Celebrating the Magic of Music: Awards for

A Journey Through Sound

Sleepwalker and A Night at the Cloudtop Imaginarium — two pieces from my album Once Upon a Cloudtop Meadow — have just won awards at the 2025 InterContinental Music Awards, in the Soundtrack and Best Production categories.

The ICMA is based in Los Angeles, but it gathers musicians from all over the world. This year, finalists from 68 countries came together online to share music that transcends borders. And somehow, up in that constellation of voices, my little story above the clouds found its place.

The Essence of Cyprus

What makes me proudest is that these works carried with them a piece of Cyprus. The Cloudtop Meadow may be imaginary, but it’s rooted in memories of growing up in Cyprus, in the nostalgia for futures that never quite arrived, and in bedtime stories told to my daughter. To have that voice recognized internationally feels like a small act of cultural representation — showing that even from our small island, music can travel far and still carry the scent of home.

The Soundscapes of My Imagination

Sleepwalker is a drifting, ethereal track that wanders between dream and wakefulness. It is built entirely out of orchestral libraries and textures that blur the line between organic and electronic.

On the other hand, A Night at the Cloudtop Imaginarium is its more mischievous cousin — an evening in a fantastical carnival, where instruments become characters and production itself is part of the storytelling. To have both of these pieces acknowledged specifically for Soundtrack and Best Production fills me with joy.

More Than Just an Album

Once Upon a Cloudtop Meadow was always meant to be more than an album. It’s a fairy tale in sound, a bedtime story, a playground of orchestras and toy instruments, of lullabies and field recordings of my daughter’s voice.

It has been a long journey — from Abbey Road beginnings to IR recordings of my daughter's room. To see the Cloudtop world now drift into the hands of listeners around the world is humbling.

The Power of Music

Music is often consumed passively today, serving as background noise to scrolls and swipes. But this project was a reminder — to me and hopefully to listeners — that music can still be a world you step into, a meadow to wander in. And now, thanks to the ICMA, more people might just stumble upon it.

An Invitation to Explore

If you haven’t yet visited the Cloudtop Meadow, perhaps now is the time. I invite you to immerse yourself in this soundscape.

Listen to Once Upon a Cloudtop Meadow and Watch the Cloudtop videos.

Thank you, as always, for dreaming with me.

—Inal