BMI Foundation Awards 2025 Charlie Feldman Award to Singer/Songwriter Carlos Neda
Miami, FL - December 16, 2025 - BMI Foundation, Inc. awarded the 2025 Charlie Feldman Award to Miami-based singer-songwriter Carlos Neda. The Charlie Feldman Award, established in 2021 in honor of retired BMI Vice President, Creative, Charlie Feldman, grants a prize of $2,000 annually to an emerging BMI songwriter in any genre.
Born in Miami and raised in El Salvador during one of its most violent periods, Carlos Neda began writing poetry as a child to process the chaos around him. After returning to Miami as a teenager, he found his voice through music by transforming his poems into songs. As a young adult, Neda traveled to more than 90 cities around the world where he busked and lived off his voice and his guitar. His debut single, “Sin complejos de Disney”, reached #4 on Spotify’s Viral Mexico chart, launching a career built on emotional honesty and raw storytelling. Neda is receiving this award as he is preparing to launch his first studio EP, PARA CAÍDAS.
“La verdad es que es un honor recibir este premio de BMI Foundation,” shared Neda upon receiving the award. “Para mí es un honor representar a El Salvador y poder estar aquí con ese reconocimiento después de siete años de carrera, de sacar mucha música, de escribir con muchos artistas. Este reconocimiento me da mucho orgullo y muchas ganas de continuar. Así que muchas gracias BMI Foundation, BMI Familia. La verdad es que estoy muy orgulloso y nos vemos en el 2026.”
“It's truly an honor to receive this award from the BMI Foundation. It's an honor for me to represent El Salvador and to be here receiving this recognition after seven years of my career, releasing a lot of music, and writing with many artists. This award fills me with pride and motivates me to continue. So, thank you very much, BMI Foundation, BMI Family. I'm very proud, and I'll see you in 2026.”
Charlie Feldman was a tireless advocate for songwriters during his 31-year career at BMI. This award was created in his honor to celebrate his retirement, and is supported by his friends and colleagues in the industry. Among the artists and music creators whose careers he championed are the Neville Brothers, James Brown, the Holland Brothers, Carole King, Chip Taylor, Greg Allman, Rihanna and Nile Rodgers.
About the BMI Foundation
The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. For more information about the work of the Foundation, please visit our website at www.bmifoundation.org. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Twitter and Instagram, and like BMI Foundation on Facebook.
