for the Josie Music Awards may be found at https://www.josiemusicawards.com